The Gabon Virus

TSI: Time Scene Investigators #1

by Paul McCusker

In the face of a new plague that threatens the world, our forensic heroes investigate the past to save the future— studying evidence from when the Black plague decimated a small english village eyam, pronounced eem, during the seventeenth-century.

After the greedy founders of a scientific research laboratory intentionally infect subjects with a deadly plague in order to develop a lucrative vaccine, the plague spreads beyond the lab’s control. A top-secret government team of scientists covertly begins to research a solution. They turn their attention to the seventeenth-century—the only other time when a widespread plague ravaged the world—for clues on how to prevent this disaster from happening again. In particular, the scientists are interested in how eighty people from the village of Eyam were able to remain virtually untouched by the plague at the height of the Black Death’s deadly reign over Europe. But trouble is afoot in Eyam—grave robberies, grisly murders, and the bizarre reappearance of the Blue Monk—a legendary, spectral figure from the time of the plague. Can he be real? And who’s trying to stop the team from discovering the truth about Eyam? Distinguished authors Paul McCusker and Walt Larimore, M.D. have collaborated to deliver this sweeping, fast-paced novel that spans the globe and transcends time. Sure to leave readers wanting more, The Eyam Factor is a riveting introduction to the authors’ new Time Scene Investigators series.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Christian Fiction, Adult, Christian

448 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2009

About the author

Paul McCusker is a writer of many different kinds of things. You may know him from Adventures In Odyssey and Focus On The Family Radio Theatre. Or the Father Gilbert Mysteries. Or the Augustine Institute audio dramas Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi and The Trials of Saint Patrick. Or plays like The First Church of Pete's Garage and Catacombs. Or C.S. Lewis projects like The Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas or The Annotated Screwtape Letters. Or the film Beyond The Mask. Or lots of other dramas, novels, scripts and lyrics. He simply can't make up his mind what he likes to write.

Reviews

[Ross Cavins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't badly written but it gets a little Christian preachy for my taste. I guess I should have read the imprint of who published it before I bought it ...

Just inside the front cover there's this:

Our purpose at Howard Books is to:
1) Increase faith in the hearts of growing Christians
2) Inspire holiness in the lives of believers
3) Instill hope in the hearts of struggling people everywhere
Because He's coming again!


Uh, hmmm ... okay. That's fine and dandy but if you're going to preach to me, have the common courtesy to explain that on the cover somewhere. That way I can choose how to spend my time. I thought I was getting a story similar to "Outbreak."

I made it about halfway through the book before a particular sermon by a character about "being saved" completely turned me off.

So, this book goes is my could-not-finish pile.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, clean thriller about the race to stop the spread of a virus before it becomes a worldwide pandemic. A little suspension of disbelief is required here and there, and I wasn't crazy about the theology or the bit of supernatural the authors worked in.

[Sarah Polderdijk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het verhaal was heel cool, alleen in het begin was het wel moeilijk te begrijpen. Het zijn twee verhaallijn die parallel aan elkaar lopen: eentje in het heden en eentje in het verleden. Dat vind ik heel leuk, alleen de verhaallijn van het heden is wel vanuit erg veel perspectieven beschreven. Tot het einde toe bleef ik me soms afvragen wie ook alweer wie was. Dat was jammer, maar het verhaal opzich was leuk

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

(The series is titled "Time Scene Investigators", which led me to believe there would be time travel. Be ye not deceived -- there is no time travel.)

Exciting medical thriller. Reminded me of a Catholic Michael Crichton.

[Jolieg G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een goed verhaal... en niet "afgeraffeld" aan het einde.
Het verhaal speelt zich af in de jaren 1600 en 2010.


"De weergave van het pittoreske dorpje Eyam in Engeland en van de epidemie die daar in 1665 en 1666 plaatsgevonden heeft, is historisch correct. William Mompesson en Thomas Stanley, de twee geestelijken die besloten het dorp in quarantaine te houden om het risico dat de ziekte zich over de regio zou verspreiden, te vermijden, zijn historische personen, evenals Agnes Hull, George Viccars en Catherine Mompesson."

