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The Virus
A smallpox epidemic begins in a whisper with a single death, and then the name of the victim surfaces: Abdulaziz al-Sherhi. In a nation rich in imagination, this name requires none at all. In the weeks that follow, the epidemic fears crescendo into a national roar. People panic about dying from this horrific terrorist incited disease and clamor for a vaccination. The federal government lurches along, hurriedly creating more vaccines to meet the demand.
Maggie Rider, a weary road warrior for a high tech company, submits to the shot only to realize this is no ordinary immunization. Her husband, Eddy, posts his suspicions about this deeply sinister government requirement to his web site.
Now he’s a target.
And Maggie is the bait.
The technology is real. Washington is corrupt. It’s only a matter of time before this isn’t just an intriguing idea for a political thriller.
Maggie Rider, a weary road warrior for a high tech company, submits to the shot only to realize this is no ordinary immunization. Her husband, Eddy, posts his suspicions about this deeply sinister government requirement to his web site.
Now he’s a target.
And Maggie is the bait.
The technology is real. Washington is corrupt. It’s only a matter of time before this isn’t just an intriguing idea for a political thriller.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2015
68 people are currently reading
1242 people want to read
About the author
Janelle Diller
34 books79 followersJanelle Diller has always had a passion for writing. Early on, she polished her writing skills by passing notes to her friends instead of paying attention in math class. Her resulting time in detention gave her lots of time to write more notes. As a young child, she wouldn’t leave home without a pad and pencil just in case her novel hit her and she had to scribble it down quickly. Sadly, she eventually lost this naiveté. However, as a result of her love of writing, she has an unusual variety of books published. The list includes books for the construction industry, grammar textbooks, and books for early and middle readers. Her latest writing adventure is with Pack~n~Go Girls, which has launched a line of travel and adventure books for young girls.
Janelle loves to travel and is lucky enough to have a job that takes her to fun places. She and her husband divide the rest of their time between living on a sailboat in Mexico and on land (in a house) in Colorado.
Janelle loves to travel and is lucky enough to have a job that takes her to fun places. She and her husband divide the rest of their time between living on a sailboat in Mexico and on land (in a house) in Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 4, 2021
I'm not entirely sure that early 2021 was the best time to read The Virus especially as the various vaccines are being rolled out across the world and all are being thrust upon the population and lauded as "safe" and "effective." Nevertheless, I did read it for the PopSugar Challenge and it was eye opening - sort of.
The Virus begins with the death of one person, middle easterner, from Smallpox. Soon there are unconfirmed cases popping up all over the US and deaths are reported in every region of the country. Smallpox is a virus that has been tackled before so the government quickly ushered out a vaccine before the economy could suffer too badly and before too much hysteria set in. In order to travel, attend school, etc., you had to have the vaccine. :) Sounds a little familiar already, doesn't it? The itty bitty problem is that there is no "vaccine." What it actually does do is for you to find out by reading this fast paced, wonderfully written thriller.
After reading other reviews I would like to post that this is not an anti-vaxxer book. It is a government conspiracy book not unlike so many others out there. That is what fiction writing is about - asking the what if's, how about's, could it be's.... To read something other than what it actually is into this book shows that reviewer's own prejudices. This was a great thriller and I highly recommend it - even now.
The Virus begins with the death of one person, middle easterner, from Smallpox. Soon there are unconfirmed cases popping up all over the US and deaths are reported in every region of the country. Smallpox is a virus that has been tackled before so the government quickly ushered out a vaccine before the economy could suffer too badly and before too much hysteria set in. In order to travel, attend school, etc., you had to have the vaccine. :) Sounds a little familiar already, doesn't it? The itty bitty problem is that there is no "vaccine." What it actually does do is for you to find out by reading this fast paced, wonderfully written thriller.
After reading other reviews I would like to post that this is not an anti-vaxxer book. It is a government conspiracy book not unlike so many others out there. That is what fiction writing is about - asking the what if's, how about's, could it be's.... To read something other than what it actually is into this book shows that reviewer's own prejudices. This was a great thriller and I highly recommend it - even now.
June 2, 2016
Loved this book!
Very fast paced and believable. Janelle writes very well and it was so easy to immerse myself into this story.
Maggie - the main character - works for a tech company and after a smallpox virus breaks out, the proverbial shtf. Her husband, a slightly paranoid skeptic, begins to suspect something is amiss and warns her about the unfolding events and the immunization.
What follows is a very interesting story in which you are left wondering how possible all of this could be.
Instant fan of this author. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her books.
Very fast paced and believable. Janelle writes very well and it was so easy to immerse myself into this story.
Maggie - the main character - works for a tech company and after a smallpox virus breaks out, the proverbial shtf. Her husband, a slightly paranoid skeptic, begins to suspect something is amiss and warns her about the unfolding events and the immunization.
What follows is a very interesting story in which you are left wondering how possible all of this could be.
Instant fan of this author. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her books.
February 5, 2015
Oh my goodness, what a page-turner! A fantastic and timely conspiracy thriller with just enough truth in it to make it truly terrifying. I stayed up until 5:30am finishing it, and I was on the edge of my seat right through the end. I would recommend this to anyone interested in technology, privacy issues, conspiracy theory, and high-risk adventure. Diller is a great story teller, and I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future! I'll probably read this again in the next few months.
April 25, 2017
Awesome book! Really fast paced. You think you bought a book about a virus, but find something more sinister.
February 7, 2016
Maggie and Eddie are just two ordinary people who inadvertently get caught up in a governmental 'big brother' operation. Their journey to find out the truth and expose it leads them on a whirlwind cat and mouse game with the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security). There is plenty of suspense and intrigue as you try to figure out who betrayed them and I actually didn't see it until the end. It's a hard book to put the down, so keep that in mind when you pick it up, but if you love thrillers with a little govt conspiracy thrown in, you're definitely going to want to read this one. I highly, highy recommend it.
And now I have to admit I feel a little creeped out thinking about all the ways the govt is tracking me! Thanks for that, Ms. Diller! :)
And now I have to admit I feel a little creeped out thinking about all the ways the govt is tracking me! Thanks for that, Ms. Diller! :)
January 16, 2015
Loved this book as it hit close to home for me. The road warrior lifestyle is the real deal. The characters are great. Great buildup to the end!
June 19, 2020
This book contained the tensest, most anxiety-producing wait in a TSA security line ever!
I purchased this book sometime last year before COVID-19 was on anyone's minds. A smallpox epidemic in the US seems, at first brush, to be the work of terrorists. At least, that's what the US government wants everyone to think...
This book will make you a little paranoid. Or a lot. The technology described in the book exists already in our world, and there's not much imagination required to see how it can be used against us, while we willingly submit.
The start was just a little slow (I couldn't fully get into Maggie and Eddy's gchats), but the action ramps up quickly and it's a page-flipping ride from there. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
It was interesting to see what parallels, if any, existed between the book's fictional epidemic and our very real, currently vaccine-less pandemic. Diller did her research, and the reader watches with dread as a "vaccine" is forced upon the world -- whether they like it or not. With deadlines given for travelers, healthcare workers, and students (if they wish to continue enrollment), one by one, everyone must submit to the vaccine or be rendered unable to function in normal society.
Probably the strangest thing for me about this book is Maggie's "voice" and her banter with Eddy, her childhood best friend-turned-husband. Maggie comes across as very male, and the overall tone of the book feels masculine, too. It was hard to believe that Maggie and Eddy were a married couple -- they sounded more like long-time male buddies, especially in their gchats. It was necessary for their chats to sound distinctive, which is how Maggie realizes at one point that the person who's chatting with her is not Eddy, but that could've been accomplished without the two of them sounding so brusque with each other.
There's a diverse cast of characters -- everything from Russians to Filipinos to Thais to El Salvadorians, which I applaud. But for whatever reason, every time someone's non-whiteness was mentioned, it felt very "othering" -- I don't know Diller's family background, but she refers to non-white characters in a very white sort of way.
There were a couple typos. The noun "envelope" was spelled "envelop" like the verb. And "lightning rod" was misspelled as "lightening rod."
I didn't care for the study questions at the end of the book -- they felt like an afterthought and I think they could've been more interesting or thought-provoking.
Full spoilers below for my own notes:
I purchased this book sometime last year before COVID-19 was on anyone's minds. A smallpox epidemic in the US seems, at first brush, to be the work of terrorists. At least, that's what the US government wants everyone to think...
This book will make you a little paranoid. Or a lot. The technology described in the book exists already in our world, and there's not much imagination required to see how it can be used against us, while we willingly submit.
The start was just a little slow (I couldn't fully get into Maggie and Eddy's gchats), but the action ramps up quickly and it's a page-flipping ride from there. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
It was interesting to see what parallels, if any, existed between the book's fictional epidemic and our very real, currently vaccine-less pandemic. Diller did her research, and the reader watches with dread as a "vaccine" is forced upon the world -- whether they like it or not. With deadlines given for travelers, healthcare workers, and students (if they wish to continue enrollment), one by one, everyone must submit to the vaccine or be rendered unable to function in normal society.
Probably the strangest thing for me about this book is Maggie's "voice" and her banter with Eddy, her childhood best friend-turned-husband. Maggie comes across as very male, and the overall tone of the book feels masculine, too. It was hard to believe that Maggie and Eddy were a married couple -- they sounded more like long-time male buddies, especially in their gchats. It was necessary for their chats to sound distinctive, which is how Maggie realizes at one point that the person who's chatting with her is not Eddy, but that could've been accomplished without the two of them sounding so brusque with each other.
There's a diverse cast of characters -- everything from Russians to Filipinos to Thais to El Salvadorians, which I applaud. But for whatever reason, every time someone's non-whiteness was mentioned, it felt very "othering" -- I don't know Diller's family background, but she refers to non-white characters in a very white sort of way.
There were a couple typos. The noun "envelope" was spelled "envelop" like the verb. And "lightning rod" was misspelled as "lightening rod."
I didn't care for the study questions at the end of the book -- they felt like an afterthought and I think they could've been more interesting or thought-provoking.
Full spoilers below for my own notes:
November 11, 2017
The story was very well-written, the characters believable and the plot certainly engaging and even thrilling at times. It basically hinges around a government conspiracy to impart fear through stories of a deadly viral outbreak, and thereby manipulate the population into willingly being 'vaccinated' (i.e. having certain procedures carried out).
The virus of the title seems to refer both to the smallpox virus and a computer virus, which comes to the fore in the latter part of the book.
Although the book was very enjoyable I did have a few problems with believability - would the US population really be so willing to submit to the government's demands, and were they really stupid enough to not recognise what was happening during the so-called 'vaccination' procedure? I think public dissent and questioning in the media would have been MUCH stronger (having said that, many of us are willing to entrust vast amounts of personal information to Google and Facebook)
The virus of the title seems to refer both to the smallpox virus and a computer virus, which comes to the fore in the latter part of the book.
Although the book was very enjoyable I did have a few problems with believability - would the US population really be so willing to submit to the government's demands, and were they really stupid enough to not recognise what was happening during the so-called 'vaccination' procedure? I think public dissent and questioning in the media would have been MUCH stronger (having said that, many of us are willing to entrust vast amounts of personal information to Google and Facebook)
May 9, 2019
I loved this book, mainly because I can see it as a potential future. We are already so near this nanny state already about vaccines globally with the misinformation from CDC and the scaremongering about diseases driving the population to harmful and untested vaccines. The current scaremongering is to get us to a state where the population thinks mandatory vaccines is a good thing. Next it will be a chip. Of course all in the promotion of our health and safety (right) and regardless of our rights to refuse to have heavy elements, DNA from animals and aborted foetuses and of course a form of the disease that does less for our immunes system than the benefit of getting some of these diseases naturally. It scares the hell out of me what governments force upon us driven by their own propaganda - mark my words this book will be looked upon in the future as prophetic - but don't worry very few of us will still be alive to see it! Read it as a warning of things to come...
