The Vaccine: A Medical Thriller

by Hassan Riaz

"An intricately plotted and fast-paced thriller from a medical expert who knows the territory." —Kirkus Reviews"A smart, humane thriller about a scientist’s efforts to stop a global pandemic...The Vaccine gets under the skin." —BooklifeFive years into a deadly menglavirus pandemic, Dr. Harrison Boyd has accomplished what no one else has been able—he has developed a vaccine for history’s most lethal virus. But a powerful US senator—Scott Spaulding—is intent on keeping the vaccine from the public for his own nefarious purposes. Harrison must race against time to eradicate the virus before Senator Spaulding eradicates him instead.Hassan Riaz is a writer and physician whose fiction has appeared in Antioch Review, Slice Magazine, and Fiction on the Web. Ripped from the headlines, The Vaccine is a modern-day medical thriller guaranteed to keep you turning pages all the way until the shocking conclusion. Find him at hassanriaz.com

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2021

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book had me feeling a little overwhelmed with information. While the story was advancing, there was also a lot of vaccine information that felt repetitive at times. nMAQ25 is like COVID on Crack. The pandemic in this book is 10x worse than what we lived through in 2020. The second half of this book had me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't wait to see what happened and who lived.

What I didn't like about this book was the format. Instead of chapters, it was divided into 4 "parts" ranging from 40 to 90 pages. I read this book much slower than I normally would read this page count because my Kindle was showing 1 to 3 hours "left in the chapter". I finally changed it to just show the page number.

I won this book from Goodreads. Thank you to both them and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than I thought it was going to be. A pandemic story, although in this book, the virus was something else. Everyone's story was inter-connected due to decisions of others. Was the vaccine a good thing or a bad thing? The true test of a person's character/identity was called in to question throughout this book.

It may not be the best writing BUT the story was so good and juicy; and probable. This was certainly relatable after what the world went through during the COVID-19 pandemic and everyone had an opinion.

Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hassan Riaz and Hill Taper books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

[Sandy Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The High Cost of a Cure

A solid medical thriller with political implications. It starts slow but accelerates to a nail-biting finish. An interesting look into the medical and political obstacles to vaccine development in a time of pandemic.

[marge hanselman]

A timely and good read.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my friend Joanne. It was a quick compelling read. I’d give it a 3.5 star rating.

[Nydia Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

Nice read but the ending could have been better. Interesting book and will keep you reading until the last word.

[Ashley Casteel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t really get into it much and then it was a bit triggering to me at times. Read about half. Good writing and plot lines, just not the one for me.

[Lavender]

Placeholder.

I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangely similar to the geopolitical and ethical implications of vaccinations given to all vs allies in the Trump Administration.
Chilling similarities, page turning. Loved the reality of the book's ending as it was rooted in fact.
Enjoyed watching the scientists (good ones) adhere to research protocol, unlike The One Without a Mask.