Ga ook zeker het tweede deel uit deze serie lezen.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A special team - TSI (Time Scene Investigators)are called in to help stop a possible global pandemic of a particularly virulent form of Ebola which has escaped from a top secret lab in Greenland.

Keys to the current virus and how to stop it may be found in the medieval history of a town called Eyams that survived plague in the Middle Ages.

In addition, there are agents of a pharmaceutical company (who wants to make profits from a cure) and of a radical environmental group (who want to exterminate humans from the planet) that are all interfering the teams efforts.

Some very interesting characters and betrayals in the story. As well as intriguing views of the past and its plague and Blue Monk.

The only problem I really had is seeing the connections between the two in a believable way. Never really understood how the current virus and the one from the past could be the same.

Most of my pleasure from the story was from the chase of a young teen who escaped from a commune and carried the virus across Gabon infecting others. that struggle kept me turning the pages.

I enjoyed learning of medical advances in treatment and genetic markers connected to Ebola and liked the amount of fact woven into the fiction. But I did have to suspend my belief at the sheer virulence of the disease.

All in all, am interested to see what other TSI adventures there may be.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and compelling are two words I'd use to describe this book. Moving back and forth between 1666 England and the modern day, we see comparisons between the plague epidemic and how the threat of viruses like Ebola today, can wipe out a community in hours, if not minutes. The addition of the Blue Monk and his story of how he helped those plague victims was fascinating, especially with the modern science to explain the explain the 17th century myth.

While I found it hard at times to keep track of who everyone was and what team they happened to be on, the story is fast-paced, with enough suspense to keep you wondering if the TSI team will really stop the pandemic. The authors capture the race against time to find Aaron, the frightened young boy who is spreading disease wherever he goes, and that keeps the pages turning.

This is not my usual genre of choice. I originally accepted this book for review thinking my doctor husband would review it for me. I'm sure he'll still read it, but I was curious and picked it up first, and I'm glad I did. An interesting and enthralling read. I look forward to more books about the Time Scene Investigators.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on the "to read pile" for a long time and thought - why not now. Lets read about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic and see if it can distract me, entertain me or scare me.

I gave the book 4 stars - but that's because they don't do half stars - if they did this would have been a 3 1/2 star story.

The premise of the book was fascinating - governmental beaurocrats and scientists working together to investigate pandemics of the past to help find the answers needed to solve pandemics in the here and now. I like history; I like science and I really enjoy a good mystery too. This book was an "ok" in those 3 areas. Though I wasn't too impressed with the "churchiness" (is that even a word) - nor the mushy "lovieness" (is that a word?) of the book. But overall interesting premise.

The book was going along at a nice pace - with a number of twists and turns but when it got towards the last 2 chapters it kind of fell apart and everything seemed pushed together with a happy ending just to get it over with. It would have been far more interesting to me if they had explored/explained more of the science behind the virus/cure.

And interestingly enough the other part that annoyed me was that even though this was book 1 of a series - it hinted in the storyline that there was a book/interaction between the characters prior to this book - so the storyline and connections between the good guys, the bad guys and the "im not sure what you call them guys" was a little convoluted. Then again maybe I was reading too much into it.

Anyhow - if you are bored on an airplane you might enjoy it. I do not intend to knowingly read any of the follow up books in the series though - because it just wasn't enthralling.

[Leigh Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this fiction book on the Ebola virus, in 1666 and then another outbreak in current time. (fiction) It becomes a crime suspense with characters all over the world and flipping between 1666 and the present. It is a quick read that keeps the pages turning. Even though I read it during Covid-19 outbreak, it is SO different and so fictional, that it did not freak me out at all. I loved it!!

