Deadly Exposure

Joanna Blalock #5

by Leonard Goldberg

After being sent aboard the Navy ship that is isolating a deadly new bacterium, forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock quickly learns that someone is purposely spreading the disease and killing those on board, and she must stop the ruthless killer before it is too late

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a good medical mystery. This one was quite enjoyable except for one ridiculous plotline thrown in for... I dunno, maybe dramatic measure? That really ruined it for me. Want to know what I'm talking about? The thought that the iceberg was "out to get them" like it was a sentient being. They are scientists and doctors for gosh sakes. Then the iceberg goes and takes out the baddies one after the other. Ridiculous! I'll still give it 3-stars cuz I'm feeling generous.

[Charles Vrooman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leonard Goldberg has truly created a medical thriller with his novel, “Deadly Exposure”. In this exciting book, we find both medical doctors and scientists working together trying to isolate and identify an ancient bacterium which produces a deadly toxin. Throw in some murders, and a forensic pathologist, and you get a touch of a crime novel. So what you end up with is a thriller with the combined touch of Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell and Clive Cussler. Then, Goldberg tops it off with an action filled climatic ending.

[Kristen Goddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was particularly fond of how vivid the different characters are in this book; Dr. Neiderman and Dr. Kagen were very believable characters. Particularly Neiderman - I've definitely known people who think just like him. While Dr. Goldberg doesn't quite have the polished writing style of Robin Cook or Michael Palmer (and really, who does?) this was a fast-paced book that thoroughly captured my attention. I was not bored reading it.

[Deb Dueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book because I was browsing through the library looking for a new author. These are the genre that really interests me. I just picked up all his other books yesterday. The book starts with the Coast Guard finding a boat attached to an iceberg. Two parents are dead but a boy is alive. Winds up there's an ancient virus in the iceberg and the story goes from there.

[Mary Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always interesting to read a medical mystery in our own post-pandemic world to see how it holds up to reality.
I enjoyed the story, it was a unique twist on the bacteria-on-the-loose narrative, with an added murderer-among-us thriller aspect.

[Kristin Lundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time through this - the first was almost 12 years ago, and not recalled. Part of a series of books featuring forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock, this one finds her working in LA on a baby who died from apparent cholera. She is whisked away though to join a team called ETOX, a government entity formed to take care of emerging possible extraterrestrial organisms. A boat was found in the Alaskan sea, with a couple dead, and a baby still alive. It appeared they died almost instantly. They had pickaxes in an iceberg that had shimmery stuff in it, and moored their boat to it. Inside the cabin, they were apparently melting down the ice in an attempt to get what they thought were rare minerals or ores. The coastguardsman who found them came back out of the cabin, gasping and wheezing, and died immediately. So the team was formed aboard an enormous ship, retrofitted to hold the iceberg inside a plexiglass shield, and to have labs, etc. to study it. Joanna is brought in to autopsy the guardsman, and others, including an old flame, to study the organism, if they can find the source of the organism. They think it is a bacteria, but aren't sure, since they can't grow it out in culture, or produce the toxin from it. Stymied, things begin to happen - people get sick, and others are murdered. And what appeared to be a routine assignment turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, as the unthinkable happens. Interesting strong female character, but not many others are well drawn, as they aren't the focus of the books. Exciting, but not enough to blow me away. Good medical thriller.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock joins a team of security agents and biologists aboard an Alaskan ship after a deadly prehistoric microbe is discovered in an iceberg.


Fifth book featuring the character Joanna Blalock. Titanic meets The Hot Zone. A fast read. Blalock has much less baggage than Kay Scarpetta which makes for a better read.

[Little Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

aNOTHER exciting mEDICAL mYSTERY AND THIS ONE WAS DEALING WITH A MYSTERIOUS gERM AND AN iCEBERG

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not retain my attention.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

JoAnn Blalock #5