Rabid

by T.K. Kenyon

In a thrilling novel with clever twists and turns, four characters—a graduate student, her professor, his wife, and her priest—spin out of control in a world where science and religion are in constant conflict. A priest of the modern Roman Inquisition arrives in a New England college town to investigate allegations of child abuse by the local parish priests who have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. The priest, a famous scientist in his own right, is immediately drawn into the private hell—and bed—of a pretty parishioner who confesses that she wants to kill her husband because of his infidelity. The husband, a prominent yet self-absorbed professor, is relentlessly driven by his mad quest to win the Nobel Prize and by his brazen and reckless lust for his students. When one of them falls ill with a mysterious neurological disorder, no one knows how bad things really are—until the subject of the professor’s secret research is revealed and crescendos in a brilliantly depicted battle between faith and science.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

480 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

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Reviews

[Ben Arzate · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

The Unreprinted at Silent Motorist Media

I would say this book doesn’t know what it wants to be, but it does. It wants to be a novel of ideas about the conflicts and overlaps between science and religion. It just doesn’t know how it wants to deliver those ideas.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's talk about elegance. Elegance is
a matter of refinement and quality. But it's
also a matter of complexity. Elegant things just have
more going on than things that are merely excellent.
You may disagree, but I find the Beatles excellent,
Bach elegant. See where I'm going with this?

The first layer in this book is the question of murder itself.
We know from the outset that someone's going to
die, but we don't find out who gets whacked until half-way into the book. The author hasn't so much muddied the waters as she's added levels to them. Is the victim to be

*the annoying and ambitious medical researcher? Could
be-he's unlikeable enough and no innocent creatures-or
readers- would miss him much.
*the graduate student with whom he is conducting an affair?
Maybe-she is brutally transgressive of all the rules of
female romantic life. She's the sort of heroine who is
always dispatched in the movies to reinforce the notion
that sin doesn't pay.
*how about the researcher's milquetoasty wife?
The researcher clearly wants her dead and from the way
her character is built, it seems that the author did too.
Her husband not only has the motivation, he has access to
all sorts of creepy viruses to do the job.
*or maybe it could be the impossibly refined and educated priest who's just arrived on the scene, sent by the Vatican tolead their parish out of the inferno of a child-abuse
scandal and into the paradiso of something better. His
name, of course is Dante and he has the combination of
faith and doubt that is sometimes resolved in pulpier
novels by a heroic death.

Then there's the question of sex. (since when is sex a question?)
anyway, all the main characters are simmering with
unfulfilled lusts. Some, like Leila the grad student, are
ferociously acting out. (Leila is a deliciously
good acter-outer by the way). Others are celibate or so
repressed as to be semi-celibate. Does all this sexual
stewing have anything to do with the illicit sex that
Dante has been sent to stamp out? Or isit thematically
related to the HIV research going on in Leila's lab?

The science adds another layer, an elegant hypothesis
is teased out of the authorized and underground experiments.
The conjecture relates ultimately to questions of faith
which are another layer.

There is more, much more. The roles and rules of men and
women, the politics of institutions and the tidal waves
of ambition all weave threads that recur and fascinate.
What makes the whole thing work is that the author is bigger
than any of the devices she uses. Nothing is obvious, every
thread leads to another consideration without a hint of cliché.

So let's define something else: the word thrill. A thrill
is a shiver of delight-it's physical and mental and spiritual.Suspenseful, erotic, many-layered and intelligent, Rabid is an elegant thriller.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG, ISBN
9781601640005

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a little bit of everything--Catholic doctrine, Jesuit priests, adultery, pedophilia, murder, exorcism, and medical research. Kenyon tackles priest abuse with a Jesuit who is also a doctor and psychiatrist. Sent here from Rome to counsel abuse victims, the priest starts counseling a married couple, which leads down an interesting path. Meanwhile, Kenyon explains many things about the Catholic church and doctrine, and also many complex scientific/medical things as well. This book is excellent for Catholics who like medical/psychological thrillers and for anyone who would like to know more about Catholicism.

[Red Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipe for a good book:

A large helping of cheating husband
several tablespoons of mad scientific research
A recovering alcoholic clergyman named Dante lusting for the heroine
A New England setting where witches, exorcisms, and such are the norm.
Let the heroine, Beverly, discover a pair of panties in her husband’s suitcase and become so distraught over the man’s philandering that she seeks counseling from the church. Stir in wonderful character building, and then add a priest struggling with his faith and who lusts for the very person seeking his help.
A heavy dose of murder must be added when the tension is high and the time is right. Clearly there has to be a tense trial in this recipe as indeed there is.
While that is preparing, fold into the Catholic Church’s obsession with cleaning up its image, the highly charged and competitive world of scientific research in which the lethality of products is subordinated to the almighty dollar.
When you are sufficiently tense, you will be at the climax of T>K> Kenyon’s Rabid, a very good novel with crisply drawn characters and interesting cross purposes impossible to put down until the literary meal is ready.

