What do you think?
Rate this book
Coming Flu
A new flu strain – the Philippine flu – kills more than two hundred in a small walled community in less than a week. There is little hope the rest will survive. Sara Almquist, a medical epidemiologist and resident of the community, pries into every aspect of her neighbors’ lives looking for ways to stop the flu. Maybe she snoops too much! She identifies one of her neighbors as a drug kingpin wanted for murders in nearby Albuquerque, as well as determining a potential way to stop the spread of the epidemic.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2012
10 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Greger
15 books28 followers JL Greger enjoys putting tidbits of science into her fiction. Perhaps because she was a professor in the biological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and hopes her mysteries and thrillers will increase interest in science by women and minorities.
In SHE DIDN'T KNOW HER PLACE, a woman learns the hard way what academics will do to protect their “kingdoms” at a state university in New England.
In RIDDLED WITH CLUES, a woman is attacked repeatedly after she listens to the strange tale of an undercover drug agent and gets puzzling riddled clues from a homeless veteran in Albuquerque. (Finalist for a 2017 NM/Arizona book award)
In MURDER...A WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT, try to guess who killed the "diet" doctor as you learn about recent scientific discoveries on dieting. (Won 2016 Public Safety Writers contest and finalist for a NM/Arizona book award)
In I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT, a woman’s past provides clues for the extraction of a nuclear scientist from Irani. She tucked several of her experiences as a science consultant in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates in the 1990s into the plot.
In MALIGNANCY, a woman scientist tries to escape the clutches of a drug lord and accepts a risky assignment in Cuba. (Won 2015 Public Safety Writers (PSWA) annual contest.
There are two other books in her Science Traveller mystery and thriller series: COMING FLU and IGNORE THE PAIN.
The author also likes to likes to explore new areas and has written two collections of stories. THE GOOD OLD DAYS? is fourteen short vignettes on families in the 1940s through 1960s. OTHER PEOPLE'S MOTHERS reflects interactions between modern mothers and children. (Finalist for a 2017 NM/Arizona book award)
In SHE DIDN'T KNOW HER PLACE, a woman learns the hard way what academics will do to protect their “kingdoms” at a state university in New England.
In RIDDLED WITH CLUES, a woman is attacked repeatedly after she listens to the strange tale of an undercover drug agent and gets puzzling riddled clues from a homeless veteran in Albuquerque. (Finalist for a 2017 NM/Arizona book award)
In MURDER...A WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT, try to guess who killed the "diet" doctor as you learn about recent scientific discoveries on dieting. (Won 2016 Public Safety Writers contest and finalist for a NM/Arizona book award)
In I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT, a woman’s past provides clues for the extraction of a nuclear scientist from Irani. She tucked several of her experiences as a science consultant in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates in the 1990s into the plot.
In MALIGNANCY, a woman scientist tries to escape the clutches of a drug lord and accepts a risky assignment in Cuba. (Won 2015 Public Safety Writers (PSWA) annual contest.
There are two other books in her Science Traveller mystery and thriller series: COMING FLU and IGNORE THE PAIN.
The author also likes to likes to explore new areas and has written two collections of stories. THE GOOD OLD DAYS? is fourteen short vignettes on families in the 1940s through 1960s. OTHER PEOPLE'S MOTHERS reflects interactions between modern mothers and children. (Finalist for a 2017 NM/Arizona book award)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 26, 2013
Nobody likes getting sick. Those first hints of a runny nose or fever bring a feeling of dread on a normal day. They inspire terror when you are living inside a quarantine zone teeming with a deadly flu virus. This is what the residents of La Bendita face. Knowing you could die at any moment is frightening enough. Add in the growing suspicions that the flu isn't the only thing killing people, and the situation becomes even more dire. There best hope is a retired scientist, Sarah, but time is quickly running out.
Coming Flu takes the yearly flu to the next level, when a strain more deadly than usual begins dropping residents faster than anyone expected. The medical and scientific aspects of this story are very well researched. Greger's background in science showed through in her writing. I felt confident that what she was telling me was accurate.
On the flip side of that, the balance between explaining and giving too much was sometimes blurred. Greger explained what CDC stands for several times, but then there would be several paragraphs of discussion on the types of DNA involved in virus replication or factors in host resistance. Even with my background in science, there was plenty that was over my head. For readers with less familiarity with these topics, I fear sections will not be understood very well.
The characters in Coming Flu were all quite interesting. I felt they all had unique qualities and Greger did a good job of showing the different personalities and how they reacted to the quarantine and the threat of dying. The variety of characters kept the story interesting. Greger also did a good job of capturing the emotions of the characters as they struggled with their experiences. The medical staff, police, and residents were all effected.
The mystery that develops alongside the quarantine storyline was interesting as well. I was a little surprised Greger pulled away from the flu epidemic to weave in an unrelated criminal story, but the mystery around the Petersen's was interesting. I felt the clues were subtle for the most part and it added a second layer to the story. There was aspects of the flu mystery that I didn't find to be as subtle. The connection to La Bendita and how the flu ended up there seemed fairly obvious right away. The Petersen mystery was a little stronger than the flu mystery, however, medical thriller readers may not be as pulled in by the Petersen mystery if it was not was they were expecting.
There were some smaller factors, mainly to do with the level and quality of editing that were an issue for me as well. In general, the grammatical editing could have been better. It's something I've noticed consistently with this publisher. The internal thoughts of the characters occasionally got a bit lengthy, but the dialog was more of a hindrance for me. The dialog often felt stilted because of it's lack of contractions and the frequent use of exclamation points made it seem like the characters were screaming. Aside from the editing, there were also some sexual scenes that I didn't feel added a lot to the story and some bad language that may turn some readers off.
Would I recommend this book? I would have to give this a tentative recommendation. Some readers are going to enjoy it, but I don't think it will appeal to everyone.
Who would I recommend this book to? Straight up medical thriller readers may not get the focused story they were expecting, but there is still enough of a focus that those interested in the topic will enjoy it. The side mystery was interesting, so there is an appeal for mystery readers, but it also is not the main focus. I think this book will mainly appeal to readers who want both a crime mystery and medical thriller rolled into one.
Check out my other reviews at The Edible Bookshelf
Coming Flu takes the yearly flu to the next level, when a strain more deadly than usual begins dropping residents faster than anyone expected. The medical and scientific aspects of this story are very well researched. Greger's background in science showed through in her writing. I felt confident that what she was telling me was accurate.
On the flip side of that, the balance between explaining and giving too much was sometimes blurred. Greger explained what CDC stands for several times, but then there would be several paragraphs of discussion on the types of DNA involved in virus replication or factors in host resistance. Even with my background in science, there was plenty that was over my head. For readers with less familiarity with these topics, I fear sections will not be understood very well.
The characters in Coming Flu were all quite interesting. I felt they all had unique qualities and Greger did a good job of showing the different personalities and how they reacted to the quarantine and the threat of dying. The variety of characters kept the story interesting. Greger also did a good job of capturing the emotions of the characters as they struggled with their experiences. The medical staff, police, and residents were all effected.
The mystery that develops alongside the quarantine storyline was interesting as well. I was a little surprised Greger pulled away from the flu epidemic to weave in an unrelated criminal story, but the mystery around the Petersen's was interesting. I felt the clues were subtle for the most part and it added a second layer to the story. There was aspects of the flu mystery that I didn't find to be as subtle. The connection to La Bendita and how the flu ended up there seemed fairly obvious right away. The Petersen mystery was a little stronger than the flu mystery, however, medical thriller readers may not be as pulled in by the Petersen mystery if it was not was they were expecting.
There were some smaller factors, mainly to do with the level and quality of editing that were an issue for me as well. In general, the grammatical editing could have been better. It's something I've noticed consistently with this publisher. The internal thoughts of the characters occasionally got a bit lengthy, but the dialog was more of a hindrance for me. The dialog often felt stilted because of it's lack of contractions and the frequent use of exclamation points made it seem like the characters were screaming. Aside from the editing, there were also some sexual scenes that I didn't feel added a lot to the story and some bad language that may turn some readers off.
Would I recommend this book? I would have to give this a tentative recommendation. Some readers are going to enjoy it, but I don't think it will appeal to everyone.
Who would I recommend this book to? Straight up medical thriller readers may not get the focused story they were expecting, but there is still enough of a focus that those interested in the topic will enjoy it. The side mystery was interesting, so there is an appeal for mystery readers, but it also is not the main focus. I think this book will mainly appeal to readers who want both a crime mystery and medical thriller rolled into one.
Check out my other reviews at The Edible Bookshelf
November 4, 2012
The dialogue-driven plot of Coming Flu will send chills up your spine as a world-wide flu epidemic gets its start in an Albuquerque gated community. Especially hard-hit is a retirement home within the gates. Frail, elderly folks begin to die.
But as medical authorities struggle to come up with an anti-viral vaccine, and the police try to enforce a quarantine, another worry looms. There is a murderer loose in the community!
Once you catch up with the many characters introduced early on, this book will capture your imagination--and stir your fears--with the vastly disturbing question of, what if?
But as medical authorities struggle to come up with an anti-viral vaccine, and the police try to enforce a quarantine, another worry looms. There is a murderer loose in the community!
Once you catch up with the many characters introduced early on, this book will capture your imagination--and stir your fears--with the vastly disturbing question of, what if?
November 23, 2014
I read this as the author is a neighbor and the book is now on our book group reading list.
Many younger people today have never experienced quarantine and this tale gives very vivid examples of what could very well happen in the near future. I remember a neighbor family being quarantined when I was about 8 or 9. I believe that someone in the family had scarlet fever and one of the 5 children was a girl my age and a friend.
The mystery/crime portion of the book was confusing to me. Hopefully someone else from the book group will have an insight into something I missed.
Many younger people today have never experienced quarantine and this tale gives very vivid examples of what could very well happen in the near future. I remember a neighbor family being quarantined when I was about 8 or 9. I believe that someone in the family had scarlet fever and one of the 5 children was a girl my age and a friend.
The mystery/crime portion of the book was confusing to me. Hopefully someone else from the book group will have an insight into something I missed.
September 12, 2012
Didn't bother to finish it...total bore. No understanding of medical practice either.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews