Congo Variant

by Robin Crumby, Roo Morris (Narrator)

A race against time to prevent catastrophe

From the author of the best-selling Hurst Chronicles series comes a high-stakes thriller that will keep you riveted until the last word.

1998: As the world teeters on the brink of war, two unlikely heroes are thrust into a conspiracy that threatens millions.

Ex-special forces operative Blake Harris infiltrates a UN inspection team in Iraq, hunting for the truth behind Saddam's elusive weapons program. With tensions at a breaking point and military action imminent, Harris must uncover the facts before it's too late—even if it means venturing into the heart of danger.

Halfway across the globe, Dr. Alice Bishop, a brilliant young epidemiologist, plunges deep into the Congo rainforest on what should be a routine expedition. Instead, she stumbles upon a mysterious outbreak with the potential to ignite chaos across central Africa—and beyond.

When their worlds collide, Harris and Bishop unearth a terrifying plot that could plunge Western civilization into unprecedented turmoil. Racing against time and shadowy forces, they must stop a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

Set against the explosive backdrop of Iraq’s Operation Desert Fox, Congo Variant hurtles the reader from the steaming rainforests of Africa to the powder-keg streets of Baghdad. This white-knuckle tale of bioterrorism, espionage, and raw courage in the face of overwhelming odds will leave you gasping for breath.

Genres: Ebooks, Amazon, Thriller

Audible Audio

Published June 6, 2023

About the author

Robin Crumby is the British author of The Hurst Chronicles, a post-apocalyptic series set on the south coast of England in the aftermath of a deadly flu pandemic. Since reading John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids as a child, Robin became fascinated by end of the world dystopian literature and was inspired to start writing by Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. Why? Because post-apocalyptic fiction fires the imagination like nothing else. Pondering what comes next, who would survive, what would life look like? Much of the best fiction in this popular genre focuses on brain-eating zombies or events unfolding in the USA, so Robin determined to write a story set in the UK. His Eureka moment came wandering the shingle beach at Milford-on-sea, inspired by the beauty and rich history of the Solent. Where better to survive the end of the world than a medieval castle surrounded by water? Robin spent much of his childhood messing about in boats, exploring the many waterways, harbours and military forts of the Isle of Wight, where The Hurst Chronicles series is set.

Reviews

[Jeffrey Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I won this book in a goodreads giveaway*

I say all the time that I love being able to enter giveaways because it gives us a chance of reading a book we wouldn’t necessarily have read otherwise.

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. There seemed to be an excessive amount of dialogue that ultimately left my mind wandering other places while reading. Also, I felt it took far too long for the Iraqi and Congo stories to connect. Obviously it was to be setup as a series, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had it been longer and maybe the stories connected faster. Unfortunately I wasn’t fully into the book until the last 20-25% of the book where the bulk of the action took place. Lastly, character development (or lack-thereof). Was there any character I loved? Not really. Was Alice’s affair/almost affair necessary? Was her being engaged a necessary addition to the book? There were just several aspects that didn’t work for me.

Needless to say, I’m grateful for winning this book and by no means upset I read it. Just didn’t end up being my cup of tea.

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "The Hot Zone" many years ago and still consider it to be one of the scariest books I have ever read! I was excited to read this book since it seemed to be a fictionalized version of a biological outbreak of unknown origin.

The book is a mix of a medical team frantically trying to determine the cause of an outbreak in the Congo along with a spy for hire trying to learn the truth about Sadaam Hussain's use of biological warfare. The book moved between these two related story lines and kept the pace at a fast clip. I am not much of a fan of espionage books, but the addition of the medical side kept my attention. The author has obviously done a lot of research into both aspects of the book and his knowledge added a lot to the story.

The narrator did a good job and his accents for the different characters helped me keep track of the various characters. All in all, this was an engaging listen and I appreciate the narrator/publisher/author giving me the chance to give it a listen.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Thank you to Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book via one of their Giveaways***

I had no real expectations going into this read and have not read any of the author's previous works. I did at times struggle bouncing from protagonist to protagonist, but I did enjoy the characterizations as well as the attention to detail for both the military aspect as well as the science. It was overall very well written, had engaging characters and I enjoyed that it was set against the backdrop of historical events most of us remember and can relate to in some way.

In the end, however, I was a bit let down as this novel felt more of just a set up for a future series as opposed to something that could truly stand on it's own. I would have preferred some of the novel to be fleshed out a bit more to bulk up the story and to perhaps have a bit more of a resolution, to more appropriately set up the continuation of the series.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect when o started reading this book. It is equal parts military and science. The science side is very much like COVID-19 which makes sense with this book being written in 2023. The military is reminiscent of what I remember Desert Storm to be like.

There was a lot of scientific and military jargon in the book that I didn’t always understand so it did make some parts of the book a little tedious to get through. However, lots of those parts could be skimmed when reading to still get the overall picture of what was happening.

I did expect this to have a book 2 given how it ended but as far as I can tell it does not. Maybe one is in the works? I feel like it was left open for a book 2 and there are lots of answered questions including what happened to the Professor?!

I’d rate the book a 3.5 but without a book 2 I’m giving it 3 stars.

[Mrs A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book seems so well researched and made me feel like I was in Iraq or in Africa. I have read books by this author before so was delighted when I noticed he had written another book. This one isn't a dystopian novel like his others but set in modern times and with the Covid pandemic having effected so much of our lives it is about a new variant of disease and how the scientist are trying to figure out the origin. There are 2 plots that move concorrently which usually I don't like in a book as invariably I seem to always like one plot more than the other not in the this case I was eager to read each of them. The author has honed his craft and seems like a well seasoned writer. I am hoping he will write more as I would love to read them!

[Rhonda Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and interesting

I enjoyed the smooth pace and coherent writing. The plot is clear and revolves around historical events, without becoming pedantic, overly political or delving too deeply in conspiracy theories as it tracks both war and disease in the late 1990's. How much of it is fact versus fiction, I am not certain, but I remember the main events and how the news headlines kept so many of us glued to CNN and BBC, waiting for more.

[irv Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are taken on a journey that involves WHO and armed forces to check on possible biological that is being used or made. When the WHO went to Congo country there was a problem with a possible epidemic , then things got real strange for sick and the WHO personal. The author did a great job with the book , at times you can't stop reading.

[Kelly Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good plot and good writing.

The plot of this book was interesting and all-too-plausible. There is some problem with the timeline, in particular the date of the Africa trip. I noted a few run-on sentences and comma splices, but overall the writing was good. A few loose ends, but maybe that’s left for another book.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

It's 1998 and an operator is putting in time in the Iraq inspections for weapons of mass destruction, and finding nothing but frustration, until he gets a tip.

At the same time, a promising female scientist is sent to The Congo to find the origin of a variant of Ebola.

I didn't feel the two stories quite meshed well.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be an OK read. I was disappointed because I somehow thought it was going to be more about more of a journey through the Congo and aiding those who were ill and living in places that had no doctors. There was actually some of that going on but this story leaned towards the fact that bioterrorism is an ugly possibility and what could possibly happen.

[Mark H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medical drama, a spy thriller, & military action

A very nice job of weaving 3 storylines around one event. Likable lead characters, some tragedy, and a little bit of comedy. I found some of the political characters to be stereotyped and one-dimensional. Real politicians are more two-faced. This comment only shows that neither I nor the author like politicians.

[Steen Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see this as a very good start on the Hurst saga.

The story is of a young doctor with speciality in Virology, who goes to Africa to an outbreak.

Besides this story we follow a guy in Iraq working with international inspectors on Sadam's weapons of mass destruction.. you go figure.

[George A Gusick Sr · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding thriller

Wonderful novel Mr Crumby. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Outstanding characters with real situations that may exist today. Looking for next one. Thank you again Sir.

[Charles Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Germaside Batman!

Bop! Pow! Crash! Robin Crumbs can write a great story about how the world is in danger from biological weapons. His characters have heart and the intelligence to see the story through.

[Matt Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Congo Variant, but feel its more a prequel to Shadow Vector than its own novel, as it does a very good job of introducing the characters and background for the Shadow Vector, but ends just after their paths cross. I'll write a more thorough review once I finish Shadow Vector

[Kathryn Laing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great read from Robin Crumby. The Congo Variant takes place 1998/99 and is all too possible. A well written story with fully developed characters.

[Poppy McGlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read from start to finish!

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[LYNN MCNAMARA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action-packed book!

This is a good book we can all relate to. The recent world events make this book more believable. Fascinating!

[Terri Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very thought-provoking.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics and healthcare, politics and research, politics and public health all wrapped up in a believable story.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed Robin Crumby’s latest, Congo Variant. The story is based on true events and it unrolls in a steady stream of action and dangerous situations. The characters are realistic and easy to read about. I read the entire book in less than 48 hours! Now , I’m impatiently awaiting book 2. I highly recommend it.

Purchased from Amazon