Fever Cell

Joanna Blalock #9

by Leonard Goldberg

Leonard Goldberg now plunges Joanna Blalock, forensic detective, and partner Lieutenant Jake Sinclair into a plot to turn a viral medical nightmare into a terrifying reality.

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 2, 2003

About the author

Leonard Goldberg is an American physicist, professor of medicine, and the author of the Joanna Blalock series of medical thrillers.

His novels have been translated into a dozen languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide. Leonard Goldberg is himself a consulting physician affiliated with the UCLA Medical Center, where he holds an appointment as Clinical Professor of Medicine. A sought-after expert witness in medical malpractice trials, he is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and rheumatology, and has published over a hundred scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals.

Leonard Goldberg's writing career began with a clinical interest in blood disorders. While involved in a research project at UCLA, he encountered a most unusual blood type. The patient’s red blood cells were O-Rh null, indicating they were totally deficient in A, B and Rh factors and could be administered to virtually anyone without fear of a transfusion reaction. In essence, the patient was the proverbial "universal" blood donor. This finding spurred the idea for a story in which an individual was born without a tissue type, making that person’s organs transplantable into anyone without worry of rejection. His first novel, Transplant, revolved around a young woman who is discovered to be a universal organ donor and is hounded by a wealthy, powerful man in desperate need of a new kidney. The book quickly went through multiple printings and was optioned by a major Hollywood studio.

Dr. Goldberg is a native of Charleston and a long-time California resident. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles and an island off the coast of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leonard Goldberg’s Fever Cell is a very captivating book. The synopsis is already intriguing: a group of terrorists wishes to spread the deadly smallpox virus to America, and the protagonists race against time to prevent their plans. The palpable tension in the story made me want to know what would happen next, and I read the book in just 11 days. It was also fascinating to learn more about smallpox.

So why did I give only three stars? Well, as they say: this one aged like milk. Apart from a few plot holes (I’ll come to them later), the book is rife with some pretty disturbing concepts, the biggest of which is racism. Seriously, Fever Cell flaunts some of the most casual racism I’ve ever seen in a book. One of the characters even changes his name to set himself apart from other Arabs. All the protagonists are also almost obsessed with terrorism. Their jobs probably mean they have more experience in it than most, but (according to Reader’s Digest), an average westerner is more likely to die from a lightning strike than in a terrorist attack. Most terrorists in the US aren’t Arabs or Muslims, either; they are far-right (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrori...). Add to this the uncritical admiration of Israel and the police, and yeah. Not the best. Fever Cell is also subtly sexist: for example, apart from the main protagonist Joanna, all other doctors and bosses are men, while nurses and secretaries are women.

How about those plotholes? Well, number one: the first murder. Logically, his associates should have murdered the terrorist in France, away from the airport. Even if the corpse had been found, no one would have even suspected his death had anything to do with the US; he would have just been a victim of mugging gone wrong or something. But that also would have meant that the protagonists didn’t find out about terrorists’ plans, and they’d have won, so we can’t have that. Another plot hole is their choice of disease: they choose super smallpox, even though they don’t have a vaccine against it either!!! No real thought is given to how they plan to prevent it from spreading to their countries: they just assume it won’t. I don’t know how common this tactic is for bioterrorists, but if it is usual, bioterrorism is WILD. And also terrifying.

In conclusion, the book is engaging, but there’s a lot of racism towards Arabs and other Muslims. You decide if it’s a deal breaker for you.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

JoAnna Blalock #9

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the Joanna Blalock series!

[Kiminmiki]

Thriller about bio-terrorism (small pox), and how the terrorists' plans were thwarted using forensic science.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small pox as a weapon.
Joanna blalock and Jake Sinclair.

good twists and turns. I like a good medical mystery.

[KRIS BROWN]

Love medical dramas can't wait to see how it ends