[Jessie Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love picking random books at Goodwill and this one looked interesting and out of my typical realm. I saw the poor reviews on this app and ignored them for the first time ever.
I could not stop reading this book!!!
It was completely captivating and nearly every chapter left you hanging.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Karen Hensley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way to many extraordinary things happening for me to keep suspending my disbelief. Bit preachy also.

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the back cover: In 1666, a horrible disease took the lives of almost every person in Eyam, England. Helping the sick and the dying was the mysterious and ghostlike Blue Monk, whose strange appearance terrified even those who were comforted by him. More than three centuries later the disease has returned, more virulent than before. Every day more people are infected; every hour more die. The lives of millions rest in the hands of a bio-team--the Time Scene Investigators--that studies history to find cures for modern diseases. But the newest member of the team, Dr. Mark Carlson, has suffered a heartbreaking loss. With every tick of the clock the world approaches a global pandemic. A race against time becomes a race across continents--to find a frightened boy who is carrying and spreading the disease wherever he goes, to thwart the machinations of corporate greed and fanatical sabotage, and to find the connection between a great tragedy of the past and a potential catastrophe of the present. Our present. This is a pretty good read. It reads very fast at times, however it does tend to bog down occasionally, usually while explaining some medical terminology during the course of a conversation between characters. This is ok as it is needed. I am a professional Emergency Medical Technician and have been for 17 years. While my level of training is far below the level of the characters in the book, I am still very familiar with most medical jargon as I work in an ALS (advanced life support) service. While I prefer for stories to continue on at a fairly rapid pace, I appreciated the attention given to explaining the genetic procedures referenced in the book. This made it much easier to follow the story line. All in all a very good book. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who like's thrillers, suspense stories or medical dramas, or in the case of this particular story, all three.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gabon Virus is an excellent book, and well written to boot. I really enjoyed its scientific details and the way they wrapped the Black Plague into the story, along with the present disease. Mysterious, thrilling, emotional, and humorous the Gabon Virus taps into all these feelings beautifully, as it draws its readers in chapter-by-chapter, page-by-page.

I like how the authors added "checkpoints" or what they called Parts throughout the book. This way the sections are divided from beginning, middle, and end, perhaps making it easier and more efficient for group readings.

The book skips through different timelines such as 1666 to the present day, making the story pretty baffling. I was constantly wondering what the young female protagonist, mentioned in the first chapter above, had to do with any of the events. Toss in a possibly time-traveling Blue Monk and you've got yourself a fine mystery that left me intrigued and curious to find out more.

Despite all its goodness, I did find some errors, mostly spelling errors and sentence errors. Certain sentences sounded strange and although they tried to evoke emotion, it left me devoid of any feelings. Perhaps, the sentences weren't meant to tap into anything. This, of course, is minor and won't take away from experiencing the book's story and characters.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in it.

Reviewed by Fawn Carter

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a small fringe religious group is found dead in an apparent mass suicide in their remote compound in Gabon the investigators discover that they had all contracted an Ebola type virus which was already killing them. Knowing this the authorities bombed the compound in an attempt to contain the virus. Unknown to them one young boy had not taken the poison and had hidden outside the compound and was now on the run carrying the virus with him and since it was airborne and extremely virulent, contaminating everyone he comes in contact with. Meanwhile various governmental medical organizations are in a desperate search to identify the virus and develop an antivirus before it becomes a world wide pandemic. Working against them is a secret organization out to destroy mankind so the earth can regenerate itself along with the life. This group will stop at nothing in its goal and would love to see the virus do its work. There is also a pharmaceutical company that would like to get hold of the virus and develop the cure to then be sold for large sums of money. The action revolves between Africa and the search for the boy, England where the investigation into a small town that shut itself off during a plague in the 1600s and may harbor traces of the plague in is graveyards. Plenty of action in this one including he appearance of a “Blue Monk” and I’ll leave it up to you to discover what that is all about.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I cannot wait for more books of the TSI (Time Scene Investigators) group, this novel was just too neat. Placed in modern day with a few chapters in the 1660's this book was a complete page turner filled with anxiety and adventure. The characters come to life and the technology is real. Never was there a dull moment in the reading of this story.

A vast array of personalities were brought together in this cast of characters. Real fears and dilemmas were carried to light and worked through. Who would ever picture a present day doctor having anything in common with a 17th century monk?

In a way parts of the big cooperation are reminiscent to me of the Resident Evil video game, yet there are no zombies in this story. At times I was curious if I were to be overcome by the sorrow in the story, but then there are so many hidden facets of hope through out that as a reader I was carried through. In the end, transformations that needed to take place have occurred and another dawn brightens reminding the reader of all the reasons that God gives us another day.

[Sara Jo Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fast paced and kept me on edge the entire time! I don't even know where to begin to describe the story, but I'll do my best....

So there is an evil corporation doing testing with a dangerous virus, and testing goes wrong. A religious commune of Americans living in West Africa committed a mass suicide to avoid dying a horrible death from being infected as a result of the experiment by the evil corporation. But one person escaped the mass suicide and tries to travel to find someone he can trust for helping, spreading the virus in his wake.

It must be stopped!

Then we find out that a similar virus is what plagued the town of Eyam, England in 1665 and 1666, so the "good guys" pay a visit to Eyam to try and find some clues.

Oh, and there's a ghost in the story, too.

It was the science fiction that I like, and the historical fiction that I loved.

If you are a fan of Michael Crichton, I would recommend this book.

[Wyndy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise: take a historical fact ~ the plague in a small town in 1600 England ~ mesh it with a unleashed virus today and see what happens. How do the two relate and what can the remains of an old Blue Monk tell a scientist of today. The story moves at a fairly good pace. The switches between the past and present, and England and Africa move smoothly without any jarring or hesitation. The detail in the scientific, medical, and military sides of the story seem to be plausible. I didn't feel like the authors didn't know what they were talking about. The religious threads were also believable which is difficult in this kind of a story with historical myths and scientific doubt combining to question any research. I read through the story in a day. Although I wouldn't say that it was gripping, it was definitely well written and mostly believable.

[Layla Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This book kept very entertained from beginning to end. The characters and storyline were fabulous. There were so many twist and turns that I never had time to become bored with the book.

The christain undertones to the story were an unexpected surprise that I really enjoyed. Many books that are focused in science totally ignore the existance of God. It is like that the authors think that the two can't possibly work together. I was so glad to see the authors use science and religion together."

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

De blauwe monnik is een spannende triller waarin de historie goed gebruikt wordt om een actueel probleem te adresseren: ebola. Ik twijfel tussen de drie en de vier sterren maar kies toch voor drie. Het boek was goed, spannend genoeg en het volgende deel heb ik toevallig ook in m'n kast staan en zal ik zeker snel lezen. Maar net geen vier sterren omdat ik het boek makkelijk weg kon leggen en zelfs even vergeten. Voor vier sterren wil ik toch graag dat het boek niet makkelijk weg te leggen is.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm being generous with three stars. Decently written, just didn't do anything for me except satisfy the need to read and move off the shelf. I have the next one (The Influnze Bomb) that I'll need to read-and-move too. Seemed to take forever to read, so that shows how interested I was.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/2009/...

[Marilea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story starts out good but gets bogged down. I didn't quite get to the end but lost interest in it by the third quarter of the book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would've never picked this book to read but did so due to my good friends in the Higher Ground book club. Great book, well written, very exciting, and a real page turner!

[Caity · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so epic! I was on the edge of my seat flying through pages the whole time!!! Can't wait to start The Influenza Bomb! :D

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hard to put down! A gripping tale of a virus that threatens the world! A very complicated with lots of twists and turns.

[Cynthia]

Awesome book!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting.