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Does It Hurt To Die
A New Medical Mystery Thriller –
A medical mystery thriller with a strong conspiracy thread is the debut novel of author Paul Anderson. Compared by The Australian to the works of Dan Brown and Steig Larsson, this debut novel traces the events of a son travelling back from Adelaide to Cape Town to investigate his father's murder. Christian de Villier's journey of discovery centres on his father's liver transplant unit--but the story takes an intriguing twist when Christian uncovers documents buried in the back garden of the house which he grew up in. The documents implicate his father in some of the worst atrocities of the apartheid government.
Christian's discovery quickly becomes frightening, as much of his father's research on genetic manipulation is unpublished and still of great value. The National Intelligence Agency of post-apartheid South Africa also learns of Christian’s discovery and is determined that such embarrassing research will never see the light of day. The modern day South African government fears publication of the research will implicate foreign governments such as Israel and France who covertly supported apartheid Africa in return for research information on germ warfare and nuclear fusion.
While trying to establishing his father’s role in the gene research programme Christian meets Isabella, who decides to join Christian’s journey of discovery . Both then attract the attention not only of the National Intelligence Agency but of a covert white supremacist group determined to secure Christian’s father's research to promote their aims of a future white South Africa. They are captured and held hostage in an old converted mine and interrogated for the code which would unlock their father’s genetic research.
A medical mystery thriller with a strong conspiracy thread is the debut novel of author Paul Anderson. Compared by The Australian to the works of Dan Brown and Steig Larsson, this debut novel traces the events of a son travelling back from Adelaide to Cape Town to investigate his father's murder. Christian de Villier's journey of discovery centres on his father's liver transplant unit--but the story takes an intriguing twist when Christian uncovers documents buried in the back garden of the house which he grew up in. The documents implicate his father in some of the worst atrocities of the apartheid government.
Christian's discovery quickly becomes frightening, as much of his father's research on genetic manipulation is unpublished and still of great value. The National Intelligence Agency of post-apartheid South Africa also learns of Christian’s discovery and is determined that such embarrassing research will never see the light of day. The modern day South African government fears publication of the research will implicate foreign governments such as Israel and France who covertly supported apartheid Africa in return for research information on germ warfare and nuclear fusion.
While trying to establishing his father’s role in the gene research programme Christian meets Isabella, who decides to join Christian’s journey of discovery . Both then attract the attention not only of the National Intelligence Agency but of a covert white supremacist group determined to secure Christian’s father's research to promote their aims of a future white South Africa. They are captured and held hostage in an old converted mine and interrogated for the code which would unlock their father’s genetic research.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2012
11 people want to read
About the author
Paul G. Anderson
10 books30 followersPaul Anderson is a surgeon who specialises in upper gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary surgery. Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, his tertiary education began at Waikato University before he went on to further studies in Scotland, California, and South Africa where he completed both a Ph.D. and a medical degree. His passion for writing has latently manifested, thanks to the encouragement and direction of many friends.
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December 26, 2014
Janni De Villiers was brought up in the Afrikaner tradition in South Africa but rather than become a farmer like his father he chooses medical school and becomes estranged from his family, but the Afrikaner values instilled in him persists. When he gets caught up in a horrific hostage situation in a church he reverts to an extreme view, until he discovers all is not as it seems. Years later Janni's son Christian retraces his steps to find the truth behind his father's death and to find out just what sort of man he was.
Set in the backdrop of political unrest this novel really started off as promising and reached a crescendo with the hostage situation in the church but lagged around the half way mark. Christian's visit to South Africa seemed perfunctory and not the mystery driven quest it was meant to be. However, technically this is a well written novel with very few typos but did not have me on the edge of my seat enough, especially during the second half.
Set in the backdrop of political unrest this novel really started off as promising and reached a crescendo with the hostage situation in the church but lagged around the half way mark. Christian's visit to South Africa seemed perfunctory and not the mystery driven quest it was meant to be. However, technically this is a well written novel with very few typos but did not have me on the edge of my seat enough, especially during the second half.
Displaying 1 of 1 review