[Art Tirrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT'S ROBIN COOK ON STEROIDS

Rabid is one of those reads that hit the ground at full speed and pick up momentum from there. Either T.K. Kenyon doesn't know where the brake pedal is or decided the hell with it, and knowing her, I'd bet it's the latter. This is a full blown, balls-to-the-wall scorcher. Dual themes - out-of-control scientific research and pedophile priests - make hot-as-the-devil premises and great platforms for the author's fascinating and often thought-provoking philosophical tirades. These people are flawed, even hateful. Yet, you feel their pain, their doubt, their fear. They sear their way into your subconscious and in the end you love them and root for them because they are you. If the American priesthood is infested with [...], the underlying causes have never been explained better, made more exciting, or presented in a way that offers so much hope for the future. Whether science or religion, Rabid gives no quarter. Get yourself a copy, strap yourself into your favorite chair, and find out what's really been going on in the places you never knew you'd need to start worrying about.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A techno medical thriller which at its heart examines the conflict between faith and science. Different characters represent different sides of the argument and modern players of this age old struggle. Neuroscience and modern research practices There are also many themes and ideas expressed throughout the narrative.

[Lee Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabid is an outstanding thriller! Starting with a plausible scientific hypothesis that reflects her scientific education and experience, Kenyon builds a psychological, legal and religious drama that captures and holds the reader's attention. The main characters are well drawn, deeply flawed human beings who yet have something of the heroic in them. Highly recommended.

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a rating of 4.76 (with 17 readers). That's the highest rating on my list by far. The reader factor of 17 is beginning to approach statistical significance. READ THIS BOOK! It covers human behavior and motivation in a truly realistic (fresh) way.

[Lin Robb · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is well written but so hard to get into. It was a very boring start and just overall not enjoyable. The book begins discussing the hardships a couple faces as the husbands' affair is discovered and a new priest in town is there to investigate. I think the book is alright just not something I like and would typically reach for. I would have given a better rating if it was more exciting and easier to get into.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never know what to expect when you get a freebie from Amazon, but this book was really good. Lots of characters to either love or hate: Conroy, philandering research scientist/husband; Leila, his emotionally damaged mentee/mistress; Bev, the devoutly Catholic, not-so-innocent-herself wife; Dante, the psychiatrist-turned-Jesuit who invades all their lives. Toss in a few deadly viruses and a murder, and you have yourself a real page turner.

Every major character in this book stirred my emotions. I hated Conroy, felt sorry for Leila, was shocked by Bev, and didn't know what to think of Dante. The author created lots of depth to the characters and gave the reader lots of insight into what they're made of.

The only thing that disappointed me about this book was the ending. To me, it was almost as if the author just got tired of working on the project and stopped writing. I didn't feel any real sense of closure on the story. Maybe there's a sequel in the works....

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read - the author takes the reader across extremes in several ways, from content (jumping from confession scene to adultery), scenery (prayer to saints then torrid sex scene), language (rosary followed by flurry of F bombs)- the shfting from one paragraph within a chapter to another made me almost uncomfortable - and judging by the often shocking content, I think that was by design. I don't want to imply that the reader being "uncomfortable" is a bad thing - it's just not a "normal" thing. And that's good.

Science/religion; Clergy/Doctor; Head/heart; Patient/doctor; it's all here and it's all in rabid conflict with each other and within each of them.

Very interesting tale, with a good mix of science and theology at it's core.

[4am Book Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction ripped from the headlines: child-molesting priests plus lethal viruses equals a creative thriller. T. K. Kenyon is a product of the University of Iowa's Writers Workshop with background in Biology; both of which came in useful in her first novel. She doesn't shy from graphic details of lab experiments combined with power gone wrong, nor does she hesitate to push the Catholic sex-scandal to its imaginative limits.

"Good writing" and "I'll have to pick this up again in six months" with a bonus "I look forward to her next project"

[Jackie Specht]

I am finding this a fascinating book. It is a history of the disease of rabies in the world. This disease is inevitably fatal if not treated immediately upon infection and the symptoms are particularly strange and nasty. There are only six documented cases of survivors of untreated rabies bites in modern history. While we in the United States are relatively secure from this disease (due to education and agressive post-bite treatments,) in the Third World countries it remains a major disease.

[John Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific first novel. There just so much stuff going on here that it's pointless to try to explain in any detail. In a way, that was what kept me from adding the fifth star...it's a bit overloaded. But the book never sinks under that weight; it keeps zipping merrily (well, that's not the right word given the plot, but you get my meaning) along.

[Pseudovoid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeps your interest. Emotions leak out of the messed up lives in a few individuals dealing with each other in 'no no' situations. This book holds some of society's dirt to light by pure example. Exhibiting how you like it or we are under the surface despite the more socially acceptable facade you may put on, this book throws you a plot you can chew on and you'll feel like your in on a secret.

[Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a good storyline and left you thinking. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the language used by Conrad's character. But I think this was a good way of making him even more despicable. If it wasn't for the shock value language this would have been a five star.

[A.B.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this novel 4.5 stars if it were possible to do so. There are depths in the character development and their struggle with moral issues, compared to the flat characters of more typical "thrillers."

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me through NPR's program, Radio Lab. It explored the history of the Rabies virus, which was both eye opening and informative. A very good read. I will definitely look into reading more books like this one, as it was not a typical read/choice for me.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing on so many levels. I wouldn't call it a medical thriller, but that's as good a description as any, I guess.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabid weaves mystery, science and the Catholic Church into this great story. Highly recommend it!

[Bonnie Hilligoss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many medical terms and theology discussions. It also did not tie up what happened to Bev and her children, just left it hang.

[Ohia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, who would have thought...

[Ken Weinert]

False