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The Rainbow Virus

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It's the weirdest bioterrorism attack ever!


Loner scientist Arthur Lupo at first seems the most eccentric bioterrorist of all time. After vanishing from his lab at a biotech company, he releases viruses that only turn their victims a palette of colors. But then his chief pursuers—disgraced FBI agent Bobby Loudon and obsessive CDC epidemic-tracker Kathleen Shinohara—discover a horrifying fact. The brilliant Lupo has stolen the world's most lethal viruses from the Army's bioterrorism center.

Lupo reveals that his first viruses were only a test. He dramatically proves their infectivity by transforming the terrified citizens of Denver into a rainbow of colors. In a chilling declaration, he announces that he will now release an unstoppable artificial virus whose spread will decimate the world's population.

Loudon and Shinohara must race against time, a mysterious assassin, and a secret government faction to find Lupo and stop him.

The Rainbow Virus is a gripping, realistic bioterrorism tale that launches readers on a harrowing adventure with the flips and plunges of the wildest roller coaster.

408 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

30 people are currently reading
886 people want to read

About the author

Dennis Meredith

25 books106 followers
Dennis Meredith brings to his novels an expertise in science from his career as a science communicator at some of the country's leading research universities, including MIT, Caltech, Cornell, Duke and the University of Wisconsin. He has worked with science journalists at all the nation's major newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV networks and has written well over a thousand news releases and magazine articles on science and engineering over his career.

He has served on the executive board of the National Association of Science Writers and has written numerous articles and guidebooks on science writing and science communication. He has also served as a judge and manager for the NASW Science-in-Society Awards and the AAAS Science Writing Awards.

He was a creator and developer of EurekAlert!, working with The American Association for the Advancement of Science to establish this international research news service, which now links more than 4,500 journalists to news from 800 subscribing research institutions.

In 2007, he was elected as a AAAS Fellow "for exemplary leadership in university communications, and for important contributions to the theory and practice of research communication." In 2012 he was named the year's Honorary Member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.

He holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Texas (1968) and an M.S. in biochemistry and science writing from the University of Wisconsin (1970).

He is currently writing science articles, non-fiction books and science fiction novels. He also develops and conducts communication workshops for researchers seeking to enhance their communication skills, both professional and lay-level. He has developed workshops for researchers at universities, research foundations, and government agencies and laboratories.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Stjepan Cobets.
Author 14 books527 followers
May 29, 2017
My rating for the book is 3.9
The Rainbow Virus by Dennis Meredith is the classic thriller with a little touch of science fiction. The story and plot are solid, and the characters are solid characterized. But in some parts of the book, some stories of people who were infected by the virus are literally thrown into the story and are not necessary because they slow down the action. The story is tense, but I feel as if the writer deliberately slowed down. In my opinion, it is not necessary, but that's just my opinion. All in all, the story is solid. The story begins with the emergency services at the hospital appears a man completely blue all over his body. But soon start to appear new patients in a variety of colors. FBI agent Bobby Loudon is assigned by his superior to detect disappearance researcher Arthur Lupo from companies ArchiBiologics. Soon, his quiet work in the office turned into a nightmare that is associated with events at the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital comes to a research team led by Kathleen Shinohara to discover the cause of this epidemic that has hit dozens of citizens. Soon Shinohara and Loudon paths will cross because it was only a test copy of the spread of infection. What they are deeper they go into the pursuit of the perpetrators will become aware that it is a lot at stake because in all that is involved the army and some of the secret service that had infiltrated deep in the Bureau and the military. The book is easy to read and full of secrets, deception, and intrigue. The writer warns us of the dangers hidden in biological laboratories that if they get into the wrong hands can very easily destroy the entire human population. It's too dangerous and deadly viruses hidden in laboratories, and to people that are not at all aware, until there are no too late. What will happen to us if one of these dangerous viruses escapes?
"I received a free copy from the author without an obligation to review."
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,749 reviews748 followers
March 31, 2018
A missing scientist is causing havoc infecting people with a “rainbow virus” that causes them to change into a spectrum of different colours. Although otherwise harmless, the scientist is perfecting his delivery systems for more deadly viruses that he has stolen. Bobby Loudon, an FBI agent is charged with tracking him down with the help of CDC scientist Kathleen Shinohara before he can leash his evil plan on an unsuspecting population.

This was a fun read, even though there are implications of bioterrorism. The social effects of the colour changes on the population were interesting with claims of particular colours being superior to others. The characters were interesting – Loudon the flawed agent and Kathleen the driven scientist. A light thriller with a SciFi twist. 3.5★

With thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book which I received as a giveaway on LibraryThing
Profile Image for Carl Alves.
Author 23 books176 followers
September 21, 2019
In The Rainbow Virus, the FBI and CDC are chasing a bizarre virus unleashed by Arthur Lupo, a strange little scientist. Instead of unleashing chaos and killing millions, the virus changes the color of the infected person. The colors are varied, across all spectrums of the rainbow (hence the name). The two primary people on the chase are FBI agent, Bobby Loudon, and CDC scientist, Kathleen Shinohara. It was clear from the beginning that these two would eventually become a couple, something that was too obvious and telegraphed from the beginning of the story. Their belief is that the change in colors is only the beginning, and that Arthur Lupo has mass extinction as his intent.

The writing in the novel was pretty strong. It was professional and competent, and I don’t have much to quibble about it. I really liked the whole concept of the Rainbow virus. Typically in novels of bioterrorism, the antagonist is sinister from the jump, but in this novel, the initial viruses were more light-hearted in nature. After all, nobody was truly getting hurt unless they were particularly offended by their shade of color. Although I generally like the characterization in this novel, I didn’t find Arthur Lupo to be a particularly credible character. His motivation for doing all he did was thin. It was explained that his parents died at an early age. Well, many people have their parents die but they don’t attempt to infect the world with virus. I also didn’t like “the faction”, which was a stereotypical nameless, faceless government organization with unbound ruthlessness consisting of high ranking members of government and law enforcement with nefarious intent. The good guys were better developed and more resembled real people with real motivations.

There was good tension and this novel was overall a fun read that I would recommend.

Carl Alves - author of The Invocation
Profile Image for Patricia Hamill.
Author 16 books100 followers
Read
February 17, 2024
This one is an easy five stars for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this from the start to the end. The main character is a flawed, but likable FBI agent who's paired with CDC agents to track down a missing scientist.

For a scientific thriller, this one was rather exciting with plenty of dangerous situations, along with a very interesting social side story. The villain has created a virus that targets human pigmentation, turning unsuspecting victims into a rainbow of colors in more and more widely targeted attacks. It seems mostly harmless, though life changing for the victims, except it becomes apparent the scientist is using the rainbow virus to perfect delivery of a deadly cocktail of stolen viruses.

As for the science itself, it's very well researched, but through the eyes of the FBI agent, a non-scientist, it's explained so any reader can get the important takeaways. Folks familiar with the science will dig the authenticity, though.

Overall, loved it. It was a great read. Fans of thrillers will likely dig it.

I picked this up while it was on a free promotion day.
Profile Image for Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime.
5,639 reviews329 followers
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August 6, 2017
Review: THE RAINBOW VIRUS by Dennis Meredith

I was intrigued by the initial premise of this novel (a bio-engineered virus which alters skin pigmentation in various ethnicities) and then engrossed by the "big picture issues" presented. Biological warfare has long been an interest/concern of mine, as has the alteration of naturally occurring viruses and toxic chemicals to use in biological weaponry. It's one thing to worry about foreign governments utilizing bio-weapons; here is an individual scientist on the loose with vast capability.

Author Dennis Meredith keeps the pages turning, and leaves readers with much to ponder.
Profile Image for Kady Monroe.
Author 6 books27 followers
July 4, 2017
This is an ok read. I liked the idea of the Rainbow virus but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The main character was likeable, but I preferred some of the secondary characters better and wished there had been more about them. (except the female CDC scientist/love interest of the main character - I didn't warm to her at all)
The plot plodded along with the "mad scientist villain" keeping one step ahead of the FBI, army, a shady government faction, and an assassin in hot pursuit.
I wasn't keen on the ending, but others might find it to be just fine.
Profile Image for Karissa.
4,308 reviews214 followers
December 20, 2013
This was a well done book that was part thriller and part bio-terrism. It was well written and engaging and I enjoyed it. I got a copy of this book from NetGalley to review.

Arthur Lupo at first just seems to be eccentric when he unleashes a genetic virus on the population that turns people a multitude of colors. Then it’s revealed that he has gotten his hands on some of the world’s deadliest viruses and the rainbow virus was just a test. Now two people, Kathleen Shinohara (from the CDC) and Bobby Loudon (a disgraced FBI agent) must race against time to track down Lupo and figure out how to stop the Rainbow Virus along with other potentially more vicious viruses from spreading.

I picked this book up to read for a pretty silly reason...I was participated in a Color-coded reading challenge and needed a book with the word Rainbow in the title. I am glad I read it, although not typically the type of book I read, this was a well done genetic thriller of sorts.

I don’t know a ton about genetics, so I am not sure how accurate some of the scientific terminology was throughout the book. However, none of it sounded all that contrived and it all seemed very plausible and was a very interesting premise. I love the idea of a genetic terrorist who does a “test study” by genetically altering a person’s skin color.

There are some interesting issues brought up around skin color because of all the different skin colors. There is talk of rights for differently colored people and instant rumors of what skin colors make you better at which things. There is also an instant market for makeup and clothing that matches different colors of skins. It is kind of interesting to think about the social implications of a society where everyone is a completely random color.

What really drove the story for me though was the two main characters. Bobby is initially not a very likable characters. He’s a disgraced FBI agent, separated from this wife, and hops from one woman to another. As the story goes on and his past is revealed we found out Bobby has been wronged in a pretty big way. You watch as Bobby tries to solve this case, as he falls in love with Kathleen, and as he struggles to maintain contact with his daughter that he misses horribly.

Kathleen is a very driven woman. She is super smart, works hard, and is absolutely obsessed with infectious disease. Watching her struggle to unravel clues with Bobby at her side, and struggle not to be charmed by Bobby is entertaining. She is an endearing character that I really enjoyed reading about.

There is definitely a thriller element to the book as well. There are a number of very harrowing scenes where people are fighting against the worst enemy of all, a virus. There are also some shootout scenes and the book ends up being fairly action packed.

The book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed how everything was wrapped up. This is definitely a novel for adults. There is a lot of discussion about sex and some sex scenes.

Overall a well done genetic thriller. I enjoyed the story and the characters. If you are interested in reading about bioterrism I would definitely recommend this book.
Profile Image for Jessica Bronder.
2,015 reviews31 followers
January 20, 2017
Arthur Lupo has just released a virus on the public. The results? It changes people into different colors. This doesn’t sound too scary until you learn that he made off with some seriously bad viruses from the Army and that the Rainbow Virus was just a test. Now he is getting ready to release the really bad ones to decimate the populous. It is up to disgraced FBI agent Bobby Loudon and Kathleen Shinohara from the CDC.

Bobby is not very likable but when you learn about his past things make more sense and I felt sorry for the poor guy. Kathleen is a workaholic and obsessively trying to figure out more about the viruses that Arthur took but it was sweet how she and Bobby get close. But they are not the only players in this game. There is another group that has other plans.

I’m sorry to say that I was not as impressed with the other side story and think the book should have stayed focused on Lupo. One thing that I really liked was there was scientific information on viruses without making it feel like you were slugging through an information overload. I really did like this story an am curious about other books from Dennis Meredith.

I received The Rainbow Virus from Candid Book Reviews for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
Profile Image for Nicole.
481 reviews20 followers
April 16, 2013
This is more like it. A Sci-Fi book with an actual storyline, not filled with technical jargon that leaves me scratching my head. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems the new Sci-Fi authors are more interested in showing off how smart they are, rather than actually attempt a readable story.
Sorry for going a bit off subject, just trying to make myself clear. Recently I made my own category, "Sci-Fi Light". Which is not to say the book is flawed in some way, but in my opinion, better. There is a science element to the book, but the author doesn't follow the trend of showing off. I consider myself of average intelligence and I followed the book easily.
Loved the quirky and colorful characters. (lol sorry, horrible pun, I know) and the authors whip smart writing style.
236 reviews30 followers
July 31, 2017
This is a science fiction novel but in todays political climate of unrest, it may not be as far fetched as it seems. A very brilliant scientist decides to punish the entire world for the death of his parents.
He disappears from the lab where he has been working and continues his work on a virus that will turn people a rainbow of different colors but with possibilities of something much deadlier. He finishes his work and starts his test run. People start showing up in the ER all panicked because they have turned colors, not just white or brown, but green, yellow, blue or red. Doctors are unable to find the cause of the problem. Because there is fear and no one knows if the problem is a virus, a bacteria, is fatal, or anything else, the police and the FBI become involved. The author has included quite a host of character but Bobby Louden FBI agent, Dr. Shinohara a beautiful physician,
and Arthur Lupo the not altogether stable molecular biologist scientist are the main ones. Louden and Dr. Shinohara, who has wrangled her way into the investigative team, set out to capture the villain that did this bizarre thing, whatever it is. The Rainbow Virus is a fast paced thriller I definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Ryan Troske.
Author 3 books17 followers
May 18, 2017
For starters, The Rainbow Virus was very well written. Other than a little wordy at times, it had a good flow to it. Characters were likable with distinct personalities. There were twists and turns, some I could see coming, others not so much. The premise behind the story was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed the science aspect of it all, and that it wasn't 'too' sciencey to where it could throw or bore some readers. It was engaging and done well.
One thing which bothered me at times, which I somewhat mentioned above, some character descriptions were over the top, too detailed. I don't need to know about every feature of someone's face and such.
Beside the good flow the story had for the majority of the time, there were spots where the book lulled and got a little slow for my liking. I think there was a bit of filler that could be cut to bring the length down and keep the flow more consistent. Another thing that was a letdown was the ending. It didn't really do much for me and was a bit anticlimactic. I was left wanting something more. That being said, I still enjoyed the read, and I think anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, especially bioterrorism, will enjoy this book.
5,704 reviews38 followers
December 10, 2016
So my first thought was... ugh not another zombie book.. lol i'm not a big zombie person if you can't tell.. But that was just off the title.. haha It was actually about bioterrism and had awesome characters and was fast paced and interesting. it kept me glued to see what was next and wondering what was happening. it was a dark read that was very well written. i am glad i got to review it
56 reviews2 followers
October 23, 2024
A little humor along with the tense story line. Great character development. Maybe write a follow/up?!
201 reviews
December 11, 2016
I got off to a slow start with The Rainbow Virus, but soon thereafter I was hooked. It is a fast paced thriller with a fabulous, unexpected ending.

I received a free review copy of The Rainbow Virus through Goodreads Giveaways.
Profile Image for Happy.
430 reviews6 followers
June 25, 2017
Loved the story, science, suspense, characters. I was sad when it was over!
Profile Image for Charlie.
40 reviews3 followers
April 30, 2013
This review is of the adult edition of The Rainbow Virus.

I am a great of techno-thrillers, but this was my first time trying a novel that was this science heavy, and I was not disappointed. The Rainbow Virus is a very fast-paced thriller that draws you in from the first page with the quirky nature of the virus, but then turns menacing as the nature of what Lupo, the originator of this virus, is capable of becomes clear. The possibility of biological warfare being unleashed on the American public is a very real threat and the author drives that idea home without becoming overly conspiratorial or overtly threatening — a fine line to tread today.

While I cannot speak to the accuracy of the science involved in virology and epidemiology, for a casual reader it was treated well. Everything at least sounded plausible, and the author didn’t feel the need to inundate you with facts and hard umbers. Instead, enough science is given in layman’s terms to allow for an understanding of the processes involved in the virus and the threat that is posed to a large population should any of the known “superbugs” be unleashed. This helped to heighten the excitement of the story as you truly felt the need to stop Lupo before he escalated his threat beyond turning people different colors.

For the storyline and readability this was a standard thriller, criss-crossing the country from Los Angeles to Washington DC to Denver, Colorado. Along the way we get to see the redemption of the disgraced, alcoholic FBI Agent Loudon as well as the softening and humanizing of the over-zealous and methodical Shinohara of the CDC. Both of these story lines are becoming a bit cliche in thrillers, but were treated well overall. There is an underlying love story that both these characters are involved in that does seem forced, however. I felt that the character development and ultimate changes in both could have been accomplished without the relationship going as far as it did.

Despite the nature of this being a biological thriller, I felt that the best part of The Rainbow Virus was the philosophical question that it raised — “What would race relations become if all people were every color in the spectrum?” The actual virus from which the book gets its title is benign, except for the fact that those infected slowly change color — colors that range from deep indigo to bright yellow! Unfortunately the way this racial question is treated didn’t really work for me. Suddenly, half way through the book we are introduced to “the Killer” who is hired to assassinate Lupo for attempting to eliminate the white race. Add this to the “black helicopter” government storyline and the overall story is weakened slightly. If you can ignore this little bit and enjoy the ending action, however, then it’s well worth the read.

The Rainbow Virus has also been published in a Young Adult edition that cleans up some of the language, violence, and adult themes in the book, while still retaining the overall story, science, and action of the adult version.
Profile Image for Lori L (She Treads Softly) .
2,951 reviews117 followers
March 22, 2013
The Rainbow Virus by Dennis Meredith is about a bioterrorism attack that turns people different colors - at first the colors blue, red, and yellow, later many more shades and tints including lilac, magenta, chartreuse, egg plant, maroon, pine green, golden, turquoise, etc. While the color change does not appear to harm people beyond their pigmentation, the implications of what is inexplicably happening to people alerts the FBI and CDC. Bobby Loudon, FBI agent, and Kathleen Shinohara, CDC investigator, join forces to try and find who is responsible for the rainbow colored people.

Arthur Lupo is a brilliant young scientist who has apparently decided to turn to bioterrorism. In his personal research Arthur devises a way to insert a change of color into a person's genetic code controlling pigmentation. Loudon and Shinohara soon discover that Arthur has samples of deadly viruses that he has taken from AMRID (Army Medical Research Institute for infectious diseases.) Clearly, Arthur may have a more sinister use of his knowledge in mind. He may be planning to release deadly viruses that could wipe out the human population in a global super-pandemic outbreak consisting of many fatal viruses. Arthur is elusive and cautious, however, and complicating the pursuit is the presence of a mysterious group with another agenda.

While I love virus books of the nonfiction and fiction variety, Meredith does a nice job of keeping it simple for those who value a good action plot over lots of virus details. He explains what he needs to in order to move the plot along. This is clearly an action/adventure novel about bioterrorism and not a treatise on deadly viruses.

There is a point past the half-way mark where the investigation seems to slow down and lose the real feeling of urgency present in most of the book. That could be due to the developing relationship between Loudon and Shinohara. Personally, when a crazy scientist is loose and has found a way to turn people all shades of colors, like designer M&M's, and everything indicates that looming in the very near future is the potential of a deadly bioterrorism attack using this technique to infect people with deadly viruses, I'd like investigators to take the search seriously and set the personal attraction aside until later. But that could just be me. I'm funny that way.

Very Highly Recommended


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the author via Netgalley for review purposes.


Profile Image for Suzy Wilson.
206 reviews5 followers
March 22, 2013
The Rainbow Virus is a bioterrorism tale along the lines of a Robin Cook novel.

Arthur Lupo, a somewhat sad figure, is a molecular biologist gone wrong. At first his disappearance seems odd, then downright freaky as brightly coloured people start to appear in the streets of America. Lupo has discovered how,to create the perfect virus - one the human immune system cannot detect, nor defend against. Initially novel, the possibilities become increasingly disturbing as biochemical warfare-grade virus samples are discovered missing from a secure facility. Suddenly it isn't so easy being green, not if it means these deadly diseases can be engineered to harness the same undetectable vector and compromise whole cities.

Enter disgraced FBI agent Bobby Loudon and obsessive CDC epidemic-tracker Kathleen Shinohara to save the day - and possibly each other, from certain disaster. As the blurb dramatically foreshadows: Lupo reveals that his first viruses were only a test. He dramatically proves their infectivity by transforming the terrified citizens of Denver into a rainbow of colors. In a chilling declaration, he announces that he will now release an unstoppable artificial virus whose spread will decimate the world's population.

Loudon and Shintohara are fairly predictable characterisations. He is a good cop with a bad rap - a drinking habit and a work complication. She is beautiful and exotic, as well as incredibly clever and resourceful - if somewhat emotionally shut down. The rest is not unexpected - expect salvation all around!

Notwithstanding the fact this isn't going to be published in the Lancet, it is a good fun read. The style is good and has flashes of something more, but not often enough. The pace of the book is uneven and some of the minor characters not finely enough drawn to distinguish them from each other.

That said, I liked it and will read more of Dennis Meredith's work. It is harmless and catchy and fun - even if the ending was just a little bit too flat. Three stars. Thank you NetGalley for letting me have an advance copy. Sorry it took me so long to write the review!
225 reviews2 followers
June 22, 2013
****.5 Rating 4.5
Review
The Rainbow Virus, a fast paced thriller incorporating bioterrorism, strong characters, double crossing, off the radar laboratories, FBI and Army with a developing romance and humor what more can you ask for.
Dennis Meredith keeps the pace and suspense dipping and growing until it reaches the climax. Just when you think you have a handle on who is who and who and who are the “baddies” it takes another turn and you are suspecting the good guys.
FBI Agent, Bob Loudon a man with a drink problem, finds himself transferred away from the FBI HQ after an altercation with his boss. He is assigned to investigate the disappearance of scientist Arthur Lupo. Lupo is a brilliant scientist but has a flawed character; a bit of a loner. It soon becomes apparent that this is just more than a case of a missing person when most of the Denver population turn into a spectrum of colors. Enters Kathleen Shinohara; a seemingly unemotional scientist and her boss; who are specialists in tracking down viruses.
Fascinating is the incorporation of peoples fear and attitude to the colors from discovering that it is all of the body and how lovers would react, to individuals disliking the particular shade they have turned and ultimately bigotry rears its ugly head.
All the while, the hunt is on to find Lupo before he unleashes a deadly virus. I won’t spoil the plot.
A very entertaining novel, in fact, I was a bit surprised at just how much I enjoyed it as I have to admit I had reservations as to how it was going to work but delighted to say Meredith’s talent as a writer had me up to the early hours. He conveyed how man-made viruses could be achieved in a very believable and easy to understand style. Certainly recommended and I would love to see Loudon, Shinohara and her boss in Dennis Meredith’s next novel.
I was given a copy of The Rainbow Virus for an honest review from NetGalley, thank you.
109 reviews
August 13, 2013
FBI Special Agent Bobby Loudon is called in to investigate the disappearance of Arthur Lupo, a scientist at a biotech company. Loudon is (as so many protagonists are) on the wrong side of management, and has been posted to a field office in Temecula as punishment for crossing the Assistant Director in Charge (ADC) of the Los Angeles office. However, it is ADC Bowers himself who calls with the assignment for Loudon, and while suspicious of Bowers' motives, Loudon begins to search for the missing scientist.

Meanwhile, patients start arriving at the La Vista California Community Hospital with no symptoms other than their skin colour has changed to blue, red or yellow. The CDC dispatches two field epidemiologists, Dr Kathleen Shinohara and Doctor 'Doc' Smith to investigate. The trail leads them to Lupo, and they join forces with Loudon and his partner Walter Philips. Their search becomes more urgent when they discover Lupo has stolen some of the world's most deadly viruses from an army bioterrorism laboratory. The investigators follow the trail of multi-coloured people, trying to track down and stop Lupo. Along the way they uncover evidence of a shadowy government faction and a methodical hitman who is also after Lupo.

The story is engaging and interesting, and raises the what-if questions that give rise to nightmares. However, I found the secondary discussion on colour particularly interesting. How much of our identity is linked to the colour of our skin? If your partner's colour clashed with yours would that negatively impact your relationship? Police carry around the equivalent of paint chips as another means of identifying people and those in the community untouched by the virus are referred to, somewhat derogatorily, as "neuts". These aspects added an unexpected depth to the story.
Profile Image for Julie (Bookish.Intoxication).
964 reviews36 followers
October 2, 2013
I recieved this novel from NetGalley.

This novel is well written, fast-paced and incorporated science without it becoming boring or too invovled within the scientific words and processes. The characters are likeable and relateable, they feel like real people whom the reader grows attached to, early on in the novel. As relationships grow within the novel, the reader wants them to do well, wants things to work out and that on its own allows the reader to be drawn into the novel, let alone without the great plot.

However great the plot and characters are, the ending leaves a lot to be desired, it is unsatisfying and makes the reader feel as though the whole novel was pointless and as it drew to a close, it all feel a underwhelming and empty. Yes it is highly creative and a great read, but for it to end in the fashion it did makes it less desirable than if the assumed outcome had of eventuated.

All in all, a good novel, fast, thrilling and funny, just doesn't end how you think it will, so don't get your hopes up. This is definitely a novel for fans of sci-fi and crime fiction, for those who love science and biology as well as warfare but not the two combined.. unfortunately. Give it a go, it is a good time killer.
4 reviews6 followers
April 7, 2013
A rogue scientist, secret military operations and viral vectors all conspire to make the new sci-fi detective thriller The Rainbow Virus a breathless ride. It's written by Dennis Meredith, well-known nationally for his real-world science writing. At the heart of the book is a terror plot by a mad scientist to infect the U.S. population--first with harmless but disruptive rainbow skin colors and next with a deadly agent. The story is close enough to recent scientific breakthroughs to give pause and plausibility. The crunchy procedural details of the FBI and CDC sleuths are riveting, and the dysfunction of government bureaucracies are disturbingly believable. Along the way, Meredith playfully provides metaphorical commentary on our society's obsession with race and skin color. Even though the FBI and CDC sleuths' romance is a little awkward, I flew through this book. I can't wait to read Meredith's next sci-fi adventure. He provided the rip-snorting first chapter of it, Sue Grafton style, at the back of the book. I'm not sure why I should be amazed, given his life-long distinguished writing career. Fiction is a new wrinkle for him.
3 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2013
The Rainbow Virus by Dennis Meredith is an action packed, exciting story that begins with a handful of people whose skin has suddenly turned a vivid red, blue, green or yellow color. The CDC and FBI are called in to investigate the cause of this along with the possibility of a infectious bioterrorism link. The plot thickens with the discovery of the sudden disappearence of a biologist with a connection to color pigment and bioterrorism experiments. The risk of bioterrorism escalates when this skin color change affects all the citizens of Denver, thanks to the missing scientist's tampering with the City's water supply.

A romantic twist complicates the plot, and the urgency escalates when the CDC and FBI investigators discover that the color changing virus was the last test before release of a cocktail of deadly viruses intended to destroy all human life. The book is fast paced and loaded with unexpected sub plots and a surprise ending. An altogether good read.

I received an autographed copy of The Rainbow Virus through a drawing at goodreads.com.


Profile Image for Jessica.
175 reviews
April 18, 2013
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book. The idea of an FBI agent investigating the sudden appearance of random people in colours normally not found on people sounded like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, as the story progressed I liked it less and less.

Was really confused about how Shinohara was described as coffee-coloured about 50 million times (Japanese/Irish? I'M THAT and definitely light) the explanation in the last 50 or so pages that the Irish is "black irish" was a little late for something that came up so very often. Found every character that was not a white male written awkwardly and unbelievably. The author should consider not writing dialogue from the point of view of people who are not white males. Ada as a character? I think the word I want is caricature.

So yeah, I don't think I will be reading more by this author. A great story concept that didn't work for me in execution. Blech.
234 reviews2 followers
May 26, 2013
Loudon, a disgraced FBI agent, and Shinohara, a CDC agent, are tracking Lupo, a brilliant scientist/sociopath who figured out how to disguise viruses from the human immune system. Lupo’s viruses initially turn people different colors, red and blue and green. He quickly gets more creative and turns everyone in Denver colors from the entire palette which sends the news commentators to their decorators for descriptions. There are others chasing Lupo but the story also focuses on the romance between Loudon and Shinohara. The description of the footrace between the two is truly beautiful. Would have liked a little more at the end between Lupo and Loudon because it seemed to – hmm, how to say it without a spoiler – stop suddenly. However, the race to the finish was a fun read and almost un-put-downable at the end. Received free copy for review.
Profile Image for Amanda Barbee.
91 reviews17 followers
December 17, 2016
The Rainbow VIRUS by Dennis Meredith is a tale that delves into the world of bioterrorism in ways that are not commonly fond in the art of words, Dennis finds a way to keep you interested and constantly thinking.

I usually know what's going to happen in a book kind of early on but this story is riveting and constantly changing. With so many characters there are too many to profile but suffice it to say they are all extremely well developed. The romance between Robert Loudon and Kathleen Shinohara is sweet and real. Both are workaholics. The supporting characters seem more than a normal supporting character.

I'm glad I had the chance to read this thrilling tale that will make you think about all those nasty bugs the government really saves us from.

Well done Dennis Meredith!! 4 brilliantly colored stars!
Profile Image for stephanie.
1,204 reviews471 followers
May 8, 2013
the thing is, the science of the plot is actually okay. i mean, i kept reading. (then again, anything involving the CDC is a good way to catch my attention.) and the writing wasn't horrible.

but the characterization! oh MY HEAVENS. if i read that simohara had a nice body one more time, or commentary on how people want sex or walter was just wandering around, i was going to throw my kindle across the room. and his attempt at having a non-monochrome cast just showed how weak his writing is.

so. bad.

plus i kept hoping that there was going to be something really big and social experiment related to what happens when skin color truly does disappear. but nothing. NOTHING.

sigh. i really had hopes.

Profile Image for Jessica Mitchell.
2,051 reviews20 followers
February 1, 2017
What can bio-terrorism do to you? As you read this sci-fi story, you will find out.
What started off as a thought to be a accident caused by allergies or food and water. Turns out more than what they thought it could ever be. A scientist Arthur Lupo has gone off the deep end with his tests and decides that what better why to get his message out, by using the US population as his guinea pigs. Now all the government is scrambling around trying to catch him before he unleashes a torrent of bio hazards in the air that will kill mostly all the people on the planet. But as they delve into the world that of Lupo. They realize the each person who is a different color represents a bio engineered air virus. How will they track down the doctor and stop him? Will they stop him in time?
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