May 14, 2017
This is a riveting book. The only reason it's not a 5-star for me is that it didn't make sense that the company Maggie worked for wasn't more actively involved in trying to silence or capture her and her "co-conspirators" within the company, considering that it was part of the govt. project and has a stake in its success. Also, one would think that the US govt. has the ability to shutdown a website that it sees as a threat; yet, there was no mention of any attempt to do so. These plot points would've upped the tension and made the story better.
June 22, 2018
I listened to a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. It is centered around a husband and wife leading the charge to take down big brother as the government seeks to implant a tracking device in every human being under the guise of a mandatory vaccination. The book is filled with many interesting good and bad characters. This book is another reminder of the advances in technology and where we could possibly be heading.
March 20, 2018
WOw!This kept my attention to the end!A smallpox epidemic is the reason for a new vaccine.The information given to get the vaccine is all your information.Can the government track you through a shot?Scarey futuristic stuff! Caroline McLaughlin was the perfect narrator.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
September 24, 2018
A book with a fantastic premise and is fairly quick to read. It keeps the reader interested and reads like 1st person conspiracy blog.
The only weak parts are that sometimes the story slows down and relies upon convenient events to push the story forward. Too many parts of the story just work out.
It was OK, but falls short of great. Not a bad read for $1.
The only weak parts are that sometimes the story slows down and relies upon convenient events to push the story forward. Too many parts of the story just work out.
It was OK, but falls short of great. Not a bad read for $1.
July 3, 2018
A fast paced, exciting thriller! The story is realistic and believable. In a way, is in the same spirit as Orwell's 1984. A chilling look at what the US government (or any government) is capable of when stoking public fear.
August 27, 2018
It could happen!
A real page turner,i read this in a day,and it makes you stop and think how this could really happen to us we think were so safe but how safe are we really??BIG BROTHER IS ALWAYS WATCHING!
A real page turner,i read this in a day,and it makes you stop and think how this could really happen to us we think were so safe but how safe are we really??BIG BROTHER IS ALWAYS WATCHING!
April 25, 2019
Concept not so far fetched but ...
If Eddie's website was such a threat, the DHS would have shut it down. Duh. Outside of the wild improbability of all the pieces coming together for the solution, it was an interesting read.
If Eddie's website was such a threat, the DHS would have shut it down. Duh. Outside of the wild improbability of all the pieces coming together for the solution, it was an interesting read.
August 19, 2020
RIVETING
OMGOODNESS. Spellbinding page Turner. Couldn't put it down. Echoes and foretell of current pandemic and looming shadows of mandatory vaccination, contact tracing and chip insertion. Loss of civil liberties, fanning fear. Never thought it would happen in USA.
OMGOODNESS. Spellbinding page Turner. Couldn't put it down. Echoes and foretell of current pandemic and looming shadows of mandatory vaccination, contact tracing and chip insertion. Loss of civil liberties, fanning fear. Never thought it would happen in USA.
January 22, 2020
I really loved this book. I loved the main characters. The book was fast paced, the story was interesting, and I loved the main characters self-deprecating humor.
March 1, 2020
First, this isn't a book about an epidemic but rather an attempt at a thriller by an anti-vaxxer conspiracy-theorist. Second, if you can put all that aside, it's not a terrible page-turner.
May 8, 2020
While I am not a fan of real conspiracy theories I found myself enjoying this book so much. With the current covid-19 events it really draws you in to the topic!
September 23, 2021
Fun Ride
Impossible or a preview of what is coming. And if it happened, who could stop it? Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.
Impossible or a preview of what is coming. And if it happened, who could stop it? Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.
March 1, 2017
Tense
Scary, I hope not prophetic! Kept me up all night, the best kind of thriller! Read this book! How far will we let the government go????
Scary, I hope not prophetic! Kept me up all night, the best kind of thriller! Read this book! How far will we let the government go????
October 29, 2015
3.5 Stars
The Virus will really make you stop and think!
What I liked: The whole book felt like someone just telling you about an utterly unbelievable conspiracy. Just everyday people doing their jobs and one character, Eddy, who just likes to stay off the grid without the government knowing everything he's doing. Eddy thinks his wife, Maggie, is too trusting of the government and its many agencies. Little does she know how right her husband is.
The timing and the pacing were very good. The characters a bit strange but they felt real to me. The world building was okay but the characters drove the story with their differing opinions and the level of their trust.
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but the way the plot was written and developed in The Virus, kind of made me stop and think. I don't think Ms Diller took the easy way out with any of the story. It was more her laying the bricks and you picking them up to buy into the plot.
What I didn't like: I found one plot line a little too convenient. Maggie is the bread winner in the family. Her job is constant travel which precipitates one of the major conflicts between her and Eddy. However, I will say, in today's world it seems one part of a couple do work at home and could cause the same friction as in The Virus.
Overall, a very good read for a Kindle deal. I was pleasantly surprised about being so invested in the plot and the characters.
Recommended!!!
The Virus will really make you stop and think!
What I liked: The whole book felt like someone just telling you about an utterly unbelievable conspiracy. Just everyday people doing their jobs and one character, Eddy, who just likes to stay off the grid without the government knowing everything he's doing. Eddy thinks his wife, Maggie, is too trusting of the government and its many agencies. Little does she know how right her husband is.
The timing and the pacing were very good. The characters a bit strange but they felt real to me. The world building was okay but the characters drove the story with their differing opinions and the level of their trust.
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but the way the plot was written and developed in The Virus, kind of made me stop and think. I don't think Ms Diller took the easy way out with any of the story. It was more her laying the bricks and you picking them up to buy into the plot.
What I didn't like: I found one plot line a little too convenient. Maggie is the bread winner in the family. Her job is constant travel which precipitates one of the major conflicts between her and Eddy. However, I will say, in today's world it seems one part of a couple do work at home and could cause the same friction as in The Virus.
Overall, a very good read for a Kindle deal. I was pleasantly surprised about being so invested in the plot and the characters.
Recommended!!!
November 6, 2016
The Virus is a citizen-eye political thriller. The narration is focused on the inner development of the main character, a very busy businesswoman working for a database company. She starts out panicking when a smallpox epidemic starts to spread in the United States until she gets suspicious about the government and its vaccination campaign.
Maggie or mz m, as her husband calles her, is a very good main character. She is smart and has to cope with things she doesn't have a clue about.
Unfortunately, and that is the only minor flaw, basic IT knowledge is among those things. If software gets so important in a story, you should be careful as a writer, if you don't know anything about it. Diller could have avoided it, if she just omitted names like Java. She obviously thinks, Javascript would be a script written in Java (A classic right after typing Google into Google to crash the internet!). Most of the time this is not so much of a problem, but it will be at the end when Diller is setting up a software finale which makes a good scene but is absolutely nonsense to every reader who has the slightest clue about programming. And, of course, an implanted RFID cannot be traced with GPS. Maggie's husband must know as a webdesigner that you don't have to print out and re-scan Excel-files to be sure they don't contain a trojan.
But that shouldn't keep anyone from reading! The main aspect—creating action out of inner mtoivation—is performed excellently.
Maggie or mz m, as her husband calles her, is a very good main character. She is smart and has to cope with things she doesn't have a clue about.
Unfortunately, and that is the only minor flaw, basic IT knowledge is among those things. If software gets so important in a story, you should be careful as a writer, if you don't know anything about it. Diller could have avoided it, if she just omitted names like Java. She obviously thinks, Javascript would be a script written in Java (A classic right after typing Google into Google to crash the internet!). Most of the time this is not so much of a problem, but it will be at the end when Diller is setting up a software finale which makes a good scene but is absolutely nonsense to every reader who has the slightest clue about programming. And, of course, an implanted RFID cannot be traced with GPS. Maggie's husband must know as a webdesigner that you don't have to print out and re-scan Excel-files to be sure they don't contain a trojan.
But that shouldn't keep anyone from reading! The main aspect—creating action out of inner mtoivation—is performed excellently.
February 7, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read this book and read about the panic generated about a possible smallpox outbreak at the same time random cases of measles are in the current news -- it certainly made think a bit. It was a definite conspiracy theory type of book, which aren't always my favorite, but this one was done really well. It read like I was watching a movie, very fast-paced, exciting, dramatic, and suspenseful. The two main characters had a very sweet love story, and I loved how the author showed us their instant message conversations. I understand that the immunizations were the vehicle of the conspiracy, but I do admit that made me a bit uncomfortable that this might some how an anti-immunization piece. It could be that there's just so much back and forth on the subject on Facebook lately that I even wondered about this. Even if it were, I chose to look at it as a way for this story to work, there really wasn't anything else in the story to suggest there was a political agenda with regards to immunizations, more about how far we are willing to give up our personal freedoms and how far we'd be willing to go to get them back. I would highly recommend this book - quick read and very entertaining and somewhat thought provoking.
December 18, 2024
It was an interesting read. I particularly liked the descriptions of how Maggie and Eddy were driven into a corner by the DHS (Homeland Security), and on the verge of being hunted down for trying to expose the government’s attempt at surveillance and robbing its citizens of their privacy. The sense of a noose tightening around your neck was certainly there. I loved that sense of urgency and menace. Maggie’s careless behavior and actions out of concern for her husband which eventually resulted in putting herself in jeopardy, created and heightened the sense of menace, and made her feel like a real person, not a fictional character.
However, the technical aspect took me a while to wrap my head around, especially the part at the airport. The adrenaline rush made up for it, but I wished it had been a bit easier to understand.
My only niggle was with the ending; considering what had been built up, the ending and the revelation felt a bit anticlimactic and left some loose ends.
Nevertheless, I'd be happy to give it solid four stars.
However, the technical aspect took me a while to wrap my head around, especially the part at the airport. The adrenaline rush made up for it, but I wished it had been a bit easier to understand.
My only niggle was with the ending; considering what had been built up, the ending and the revelation felt a bit anticlimactic and left some loose ends.
Nevertheless, I'd be happy to give it solid four stars.
February 3, 2015
The Virus is a great book! I couldn't stop reading! The story is well written & relevant to today. The smallpox epidemic reminded me of the recent Ebola scare & how quickly something like that could happen. I work with RFID tags on a daily basis, so that part of the plot really hit home. The conspiracy theory also really added to the story as well. I never did figure out who the conspirator was. I have read all of Janelle's books. She is a great author! I can't wait for her next book to be published!Janelle DillerThe Virus
May 11, 2015
Having lived the life of a road warrior, this book hit a little close to home. Since reading the book, I've found myself suspicious of the TSA pre-checks, wondering when I have a repair man out to fix my refrigerator if he's left an RFID, etc. I've never been a conspiracy theory genre reader in the past. However, Ms. Diller has drawn me into it and I'm looking forward to any future books she will release. Will the government go this far? I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility, and it's now been embedded into the forefront of my mind thanks to this book! Great read! I highly recommend it.
November 7, 2016
I really liked this book! It's categorized as a political thriller and it is indeed a thriller. I stayed up late to find out how it was going to turn out.
The story is carried by first person narrative and I liked Maggie, the story's protagonist, who tells us what happened. She is resourceful, courageous, funny and real, and ultimately successful, of course. I also admired the very contemporary and hi-tech careers and life-styles of Maggie and her husband Eddie.
Im going to recommend this book to my friends. I think it would be a good choice for a book group. And I think it's begging to be adapted for a movie.
The story is carried by first person narrative and I liked Maggie, the story's protagonist, who tells us what happened. She is resourceful, courageous, funny and real, and ultimately successful, of course. I also admired the very contemporary and hi-tech careers and life-styles of Maggie and her husband Eddie.
Im going to recommend this book to my friends. I think it would be a good choice for a book group. And I think it's begging to be adapted for a movie.
June 9, 2015
Wow! Thank you Janelle and Goodreads for a read that kept me on edge for most of the book. Small pox is frightening but the government knowing our every move is more so. The characters are believable and likeable. However, trying to determine the villain was not easy - who to trust - don't know. I even found myself questioning the national news. Anyone looking for an exciting and timely mystery pick up The Virus, sit back and enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews