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Outbreak
The waters off the West African coast are a menacing red, full of algae thick enough to stand on in places. In nearby villages, mysterious deaths start to occur -- and the panic mounts. But before an alarm can be sounded, the sea currents shift, the algae vanishes, and the deaths stop. Everyone is relieved when things return to normal, and local government officials are happy to sweep the publicity nightmare under a rug.
334 pages, Library Binding
First published April 2, 2019
140 people are currently reading
1607 people want to read
About the author
T. Davis Bunn
80 books148 followersAlso writes under the names Thomas Locke and Davis Bunn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
September 27, 2020
Who knew that, the year after this book's release, the world would face a pandemic like we haven't seen in ages? Crazy!
The book was an engaging page-turner, as usual for this author.
The book was an engaging page-turner, as usual for this author.
June 3, 2019
An intense race-against-time thriller that created bedlam in my sensitive reader's imagination. Sometimes just the suggestion of evil is more potent than reality. :-) Corruption and greed compel unscrupulous men to ignore a deadly threat and it's up to Theo and his ragtag team to make sense of the crisis while dodging hitmen and unscrupulous leaders. Loved that Theo is your average (well, not so average) university professor. He's no James Bond or Jason Bourne though his sense of honor and commitment does echo those fictional heroes. Bunn's fast-paced, easy-flow writing style enhances the desperate edge of this page-turner. A breath-snatching, heart-stomping exhilerating read.
Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.
Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.
August 21, 2019
I was a bit disappointed in this book. The writing seemed stilted. The story felt disjointed to me. The whole thing didn't seem like it flowed.
July 19, 2019
Overall, unexpected (and disappointing). The story didn't play out, causing it to rely heavily on the characters and their development. Unfortunately, they didn't bear up under the weight. You just don't care about the characters. Even their flaws were custom-made to solve the problem. Too easy, no risks. I'm not sure what the point of this story was. I wouldn't recommend it.
June 29, 2019
Well, that was a waste of about two hours of my life. I coulda spent that time watching Independence Day for the 60th time.
January 6, 2020
This is a basic, formulaic suspense thriller. The kind that some authors crank out dozens and dozens of over the course of their careers. There are actually a few authors who do this that I like. Dean Koontz for one. I can read through those books like I can eat through an entire bag of microwave popcorn. They're quick and satisfying at the time, but not anything you'll write home about. The thing that draws me to authors like Koontz is not really the specific plots, but the quirky characters, witty dialogue, and unique descriptions. This book by Bunn has none of those.
None of the characters are particularly unique or memorable. Theo Bishop is an economics professor with a failing side business as a biomedical equipment and supply distributer--and these professions don't seem to be particularly important to the plot. His brother Kenny is the president/CEO of a major biomedical research company that focuses on vaccines. In the course of his work, he discovers that a deadly outbreak of an unknown disease has taken place in West Africa and is being covered up by military authorities there. The plot leads us on the mission to discover the truth behind the outbreak of this airborne disease before it--potentially--makes its way to other countries during hurricane season.
We're told that the Kenny of the story is not the same Kenny as the past. Apparently, most of his life has been marked by greed and competition. But, we are told, he has had some type of religious-based transformation, and is now more concerned about the welfare of others than profit. The author doesn't really give us any specific details about this transformation, such as how and when it occurred. Other than the fact the Kenny's family says grace before meals and that Kenny himself has been reading the Bible and taking notes, we don't really learn anything about the nature or depth of Kenny's change of faith. This seems like a major oversight on the author's part. If you're going to bring up a change of faith as a major part of the plot, you need to say more about it. This bothered me.
Another thing that bothered me--or at least sent my eyes rolling--was the love/lust at first sight that Theo feels for Della, a journalist who works PR for Kenny's company. We're meant to believe that both of these characters are thrown together in crisis mode when Kenny sends them on an urgent mission to see and report on the deaths of every member of a fishing village on the African coast. Yes, lot's of books and movies expect us to believe that lust at first sight can lead to long-lasting love relationships when two people work through a crisis together. But in reality, I suspect that any two people suddenly thrown together because of a crisis are more likely to be so confused and stressed out by the situation at hand that they will not be immediately harboring romantic thoughts about each other.
Finally, I thought the ending was too abrupt. Almost as if the author just needed to wrap everything up for his deadline. We don't learn what the disease is. We don't learn whether or not the disease actually spreads. We don't learn whether or not Kenny and Avery, his lead researcher, come up with a vaccine to combat the disease. We don't learn whether or not the brothers Kenny and Theo end up reconciling after the vaguely mentioned troubles they've had in the past. And there's no way of knowing whether or not Theo and Della are destined for a lifelong relationship or just short-term infatuation.
Overall, I'd say this book was a fairly cheap bag of popcorn. There was nothing about the writing that encourages me to read anything else by this author, and I'll probably forget about the book entirely within a few weeks after we discuss it in book club.
None of the characters are particularly unique or memorable. Theo Bishop is an economics professor with a failing side business as a biomedical equipment and supply distributer--and these professions don't seem to be particularly important to the plot. His brother Kenny is the president/CEO of a major biomedical research company that focuses on vaccines. In the course of his work, he discovers that a deadly outbreak of an unknown disease has taken place in West Africa and is being covered up by military authorities there. The plot leads us on the mission to discover the truth behind the outbreak of this airborne disease before it--potentially--makes its way to other countries during hurricane season.
We're told that the Kenny of the story is not the same Kenny as the past. Apparently, most of his life has been marked by greed and competition. But, we are told, he has had some type of religious-based transformation, and is now more concerned about the welfare of others than profit. The author doesn't really give us any specific details about this transformation, such as how and when it occurred. Other than the fact the Kenny's family says grace before meals and that Kenny himself has been reading the Bible and taking notes, we don't really learn anything about the nature or depth of Kenny's change of faith. This seems like a major oversight on the author's part. If you're going to bring up a change of faith as a major part of the plot, you need to say more about it. This bothered me.
Another thing that bothered me--or at least sent my eyes rolling--was the love/lust at first sight that Theo feels for Della, a journalist who works PR for Kenny's company. We're meant to believe that both of these characters are thrown together in crisis mode when Kenny sends them on an urgent mission to see and report on the deaths of every member of a fishing village on the African coast. Yes, lot's of books and movies expect us to believe that lust at first sight can lead to long-lasting love relationships when two people work through a crisis together. But in reality, I suspect that any two people suddenly thrown together because of a crisis are more likely to be so confused and stressed out by the situation at hand that they will not be immediately harboring romantic thoughts about each other.
Finally, I thought the ending was too abrupt. Almost as if the author just needed to wrap everything up for his deadline. We don't learn what the disease is. We don't learn whether or not the disease actually spreads. We don't learn whether or not Kenny and Avery, his lead researcher, come up with a vaccine to combat the disease. We don't learn whether or not the brothers Kenny and Theo end up reconciling after the vaguely mentioned troubles they've had in the past. And there's no way of knowing whether or not Theo and Della are destined for a lifelong relationship or just short-term infatuation.
Overall, I'd say this book was a fairly cheap bag of popcorn. There was nothing about the writing that encourages me to read anything else by this author, and I'll probably forget about the book entirely within a few weeks after we discuss it in book club.
April 7, 2019
I read the last page and thought: “But wait, there’s more.” What a cliff-hanger! I got so wrapped up in the story that I felt sure we would learn all the answers. But then I turned the page and realized I had reached the end. Another book is a must. With all the excitement, suspense, action, possibly a budding romance, and a touch of faith, surely it doesn’t end here. One thing I found most interesting is the way I was drawn into a story about a series of events that could turn into a pandemic. During my career in bank operations and information technology, a part of the job involved developing plans to keep the bank operating on the outside chance a pandemic swept through our area. I always felt I was wasting time, probably in large part because I had never experienced anything of that magnitude. The lead characters in the book are working day and night to avoid a potential pandemic of unknown origin. Having traveled to West Africa and seeing the impact on villages there, they are faced with a number of questions for which they have no answers. Every question seems to lead to more questions. Even as they seek diligently for answers, someone is doing everything they can to stop them. What are their opponents afraid of? Exactly who are their opponents? Even that is as much a mystery as the deadly disease that is spreading. If you enjoy suspense, you must read this book. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
June 14, 2019
From the gorgeous cover to the eerie, thrilling story line, "Outbreak" satisfies on every level. The plot hooked me in from the beginning as I tried to wrap my mind around a pandemic with the frightening characteristics that this novel features. Though I don't want to give the story away by saying too much, I will say that if such an outbreak erupted in real life, we would all be praying for characters like these who put their lives on the line to find a cure!
Bunn has done a stellar job at allowing the reader to really experience the plot through the eyes of the characters, meaning that when they don't know quite what's going on, readers don't really either. Rather, together we embark on a mission of discovery, with layers being peeled back to uncover the truth one step at a time, often with frightening implications. Though the novel definitely comes to a resolution, much is also left to the imagination as well in terms of the longterm impact of what is occurring, leaving me wishing that there was a follow-up book in the works (though I see no evidence of such). It's not that this is absolutely needed for the enjoyment of the story, but that rather I was enjoying the novel so much that I simply didn't want to see it come to an end. Davis Bunn's fertile imagination continues to be in fine form, producing works like this one that are entertaining and chock-full of suspense. I am truly glad that this story only exists on the page - as far as we know, anyway!
I continue to be amazed at the breadth of stories that Davis Bunn is able to craft. Oubreak is another winner, and I can't help but award it 5 out of 5 stars. I am eager, as always, to see what lies in store next for us readers who love all things Davis Bunn.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Bunn has done a stellar job at allowing the reader to really experience the plot through the eyes of the characters, meaning that when they don't know quite what's going on, readers don't really either. Rather, together we embark on a mission of discovery, with layers being peeled back to uncover the truth one step at a time, often with frightening implications. Though the novel definitely comes to a resolution, much is also left to the imagination as well in terms of the longterm impact of what is occurring, leaving me wishing that there was a follow-up book in the works (though I see no evidence of such). It's not that this is absolutely needed for the enjoyment of the story, but that rather I was enjoying the novel so much that I simply didn't want to see it come to an end. Davis Bunn's fertile imagination continues to be in fine form, producing works like this one that are entertaining and chock-full of suspense. I am truly glad that this story only exists on the page - as far as we know, anyway!
I continue to be amazed at the breadth of stories that Davis Bunn is able to craft. Oubreak is another winner, and I can't help but award it 5 out of 5 stars. I am eager, as always, to see what lies in store next for us readers who love all things Davis Bunn.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
March 20, 2020
Very good book.
September 21, 2019
Can they find the truth before it's too late...?
Just when you think you've gotten Davis Bunn pegged, he surprises you with something different. While Outbreak features his trademark style of writing it still brings something new to the table. From the dramatic red and white cover, on the version I read, to the last page this was one suspenseful read. One that I found difficult to put down and I finished it in near record time.
The premise of the powers that be manipulating and covering up a catastrophe of global proportions is something that sounds suspiciously like it could be ripped from today's world headlines. That very fact added a great deal to the suspense and drama of the tale.
Outbreak is edgy and edge-of-your-seat reading from one of Christian fiction's top authors. It makes you question what IS and what's real. So, if you are into suspense with touches of thriller and a dash of medical fiction, Davis Bunn's gripping semi-recent release just might be up your alley.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
Just when you think you've gotten Davis Bunn pegged, he surprises you with something different. While Outbreak features his trademark style of writing it still brings something new to the table. From the dramatic red and white cover, on the version I read, to the last page this was one suspenseful read. One that I found difficult to put down and I finished it in near record time.
The premise of the powers that be manipulating and covering up a catastrophe of global proportions is something that sounds suspiciously like it could be ripped from today's world headlines. That very fact added a great deal to the suspense and drama of the tale.
Outbreak is edgy and edge-of-your-seat reading from one of Christian fiction's top authors. It makes you question what IS and what's real. So, if you are into suspense with touches of thriller and a dash of medical fiction, Davis Bunn's gripping semi-recent release just might be up your alley.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
April 29, 2019
I’m a sucker for pandemics and virus outbreak stories but this fell a little short to me. The author does a good job at keeping you guessing throughout about how this new virus got started but I still had a lot of questions and the ending could be left as complete or incomplete however you view it, maybe there will be a sequel. I’d like to see how they will solve this new crisis with the hurricane coming.
February 6, 2025
The ending left me a little confused, but I enjoyed the suspense of the journey.
December 29, 2019
Ok. What actually happened here? There is seaweed! It is ominous and red! The villagers...ate the seaweed? Did they? They definitely baked it into bread. It is also high in protein, so, that seemed to be good for a while, malnutrition-wise. But then everyone died (100% death rate) due to colds, measles, septicaemia, etc. Was this linked to the seaweed, which was definitely present but may or may not have been eaten? If so, how is this a problem requiring immediate world-wide vaccination, when it appears that all you need to do is leave the coast/not eat the seaweed for a little bit (or should you?? Does it save you??) when the extremely obvious red seaweed blooms? Is Denver concerned about this problem? Zurich? Moosejaw, Saskatchewan?
These questions, among many others that sprouted while I read this book, will not keep me up tonight, except so far as I have stayed awake to write this review.
Other concerns:
-the main characters all know a lot more than is revealed to the reader, although the reader is frequently kept alert to the fact that the protagonist smugly knows much more than he is saying.
-subpoint — the romantic connection is forged upon another main character feeling so *nsync with the protagonist. That’s nice for you, ma’am. At least one of us is tracking with him, and I am already married, so better you than I.
-many oblique references are made to the protagonist’s past, so if this is a book in a series, I was the last to know. I am suspicious that it isn’t, actually, and that this was a character/plot device. It just made me feel like I was three books behind by the second chapter.
-One character is forever changed by a chance encounter with glaucoma. This is ironic, because the whole book makes references to terrible epidemics that fell entire populations, but the thing that brings this guy to his knees is some pus in the corner of a youth’s eye.
I can’t recommend a better book for you to read in this particular genre, because the only other similar book I’ve read is “The Hot Zone,” and it was gloriously terrible in all sorts of other ways. All I can say is, do not eat the...wait. Shoot. I don’t even know. The end.
These questions, among many others that sprouted while I read this book, will not keep me up tonight, except so far as I have stayed awake to write this review.
Other concerns:
-the main characters all know a lot more than is revealed to the reader, although the reader is frequently kept alert to the fact that the protagonist smugly knows much more than he is saying.
-subpoint — the romantic connection is forged upon another main character feeling so *nsync with the protagonist. That’s nice for you, ma’am. At least one of us is tracking with him, and I am already married, so better you than I.
-many oblique references are made to the protagonist’s past, so if this is a book in a series, I was the last to know. I am suspicious that it isn’t, actually, and that this was a character/plot device. It just made me feel like I was three books behind by the second chapter.
-One character is forever changed by a chance encounter with glaucoma. This is ironic, because the whole book makes references to terrible epidemics that fell entire populations, but the thing that brings this guy to his knees is some pus in the corner of a youth’s eye.
I can’t recommend a better book for you to read in this particular genre, because the only other similar book I’ve read is “The Hot Zone,” and it was gloriously terrible in all sorts of other ways. All I can say is, do not eat the...wait. Shoot. I don’t even know. The end.
April 10, 2019
I really wasn’t ready for the story to end. As with other Davis Bunn books, I wanted to spend more time in the story, with the characters. I liked the subtle influence of faith on the story—and it also increased the suspense as I wondered exactly what had happened in Kenny’s life and when Theo would figure it out. And I loved this from the book, if you can’t see the answer then it’s not a real answer. As usual, Bunn doesn’t use any extra words, but the story still has vivid descriptions to provide readers with sensory experiences and a sense of place.
I received this book from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
I received this book from the publisher but all opinions are my own.
April 12, 2019
I had a hard time putting this book down. Once again Bunn has produced a gripping, suspenseful story that will keep you up late, stretch your mind, and leave you worn out, amazed, and satisfied (but hoping for a sequel). There's mystery, hired assassins, cutting edge science, memorable characters, romance, danger, you name it! I highly recommend this book.
I received a free review copy from the author; all opinions are my own.
I received a free review copy from the author; all opinions are my own.
November 1, 2019
I really wanted to like this book because I like good adventure books. This one seemed a bit disjointed and scattered. Very disappointing since I have read other books by this author and have enjoyed them. Kind of feel like this one was thrown together at the last minute.
September 8, 2019
Davis Bunn's Outbreakis diseased from the onset. The plot is confusing in many ways and the way in which he introduces characters is just as perplexing. First, we are introduced to Avery, a man who must board a plane immediately for the far reaches of the African borders. Then, there is not sufficient transition to let you realize that there is another character named Theo nearing bankruptcy and financial ruin only to discover that his wealthy brother has paid his debt in full only to request a favor that links him to the man headed for the West African coast. Toss in a public relations specialist/journalist and some mercenaries and action ensues with gunfight that leaves the three barely escaping with their lives. On top of that it was considered an inspirational read, but I felt that Bunn tossed in a "now I'm a believer and have changed my ways" almost seven-eights through the book just as a cook would add additional salt because the stew "needs something". Toward the end the reader soon finds out that there are two hit squads after the professor. The rush to conclusion doesn't help and while I do appreciate the technical, scientific level on which Bunn tried to elevate the suspense, people do not want to know how the water gets there. The explanation must be simple and in layman's language. I seriously doubt if I ever read another one of his novels and I'll be curious as to what the other members of my inspirational book club think of this particular read.
July 12, 2019
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is what I thought the sequel to the movie “Sahara” would be like if they ever made one after all the treasure was found. In the movie, there’s the fact of red algae moving through the water that was never really addressed. At the end of the movie, there was a hint that there might be a sequel.
Outbreak could be it.
Bunn’s exquisite descriptive prowess… do I need to say more? Love the way he meshes his words to deliver the right punch! Fantastically paced, never a dull moment involving well-fleshed out characters perfectly flawed, at times annoying as all get out, and could even be people you know.
The plot was a race against time that seem to tick loudly around the events going on and kept the pace moving. Secondary characters pushed the Protagonist toward meeting goals. Nice ride by the seat of your pants thriller! Clean and decisive writing and a great story to be lost in. You’ll feel like you’re right there, along for the ride and experiencing all the craziness and mayhem first-hand.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is what I thought the sequel to the movie “Sahara” would be like if they ever made one after all the treasure was found. In the movie, there’s the fact of red algae moving through the water that was never really addressed. At the end of the movie, there was a hint that there might be a sequel.
Outbreak could be it.
Bunn’s exquisite descriptive prowess… do I need to say more? Love the way he meshes his words to deliver the right punch! Fantastically paced, never a dull moment involving well-fleshed out characters perfectly flawed, at times annoying as all get out, and could even be people you know.
The plot was a race against time that seem to tick loudly around the events going on and kept the pace moving. Secondary characters pushed the Protagonist toward meeting goals. Nice ride by the seat of your pants thriller! Clean and decisive writing and a great story to be lost in. You’ll feel like you’re right there, along for the ride and experiencing all the craziness and mayhem first-hand.
February 11, 2021
Poorly written. I kept thinking I had mistakenly borrowed a Young Adult book or an Abridged version. There is nothing wrong with YA books! I read them all the time. I just like to know that's what I am reading in advance so my expectations are in line. But it seems neither of those possibilities were the case. This is just an actual crappy book with no concept of character development or plot continuity. I only finished it because of my love for end of days topics.
February 21, 2020
I stepped out of my normal genre comfort zone a little with this one and I’m glad I did. The threat is frighteningly plausible, especially considering the current issues with virus threats worldwide. The story was well paced and kept the pages turning.
I have 2 less-than-positive comments, however. One: The romantic element seems to be forced into the novel. Perhaps he is setting up for a series with recurring characters and plans to spend more time on it later? And Two: UNC Asheville has NEVER been known as Appalachian State. (This point, while in no way relevant to the book’s plot, bugged me from the moment it was mentioned.). They are and always have been two completely different universities a hundred + miles away from each other. (NC born and raised, here, and I attended App State, which likely explains why this point irks me so.)
I have 2 less-than-positive comments, however. One: The romantic element seems to be forced into the novel. Perhaps he is setting up for a series with recurring characters and plans to spend more time on it later? And Two: UNC Asheville has NEVER been known as Appalachian State. (This point, while in no way relevant to the book’s plot, bugged me from the moment it was mentioned.). They are and always have been two completely different universities a hundred + miles away from each other. (NC born and raised, here, and I attended App State, which likely explains why this point irks me so.)
July 13, 2019
A really interesting take on the superbug outbreak story. The characters are really well developed and easy to connect to. Plenty of action and excitement while giving you plenty to think about in regards to the complete impacts of an infectious outbreak.
April 18, 2019
As usual, I greatly enjoyed this latest Davis Bunn offering. Whether he is writing fantasy, speculative or contemporary tales, Bunn creates good characters and sends them on an engaging journey. This latest tale does not disappoint.
January 22, 2023
Okay, so the most thrilling thing about this novel, was the synopsis. This plot was … I don’t even know what it was (and I just read a murder mystery involving a model, sign language, an attorney, and gorillas that made more sense than this).
First of all, the part that was easily the most disappointing to me, was the fact the ‘synopsis’ is really all we get to see about the ‘deaths’. The author spends so much time talking up how horrible the events on the ground are—even making the female character have a mental breakdown that she apologizes for over how bad the events are supposed to be—then he turns around and doesn’t show us anything except: Oh look! Birds! The pandemic must be over. Don’t look now, but there’s no fire coming from the village … it’s because they’re dead, just take my word for it, we won’t be heading out that way. Also, my labs been destroyed along with all of my samples and electronics that I didn’t have time to pack up and secure, but I had time to come out here and meet you guys at the airport … anyway we need to escape the local military—wait! Check out all the seaweed!! So, anyway, thanks for coming out here to rescue me…”
Next, there is no real challenge to the characters. Why would they’re be when the guys just living it big on his brothers dime? Seriously. Anything you need, throw money at it and it’s solved.
“I need to borrow like half a million dollars is that cool?”
“Not only is it cool, we’re going to give you two million because of how cool we are with giving away out money.”
Speaking of throwing money around … why did they have to use an underfunded college laboratory that needed all new equipment brought in because the school didn’t have it—when they could’ve just build a lab on their own? I get that the FBI and CIA and the other alphabets we’re questioning the scientists assistants … but why would a publicly available college lab be immune to that kind of government interference??
Also with the money thing … why on earth would the brother need to swap houses with the main character? That was just … so dumb to me. “Oh my wife likes your house, so we’re giving you a mansion with a state of the art security system that we had installed because people were after me and we felt our family might be in danger, but alas, my wife didn’t like it, so we’d like to trade for your humble, non-secure, abode which will totally keep our children safe!”
Then there was the scene with the mercenaries in the beginning, where the woman threatens to ‘stay right where she is unless they tell her what’s going on’ only for the mercenary to tell her she can stay, either way he’s leaving. Like, dude, you were hired to escort them to their destination … there is no just letting her stay behind. Can you imagine? “Sorry boss. I know you pay me enough to retire tomorrow, but somehow I just couldn’t get the woman to get on the truck. Crazy, right? Anyway, I just left her at the airport…”
The romance was probably one of the blandest, forced, unsubstantiated thing I have ever read in a novel. They’re just so in sync. So in sync. Like … so in sync, guys. Then at the end, their big ‘coming together’ moment happens in exposition where the author just glosses over it like “oh yeah, after they got shot at they were under a lot of pressure so they just couldn’t hide their feeling anymore and they got together during this time.”
Too much information was hidden. “He didn’t need to ask who these mysterious men where who showed up out of nowhere and never identified themselves. It was obvious.”
Uh … there are quite a few departments this could be—CIA, FBI, IRS (with all the money this guys been receiving from his brother it wouldn’t surprise me), plus all the other unmarked agencies they could belong to.
Anyway, this is probably one of the first books I can genuinely say—in my opinion—is just straight up bad writing. From the clunky dialogue to the weird icy-warm romance, to the plot just being all over the damn place—hell, not even the secret hitman sent to kill the guy was exciting. The characters motives made zero sense and their backstories were just comically bad. “I saw a kid with pus in his eye, and then my wife made me pray before dinner, and suddenly … I was a changed man!”
“I haven’t spoken to my brother in 4 years because he stole the woman I loved and he’s a billionaire prick … okay, technically he never stole the girl I loved. She always loved my brother first before she even knew who I was. I just really liked her once we finally got introduced and kind of lusted after her … then my brother married her and I was jealous…” (what even was this ‘plot point’?)
Like I said, this was just … bad, bad, bad. All the way through. Like it was churned out with not even a single consideration for the most basic questions the reader might ask.
First of all, the part that was easily the most disappointing to me, was the fact the ‘synopsis’ is really all we get to see about the ‘deaths’. The author spends so much time talking up how horrible the events on the ground are—even making the female character have a mental breakdown that she apologizes for over how bad the events are supposed to be—then he turns around and doesn’t show us anything except: Oh look! Birds! The pandemic must be over. Don’t look now, but there’s no fire coming from the village … it’s because they’re dead, just take my word for it, we won’t be heading out that way. Also, my labs been destroyed along with all of my samples and electronics that I didn’t have time to pack up and secure, but I had time to come out here and meet you guys at the airport … anyway we need to escape the local military—wait! Check out all the seaweed!! So, anyway, thanks for coming out here to rescue me…”
Next, there is no real challenge to the characters. Why would they’re be when the guys just living it big on his brothers dime? Seriously. Anything you need, throw money at it and it’s solved.
“I need to borrow like half a million dollars is that cool?”
“Not only is it cool, we’re going to give you two million because of how cool we are with giving away out money.”
Speaking of throwing money around … why did they have to use an underfunded college laboratory that needed all new equipment brought in because the school didn’t have it—when they could’ve just build a lab on their own? I get that the FBI and CIA and the other alphabets we’re questioning the scientists assistants … but why would a publicly available college lab be immune to that kind of government interference??
Also with the money thing … why on earth would the brother need to swap houses with the main character? That was just … so dumb to me. “Oh my wife likes your house, so we’re giving you a mansion with a state of the art security system that we had installed because people were after me and we felt our family might be in danger, but alas, my wife didn’t like it, so we’d like to trade for your humble, non-secure, abode which will totally keep our children safe!”
Then there was the scene with the mercenaries in the beginning, where the woman threatens to ‘stay right where she is unless they tell her what’s going on’ only for the mercenary to tell her she can stay, either way he’s leaving. Like, dude, you were hired to escort them to their destination … there is no just letting her stay behind. Can you imagine? “Sorry boss. I know you pay me enough to retire tomorrow, but somehow I just couldn’t get the woman to get on the truck. Crazy, right? Anyway, I just left her at the airport…”
The romance was probably one of the blandest, forced, unsubstantiated thing I have ever read in a novel. They’re just so in sync. So in sync. Like … so in sync, guys. Then at the end, their big ‘coming together’ moment happens in exposition where the author just glosses over it like “oh yeah, after they got shot at they were under a lot of pressure so they just couldn’t hide their feeling anymore and they got together during this time.”
Too much information was hidden. “He didn’t need to ask who these mysterious men where who showed up out of nowhere and never identified themselves. It was obvious.”
Uh … there are quite a few departments this could be—CIA, FBI, IRS (with all the money this guys been receiving from his brother it wouldn’t surprise me), plus all the other unmarked agencies they could belong to.
Anyway, this is probably one of the first books I can genuinely say—in my opinion—is just straight up bad writing. From the clunky dialogue to the weird icy-warm romance, to the plot just being all over the damn place—hell, not even the secret hitman sent to kill the guy was exciting. The characters motives made zero sense and their backstories were just comically bad. “I saw a kid with pus in his eye, and then my wife made me pray before dinner, and suddenly … I was a changed man!”
“I haven’t spoken to my brother in 4 years because he stole the woman I loved and he’s a billionaire prick … okay, technically he never stole the girl I loved. She always loved my brother first before she even knew who I was. I just really liked her once we finally got introduced and kind of lusted after her … then my brother married her and I was jealous…” (what even was this ‘plot point’?)
Like I said, this was just … bad, bad, bad. All the way through. Like it was churned out with not even a single consideration for the most basic questions the reader might ask.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2019
Loved this, wish it would have been longer. For fans of the Last Ship!
July 18, 2019
A fast-paced race for answers that could mean the difference between life and death for so many. From the coasts of Africa to the pristine lawns of Asheville, Outbreak will have you guessing and piecing things together alongside Theo and his team, always with the ticking a clock in the back of your mind! A great read.
April 11, 2022
ขาดรายละเอียดที่ควรจะมี ใช่-ที่ว่ามันเขียนได้รวบรัด แต่หลายส่วนก็สั้นเกินไปเพราะขาดรายละเอียด ยังมีเรื่องความไม่สมเหตุผลทางวิทยาศาสตร์สองสามเรื่องที่เป็นประเด็นหลักของเรื่องด้วย
April 16, 2019
Bunn is a master at telling stories of international intrigue, and this book features the plausible outbreak of a virus beyond the imaginable. The ending is at once complete and incomplete. Perhaps this begins a set or a series that will take the story to a better resolution.
May 21, 2019
Deb’s Dozen: Dead Fishermen Off the Coast of Africa–An Epidemic in the Making?
One of my all-time favorite authors remains Davis Bunn/Thomas Locke. Whether writing biblical or contemporary fiction, fantasy or speculative, Bunn always entertains and intrigues. Outbreak is no different. The potential for a world-wide epidemic with no known cure would seem to be of a speculative nature, but Bunn writes this one under his own name. No matter which name he writes under, he never disappoints.
Something occurs off the coast of West Africa that causes the death of fisherman and many tribespeople. Whole villages are destroyed. The country’s military subsequently burns them. But under whose orders? Theo Bishop and Avery Madison saw the devastation with their own eyes. But by what cause?
Theo Bishop’s brother owns a drug company suspected by many of triggering the devastation. Theo and Avery race against time to both stop the spread of the epidemic. They need information as well as to clear Kenny. But who can they trust? Kenny’s wife? Preston Borders, his attorney? Della, the news reporter somehow involved in the case?
Racing against time to discover the cause of the epidemic, the trio uncovers a conspiracy of big business. The company is set to reap the profits from the disease-inducing agent. Will they succeed? Bunn spins a web of intrigue and romance as his characters seek to solve the mystery.
Seldom do I comment on the layout of the book itself, but the interior designer of this book deserves kudos. What a clever stratagem in design to keep the tension about the epidemic building! Great job!
Davis Bunn writes bestsellers–numerous bestsellers. Over seven million of his books are in print worldwide. Awarded four individual Christy Awards for excellence in fiction, the Christys also granted him a lifetime achievement award. He is Writer-in-Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University. He and Isabella, his wife, split their residency between England and the Florida coast.
Bethany House Publishing gave me a copy of Outbreak, but I was in no way obligated to write a review.
One of my all-time favorite authors remains Davis Bunn/Thomas Locke. Whether writing biblical or contemporary fiction, fantasy or speculative, Bunn always entertains and intrigues. Outbreak is no different. The potential for a world-wide epidemic with no known cure would seem to be of a speculative nature, but Bunn writes this one under his own name. No matter which name he writes under, he never disappoints.
Something occurs off the coast of West Africa that causes the death of fisherman and many tribespeople. Whole villages are destroyed. The country’s military subsequently burns them. But under whose orders? Theo Bishop and Avery Madison saw the devastation with their own eyes. But by what cause?
Theo Bishop’s brother owns a drug company suspected by many of triggering the devastation. Theo and Avery race against time to both stop the spread of the epidemic. They need information as well as to clear Kenny. But who can they trust? Kenny’s wife? Preston Borders, his attorney? Della, the news reporter somehow involved in the case?
Racing against time to discover the cause of the epidemic, the trio uncovers a conspiracy of big business. The company is set to reap the profits from the disease-inducing agent. Will they succeed? Bunn spins a web of intrigue and romance as his characters seek to solve the mystery.
Seldom do I comment on the layout of the book itself, but the interior designer of this book deserves kudos. What a clever stratagem in design to keep the tension about the epidemic building! Great job!
Davis Bunn writes bestsellers–numerous bestsellers. Over seven million of his books are in print worldwide. Awarded four individual Christy Awards for excellence in fiction, the Christys also granted him a lifetime achievement award. He is Writer-in-Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University. He and Isabella, his wife, split their residency between England and the Florida coast.
Bethany House Publishing gave me a copy of Outbreak, but I was in no way obligated to write a review.
September 1, 2024
This book tops the list of the worst books I've read in the last 10 years. Granted, I'm not at all the target audience --- but there's So. Much. More. Read on...
I used to devour Christian fiction books --- two or three to a weekend, two or three during the week. The past six or seven years, though, I've really struggled as they've seemed more and more shallow and juvenile. This book is the second of five that I've chosen to read through over the next couple weeks in an attempt to see if Christian fiction has improved since I decided to give up on it. It 100% goes above and beyond all the reasons I stopped reading the genre. When I'm through with this mind-numbing experiment, I'll report the results on my YouTube channel, Belle's Library.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I think it's just put there because it's somewhat "clean" and the author has been writing for this genre for a long time. There's nothing at all specifically Biblical about this story except a few little one or two sentence hints that finding God made Theo's brother nice now. Do we ever see this transformation? We only have the brother’s biased word to go on… but still it's definitely not an evangelical story. The only time faith is discussed at any depth is with the wife who repeatedly blames herself for bringing her husband to Christ. If he wouldn’t have become a Christian, he wouldn’t be putting his life at risk in order to right previous wrongs and live with integrity. WHAT??!!! This seems to be a case of Jesus-lite, making sure we don't offend a reader and come across as too churchy for the lukewarm.
Yet, "clean" is relative and it was disappointing to see yet another "Christian" male author show his grossness and lack of integrity by both separating out the pretty girls from the "square-faced and large ones", as well as by being overly-0bsessed with the color of everyone's skin. “Her skin was the shade of sourwood honey”. What the heck is that? Not only is that a stupid description, this gives me no mental picture, buddy. When I look up sourwood honey, I see translucent orange --- that's kind of creepy for a skin tone. The sexy sleuthy sidekick gets to have “slightly parted lips” and a “smoky gaze”. (She doesn’t just look at stuff, she gazes. She’s gazed three times in two pages.) This is surely due to the fact that she’s got not an “ounce of spare flesh on her lovely frame”. I wonder why the girl-that’s-a-friend back in chapter two or Gloria of chapter 22 don’t get all these fascinating descriptive words. Oh yeah, because they’re at least 10 years older than the guy…
Nothing in this book feels fleshed out.. it’s almost like someone said, “Quick! We need a pandemic story that promotes vaccines and “truth from leadership” before March 2020!” Check out this fun bit of dialogue:
“The one part of the process over which Kenneth has no control is human trials,” Avery went on. “The process is incredibly complex. And expensive. Bringing a new drug to market costs on average over a quarter of a billion dollars. More than half of this cost comes in the human-trial phase.”
“It’s stupid,” Claudia said, “the bureaucratic nightmare they have to endure when introducing a new drug to the FDA.”
Avery said, “But there’s a group of us working in immunology who think a significant outbreak will change all that. One that’s soon to come.”
“Makes sense,” Della agreed. “If millions of people are threatened, the population won’t allow the bureaucrats to slow things down.”
“Bishop Industries was secretly preparing for this event,” Avery said.
If I would have read this as a new release in 2019, I would have no idea what any of that meant. Now it explains so much. Wonder how this author feels now that the rushed Covid vaccine has caused so much devastation? Conclusion: either this is a story that just definitely has not aged well… or it was a story on purpose.
In addition to a just plain stupid story, the writing and editing are horrendous. Within the first 30 seconds I was rolling my eyes at the sentence(s) being started with the word, "which". Just to make sure I wasn't being old fashioned, I looked it up. The modern online grammar manual says it’s not proper but is sometimes used stylistically for effect. The word was used to begin a sentence four times in the first chapter. I counted 16 times throughout the book. Who knows how many times it actually happened? That's not stylistic, that's sloppy. The book is comprised of about 9,000 choppy boring sentences and ridiculous phrases such as, “if nowhere had a naval, this would be it”; and “_____ shivered at the warm-cold taste of her lips.” Warm and cold are opposites and neither have a taste. Plus, ew.
But most of all, this author needs to know that “spider sense” is not a thing unless you are Spiderman. No one in this book is exhibiting Spiderman-like qualities. It’s definitely not a thing to be mentioned SIX times in a novel. Are we sure this isn’t actually Dan Brown masquerading as a hormonal teenager?
This story gets one star for two reasons: 1-- because Goodreads doesn't allow me to give a half star and 2-- because the half star would have been given because I think the chapter page illustrations are cool. They start out with tiny germs on the page and as each chapter goes on, more and more germs are spreading across the page. Too bad the creative page designer guy didn't get to write this story.
I used to devour Christian fiction books --- two or three to a weekend, two or three during the week. The past six or seven years, though, I've really struggled as they've seemed more and more shallow and juvenile. This book is the second of five that I've chosen to read through over the next couple weeks in an attempt to see if Christian fiction has improved since I decided to give up on it. It 100% goes above and beyond all the reasons I stopped reading the genre. When I'm through with this mind-numbing experiment, I'll report the results on my YouTube channel, Belle's Library.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I think it's just put there because it's somewhat "clean" and the author has been writing for this genre for a long time. There's nothing at all specifically Biblical about this story except a few little one or two sentence hints that finding God made Theo's brother nice now. Do we ever see this transformation? We only have the brother’s biased word to go on… but still it's definitely not an evangelical story. The only time faith is discussed at any depth is with the wife who repeatedly blames herself for bringing her husband to Christ. If he wouldn’t have become a Christian, he wouldn’t be putting his life at risk in order to right previous wrongs and live with integrity. WHAT??!!! This seems to be a case of Jesus-lite, making sure we don't offend a reader and come across as too churchy for the lukewarm.
Yet, "clean" is relative and it was disappointing to see yet another "Christian" male author show his grossness and lack of integrity by both separating out the pretty girls from the "square-faced and large ones", as well as by being overly-0bsessed with the color of everyone's skin. “Her skin was the shade of sourwood honey”. What the heck is that? Not only is that a stupid description, this gives me no mental picture, buddy. When I look up sourwood honey, I see translucent orange --- that's kind of creepy for a skin tone. The sexy sleuthy sidekick gets to have “slightly parted lips” and a “smoky gaze”. (She doesn’t just look at stuff, she gazes. She’s gazed three times in two pages.) This is surely due to the fact that she’s got not an “ounce of spare flesh on her lovely frame”. I wonder why the girl-that’s-a-friend back in chapter two or Gloria of chapter 22 don’t get all these fascinating descriptive words. Oh yeah, because they’re at least 10 years older than the guy…
Nothing in this book feels fleshed out.. it’s almost like someone said, “Quick! We need a pandemic story that promotes vaccines and “truth from leadership” before March 2020!” Check out this fun bit of dialogue:
“The one part of the process over which Kenneth has no control is human trials,” Avery went on. “The process is incredibly complex. And expensive. Bringing a new drug to market costs on average over a quarter of a billion dollars. More than half of this cost comes in the human-trial phase.”
“It’s stupid,” Claudia said, “the bureaucratic nightmare they have to endure when introducing a new drug to the FDA.”
Avery said, “But there’s a group of us working in immunology who think a significant outbreak will change all that. One that’s soon to come.”
“Makes sense,” Della agreed. “If millions of people are threatened, the population won’t allow the bureaucrats to slow things down.”
“Bishop Industries was secretly preparing for this event,” Avery said.
If I would have read this as a new release in 2019, I would have no idea what any of that meant. Now it explains so much. Wonder how this author feels now that the rushed Covid vaccine has caused so much devastation? Conclusion: either this is a story that just definitely has not aged well… or it was a story on purpose.
In addition to a just plain stupid story, the writing and editing are horrendous. Within the first 30 seconds I was rolling my eyes at the sentence(s) being started with the word, "which". Just to make sure I wasn't being old fashioned, I looked it up. The modern online grammar manual says it’s not proper but is sometimes used stylistically for effect. The word was used to begin a sentence four times in the first chapter. I counted 16 times throughout the book. Who knows how many times it actually happened? That's not stylistic, that's sloppy. The book is comprised of about 9,000 choppy boring sentences and ridiculous phrases such as, “if nowhere had a naval, this would be it”; and “_____ shivered at the warm-cold taste of her lips.” Warm and cold are opposites and neither have a taste. Plus, ew.
But most of all, this author needs to know that “spider sense” is not a thing unless you are Spiderman. No one in this book is exhibiting Spiderman-like qualities. It’s definitely not a thing to be mentioned SIX times in a novel. Are we sure this isn’t actually Dan Brown masquerading as a hormonal teenager?
This story gets one star for two reasons: 1-- because Goodreads doesn't allow me to give a half star and 2-- because the half star would have been given because I think the chapter page illustrations are cool. They start out with tiny germs on the page and as each chapter goes on, more and more germs are spreading across the page. Too bad the creative page designer guy didn't get to write this story.
May 26, 2021
Yet another brilliant man with rugged good looks getting drawing into a multinational conspiracy and single-handed manage a team of incompetent experts and ends up with the person whose main character trait is being an attractive woman.
I have a soft spot for any race against the clock pandemic style book, but this was so nonsensical, disjointed, and filled with lines like 'his honesty touched her deeply' over and over that I need a break from this entire genre.
Read something by Daniel Kalla instead. Still cliched, but at least he's an MD so his pandemics make sense.
I have a soft spot for any race against the clock pandemic style book, but this was so nonsensical, disjointed, and filled with lines like 'his honesty touched her deeply' over and over that I need a break from this entire genre.
Read something by Daniel Kalla instead. Still cliched, but at least he's an MD so his pandemics make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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