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Plague Walker #2
The Reaper's Scythe
A bioterrorist's weapon devastates a South American tourist hub.
It's a pathogenic cruise missile designed for stealth and speed.
And the entire human race is in its crosshairs!
After surviving a Paleozoic nightmare bacteria and a quarter-megaton nuclear blast, Nick Navarro figures that life can't throw anything worse at him.
He couldn't be more wrong.
An unknown biological weapon wreaks havoc upon the country of Suriname, leaving one of his best friends among the ranks of the infected. The only hope for him and the others sickened lies in the hands of epidemiologist Leigh Austen.
Leigh rushes to identify the pathogen amidst the madness of a city thrown into chaos. She'll be aided by a team of private mercenaries and a disgraced Capo of the local drug cartel. Together, they must untangle the web of lies keeping a terrible truth from seeing the light of day.
And what Austen finds in the deepest, darkest valleys of the country's rain forests will haunt her dreams.
That is, if she's able to make it out alive.
Author's Note: The Reaper's Scythe is a self-contained work and does not end on a cliffhanger. It contains a limited amount of strong language, gore, and some graphic violence. Ratings-wise, it would either be a hard PG-13 or soft R. Please decide to purchase accordingly.
Included with this story are previews and a special offer for the next story in this series, The Plague Walker: A Leigh Austen Short Medical Thriller.
Reviews of The Plague Walker Pandemic Medical Thrillers:
"Angel manages the nearly impossible...creating memorable characters in the midst of an intriguing mystery, action, humor and heart."
-- JC Andrijeski, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Quentin Black mystery series
"Fast-paced action and sly wit make Angel's writing irresistible fun."
-- Rebecca Moesta, NYT Bestselling co-author of Young Jedi Knights
Interview with the Author:
Q - What makes a Plague Walker Pandemic Medical Thriller special?
A - I've enjoyed thought-provoking medical or science-based fiction ever since I was old enough to read Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain and Robin Cook's Coma. I'm also a big fan of the modern-day thriller writers like Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle, and Tess Gerritsen.
So I've been writing these new medical thrillers as a unique mix of the two kinds of books. Epidemiologist Leigh Austen encounters similarly apocalyptic threats...and she does in a world rife with international skullduggery and conspiracy!
Q - Why should readers give these books a try?
A - Because you'll get to meet a bunch of memorable characters - scientists, soldiers, doctors, even a shadowy Nostradamus-like figure - in the midst of intriguing medical thrillers filled with action, humor and heart. (Yes, I paraphrased one of my reviewers, but I can't put it any better.)
Q - Tell us more about epidemiologist Leigh Austen - what makes her tick?
A - Leigh's the kind of person who'll move mountains to help someone. She also carries hidden scars from the time her medical team was wiped out by a killer virus in The Plague Walker.
It's a pathogenic cruise missile designed for stealth and speed.
And the entire human race is in its crosshairs!
After surviving a Paleozoic nightmare bacteria and a quarter-megaton nuclear blast, Nick Navarro figures that life can't throw anything worse at him.
He couldn't be more wrong.
An unknown biological weapon wreaks havoc upon the country of Suriname, leaving one of his best friends among the ranks of the infected. The only hope for him and the others sickened lies in the hands of epidemiologist Leigh Austen.
Leigh rushes to identify the pathogen amidst the madness of a city thrown into chaos. She'll be aided by a team of private mercenaries and a disgraced Capo of the local drug cartel. Together, they must untangle the web of lies keeping a terrible truth from seeing the light of day.
And what Austen finds in the deepest, darkest valleys of the country's rain forests will haunt her dreams.
That is, if she's able to make it out alive.
Author's Note: The Reaper's Scythe is a self-contained work and does not end on a cliffhanger. It contains a limited amount of strong language, gore, and some graphic violence. Ratings-wise, it would either be a hard PG-13 or soft R. Please decide to purchase accordingly.
Included with this story are previews and a special offer for the next story in this series, The Plague Walker: A Leigh Austen Short Medical Thriller.
Reviews of The Plague Walker Pandemic Medical Thrillers:
"Angel manages the nearly impossible...creating memorable characters in the midst of an intriguing mystery, action, humor and heart."
-- JC Andrijeski, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Quentin Black mystery series
"Fast-paced action and sly wit make Angel's writing irresistible fun."
-- Rebecca Moesta, NYT Bestselling co-author of Young Jedi Knights
Interview with the Author:
Q - What makes a Plague Walker Pandemic Medical Thriller special?
A - I've enjoyed thought-provoking medical or science-based fiction ever since I was old enough to read Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain and Robin Cook's Coma. I'm also a big fan of the modern-day thriller writers like Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle, and Tess Gerritsen.
So I've been writing these new medical thrillers as a unique mix of the two kinds of books. Epidemiologist Leigh Austen encounters similarly apocalyptic threats...and she does in a world rife with international skullduggery and conspiracy!
Q - Why should readers give these books a try?
A - Because you'll get to meet a bunch of memorable characters - scientists, soldiers, doctors, even a shadowy Nostradamus-like figure - in the midst of intriguing medical thrillers filled with action, humor and heart. (Yes, I paraphrased one of my reviewers, but I can't put it any better.)
Q - Tell us more about epidemiologist Leigh Austen - what makes her tick?
A - Leigh's the kind of person who'll move mountains to help someone. She also carries hidden scars from the time her medical team was wiped out by a killer virus in The Plague Walker.
- GenresMedical
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2019
About the author
Michael Angel
120 books52 followersMichael Angel's fictional worlds range from the former Soviet province of Ozrabek to the magic-filled realm of Andeluvia.
His eBooks, audio books, and paperbacks populate shelves in 12 different languages. However, despite keeping a keen eye out for globe-trotting epidemiologists, unicorns, or galactic marshals, none have yet put in an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard.
THE PLAGUE WALKER PANDEMIC MEDICAL THRILLERS~
The Devil's Noose
The Reaper's Scythe
The Blood Zone
The Wildfire Pathogen
The Plague Walker (A Leigh Austen Short Thriller)
FANTASY & FORENSICS ~
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince's Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls
Forgery of the Phoenix
Assault in the Wizard Degree
Trafficking in Demons
A Warrant of Wyverns
The Conspiracy of Unicorns
Dragon with a Deadly Weapon
Forensics and Dragon Fire (Fantasy & Forensics Novella)
APOCALYPSE WITH A SIDE OF GRILLED SPAM ~
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Season One Compilation
STANDALONE SF/F NOVELS~
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
I Married the Third Horseman
THE AMANDA LOVE UNIVERSE ~
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
Fringe Space Tales (Amanda Love Compilation)
COLLECTIONS & SHORTS~
Never Mind the Princess, Save the *Dragon*
Treasure of the Silver Star
Sylph
Gatekeeper and Goddess
So a Dragon, a Muse, and an Alien Walk Into a Bar...
Predators and Prey
Deepest Fears
Three Acts of Courage
Strange Powers, Stranger Places
Crisis Points
Love's Origins
Cyber Son
Cantaloupes and Wild Shoshone
Vala Staffwielder
Little Girl Lost
Love's Labors and Lies
The Haute Couture Time Traveler
Blood, Sweat, and Fears (an 18-story compendium)
Michael Angel's welcome mat is out at MichaelAngelWriter.weebly.com. Or, feel free to stop by and say 'hello' to the kind folks who publish his material at BantyHenPublishing.com.
His eBooks, audio books, and paperbacks populate shelves in 12 different languages. However, despite keeping a keen eye out for globe-trotting epidemiologists, unicorns, or galactic marshals, none have yet put in an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard.
THE PLAGUE WALKER PANDEMIC MEDICAL THRILLERS~
The Devil's Noose
The Reaper's Scythe
The Blood Zone
The Wildfire Pathogen
The Plague Walker (A Leigh Austen Short Thriller)
FANTASY & FORENSICS ~
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince's Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls
Forgery of the Phoenix
Assault in the Wizard Degree
Trafficking in Demons
A Warrant of Wyverns
The Conspiracy of Unicorns
Dragon with a Deadly Weapon
Forensics and Dragon Fire (Fantasy & Forensics Novella)
APOCALYPSE WITH A SIDE OF GRILLED SPAM ~
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Season One Compilation
STANDALONE SF/F NOVELS~
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
I Married the Third Horseman
THE AMANDA LOVE UNIVERSE ~
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
Fringe Space Tales (Amanda Love Compilation)
COLLECTIONS & SHORTS~
Never Mind the Princess, Save the *Dragon*
Treasure of the Silver Star
Sylph
Gatekeeper and Goddess
So a Dragon, a Muse, and an Alien Walk Into a Bar...
Predators and Prey
Deepest Fears
Three Acts of Courage
Strange Powers, Stranger Places
Crisis Points
Love's Origins
Cyber Son
Cantaloupes and Wild Shoshone
Vala Staffwielder
Little Girl Lost
Love's Labors and Lies
The Haute Couture Time Traveler
Blood, Sweat, and Fears (an 18-story compendium)
Michael Angel's welcome mat is out at MichaelAngelWriter.weebly.com. Or, feel free to stop by and say 'hello' to the kind folks who publish his material at BantyHenPublishing.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 24, 2025
The Reaper’s Scythe is the second book in the Plague Walker series about Leigh Austen, an American epidemiologist battling mysterious outbreaks and bioterror attacks in far flung places. I had read the first one, The Devil’s Noose, a few years ago, and was pleased to discover the sequel on Kindle Unlimited. There’s also a prequel novella, but so far each story has worked fine as a standalone. I enjoyed the mix of action, medical thriller and homeopathic dose of romance.
Security consultant Nick Navarro is working in the small South American country Suriname, when a field mission goes wrong and some of his colleagues are deliberately infected with an unknown but highly virulent pathogen by a team of sinister assailants. Immediately recognising the risk that the terrifying infection could spread, he asks his friend Leigh to come help contain it. Only her expertise can save Nick’s friend - but what other horrors are waiting to be unleashed?
This was an enjoyable and well written if medically implausible thriller with a likeable pair of protagonists, good support characters and some intriguingly evil baddies. As in the previous one, the suspense is layered - what is the mystery illness, who is wielding it and why, and can our brave heroes save the day (and the world?)
Security consultant Nick Navarro is working in the small South American country Suriname, when a field mission goes wrong and some of his colleagues are deliberately infected with an unknown but highly virulent pathogen by a team of sinister assailants. Immediately recognising the risk that the terrifying infection could spread, he asks his friend Leigh to come help contain it. Only her expertise can save Nick’s friend - but what other horrors are waiting to be unleashed?
This was an enjoyable and well written if medically implausible thriller with a likeable pair of protagonists, good support characters and some intriguingly evil baddies. As in the previous one, the suspense is layered - what is the mystery illness, who is wielding it and why, and can our brave heroes save the day (and the world?)
January 16, 2020
"Beware the beat of the jungle’s dark heart."
Epidemiologist Leigh Austen and security specialist Nick Navarro are back in this second book of the Leigh Austen series.
Navarro is in Hoogeveen City in the Republic of Suriname, South America on special assignment when a Red Cross helicopter is shot down and then purposely contaminated with an unknown pathogen. Some of Navarro's men quickly get sick and Navarro reaches out to Leigh Austen for help.
Again Austen is on the trail of a deadly bioweapon and soon Navarro's men start to die.
This story takes the reader to a Governor's palace, a slum ruled by cartels, a confiscated cruise ship, and deep into a deadly jungle.
Austen and Navarro work quickly to find answers before this outbreak is out of control.
I enjoyed this medical thriller and am off to read the third book in the series THE BLOOD ZONE.
Epidemiologist Leigh Austen and security specialist Nick Navarro are back in this second book of the Leigh Austen series.
Navarro is in Hoogeveen City in the Republic of Suriname, South America on special assignment when a Red Cross helicopter is shot down and then purposely contaminated with an unknown pathogen. Some of Navarro's men quickly get sick and Navarro reaches out to Leigh Austen for help.
Again Austen is on the trail of a deadly bioweapon and soon Navarro's men start to die.
This story takes the reader to a Governor's palace, a slum ruled by cartels, a confiscated cruise ship, and deep into a deadly jungle.
Austen and Navarro work quickly to find answers before this outbreak is out of control.
I enjoyed this medical thriller and am off to read the third book in the series THE BLOOD ZONE.
September 3, 2019
WOW!
This novel is a fast paced story that will stay with the reader even when the story is over. Unfortunately in today's modern society, stories like this a recall to true. Join Leigh, Nicholas, October, and Redhawk on an adventure that will take the reader to exotic locales with danger around the corner. These novels in this series are standalones but to full understand, reading the novels in order is preferable. Looking forward to reading 📚 more novels in the future.
This novel is a fast paced story that will stay with the reader even when the story is over. Unfortunately in today's modern society, stories like this a recall to true. Join Leigh, Nicholas, October, and Redhawk on an adventure that will take the reader to exotic locales with danger around the corner. These novels in this series are standalones but to full understand, reading the novels in order is preferable. Looking forward to reading 📚 more novels in the future.
August 9, 2021
Whew - tough to put down!
In reviewing the first book in Michael Angel's "plague Walker" series, have it only four stars since I was unsure he could continue to come up with improbable premises after improbable premise. Book two (as well as the prequel novella) has shown me the error of my thinking.
I'm reminded of the British television series "Strike Back," frankly, when it comes to the relationship between his heroine, Leigh Austen, and her security minder, Nicholas Navarro. A clear affection for one another, but a distance maintained by intellect. other characters from the first book populate the landscape to one degree or another, as you expect.
In reviewing the first book in Michael Angel's "plague Walker" series, have it only four stars since I was unsure he could continue to come up with improbable premises after improbable premise. Book two (as well as the prequel novella) has shown me the error of my thinking.
I'm reminded of the British television series "Strike Back," frankly, when it comes to the relationship between his heroine, Leigh Austen, and her security minder, Nicholas Navarro. A clear affection for one another, but a distance maintained by intellect. other characters from the first book populate the landscape to one degree or another, as you expect.
March 4, 2024
You'll read it in a single sitting
The Reaper's Scythe is another genre blending hybrid combining medical mystery, mercenary mayhem and science fiction. Its fast paced, engaging, has likable characters and is satisfying in every was. The epilogue contains an unexpected twist which sets up the next book(s) in the series. I'm looking forward to more of Angel's works if they're as good as The Devil's Noose and The Reaper's Scythe 4/5 stars
The Reaper's Scythe is another genre blending hybrid combining medical mystery, mercenary mayhem and science fiction. Its fast paced, engaging, has likable characters and is satisfying in every was. The epilogue contains an unexpected twist which sets up the next book(s) in the series. I'm looking forward to more of Angel's works if they're as good as The Devil's Noose and The Reaper's Scythe 4/5 stars
January 6, 2022
Michael Angel has hit a home run again with this intense medical thriller. It has great, relatable characters,a sense of mystery (DiCaprio) and lots of twisting action. The world around those characters is described so well I can still see it in my mind. I throughly enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Read via Kindle Unlimited
Read via Kindle Unlimited
December 25, 2020
Fast paced roller coaster ride
Thanks for the afterword re what is fact vs fiction. Loved the uniqueness of the plague. Kept many strings loose to pick up which will be fun to read in #3. Thanks for the lack of sleep 🐭 and sci-fi thriller.
Thanks for the afterword re what is fact vs fiction. Loved the uniqueness of the plague. Kept many strings loose to pick up which will be fun to read in #3. Thanks for the lack of sleep 🐭 and sci-fi thriller.
April 3, 2023
Was good until the end. Even James Bond in his prime would have been able to pull this off. Stopped reading and deleted the book.
September 11, 2019
Yawn...
Started with great promise then fell flat. This was Not what I was expecting at all. For me this book was confusing and had several disconnected elements.
Some may like it.......but I didn't.
Started with great promise then fell flat. This was Not what I was expecting at all. For me this book was confusing and had several disconnected elements.
Some may like it.......but I didn't.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews