The Catalyst

by Boyd Morrison

Kevin Hamilton has a big someone is trying to kill him, and he has no idea why.

Kevin, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, is stunned by the news that his graduate advisor, Michael Ward, has died in a fire. Then Kevin receives a cryptic email message from Ward, sent just before his death. According to the message, Ward was being chased by someone intent on obtaining a notebook with the results of a supposedly failed experiment Kevin and Ward had worked on together.

Before Kevin can make sense of the message, Ward’s attackers try to kill him. Labeled a crank by the police, Kevin escapes the gun-wielding assailants and unwittingly draws his girlfriend, a medical student named Erica Jensen, into their sights. Their flight leads them to the notebook, which reveals that Kevin unknowingly participated in one of the most important discoveries of the century, a chemical process called Adamas that is worth billions of dollars.

Alone and on the run from deadly assassins, Kevin and Erica have to stay alive long enough to prove to the world that Adamas actually works...

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Adventure, Crime, Action, Ebooks

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Boyd Morrison is an author, actor, engineer, and Jeopardy! champion. He started his career working on NASA's space station project at Johnson Space Center, where he got the opportunity to fly on the Vomit Comet, the same plane used to train astronauts for zero gravity. After earning a PhD in engineering from Virginia Tech, he used his training to develop eleven US patents at Thomson/RCA. Boyd then managed a video game testing group in Microsoft's Xbox division before becoming a full-time writer. For non-fiction thrills, he enjoys white water rafting, skiing, scuba diving, and bungee jumping. Boyd is also a professional actor, appearing in films, commercials, and stage plays. In 2003 he fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a Jeopardy! champion. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I had picked it up cheaply from a discount bookstore so wasn't expecting much, but I really enjoyed Boyd Morrison's writing style.
The story is interesting from the start - there were no boring bits in the whole book actually. The characters have substance, and both the good guys and the bad are intelligent and have motive for what they're doing.
I also appreciated that I didn't need to have a dictionary on hand for this book - but it was by no means a children's story either.
Overall I enjoyed this and would read more by this author.

[Joe Geesin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Def 4.5 / 5 book, lots of action and well written a sure fire read.

The book and story flow well, and although there's a couple of the (numerous) turns you can kind of see coming, it's still good read beginning to end. Once you start and get going, can't put it down. Cliche? Well, cliches are there for a reason Action adn intrigue are all there.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too far-fetched for my liking and very, cliché-chased centred. I felt that the book was too light and very much the cookie-cutter for 'student fleeing from spies or corporations trying to hide the knowledge on which they have stumbled'. While it works if you need something to read on the plane or with sand between your toes, on its own, it is nothing worth praising, in my opinion.]

Diamonds... so expensive and beautiful, yet it all comes down to carbon in the end. A secret notebook that has the secrets surrounding how to make an artificial version and the corporate executive who wants nothing other than to get his hands on it. This is the foundation of the story, with 250+ pages in the middle to get from A to Z.

I will admit, I was impressed with some of the scientific and chemical descriptions, seeing as I am out of my element (pardon the pun) when it comes to these things. However, it was not enough to keep my eyes on the prize and obsessed with the book. I breezed through it, but did use it as a means to fill the gap until the library obtained a book for which I had placed a hold.

Of course I will read more Morrison... but never will I go into the book expecting a thriller requiring two pairs of socks to prevent cold feet.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read, full of action and checking pretty much every box on the cliché thriller list. The narrative was sometimes a bit predictable and the characters felt bland, but they all had reasonable motives for their actions. My edition also had a very helpful analysis comment of how realistic the chemistry aspects were at the end (not too far-fetched actually). If you’re looking for something suspenseful and easy to read, with a touch of science, this is the book for you.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another excellent thriller from Boyd Morrison. I have read all three of his books and reccomend them highly if you like thrillers.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannende Unterhaltung.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt more like a Joseph Finder corporate greed novel than what I am used to with Morrison. I will continue to read him as I have enjoyed the other books of his that I have read.

[Jsmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending was well deserved and how it hinted that Kevin and Erica were married at the end was amazing.

[Dr Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too fast.
Way too predictable.
And a very plain narrative.

[Danielle Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Hooked from beginning to end! So much so that I read the last half of the book in one sitting!!

[Wen Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot but poor narration and flat characters.

[Kimberly Souder · Rating 3 out of 5]

No major complaints, but book was just ok. Characters were fine but pretty one dimensional. Writing was ok, plot was ok.

[Neill Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting story

The book kept my interest throughout and was thrilling to read. Boyd is a great story teller and keeps the action moving.

[Kristin Lundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical Boyd Morrison thriller - lots of action, interesting premise, and plenty budding romance. Kevin Hamilton, a grad student at STU in Chemistry, was busy eying a resident doc that he had met through various school functions, and trying to get enough courage to approach her. But unknown to him, his life was about to get complicated. His mentor at school, and the man he had TA'd for, had fired him several months earlier, making his life difficult, and in need of a new internship and funds to continue with grad school. It seems that while he and the prof. were working on a new process, something happened and the equipment blew up. The prof. blamed it on Kevin, but he knew it wasn't really his fault, but didn't know how to clear his name. It seems that the experiment wasn't as much a failure as his old prof. claimed. He and his professor had created new process, called the Adamas Process that could revolutionize the world, and his professor was trying to make a deal with a Texas oil and mining executive who saw it as his ticket to big time fame and fortune. But the prof. doubled crossed the oil man, and so the executive had him and his attorney murdered. But the process was nowhere to be found. The only thing they knew was that he had emailed a cryptic note to Kevin just before he died. As Kevin finds the email, someone tries to break into his apartment but he escapes. Erica had been on the phone with him when this happened, and so she joined him. Soon events began to spiral out of control as they race to find what the Prof. wanted Kevin, in his last moments, to find, and to dodge the men who are out to stop them and take it away. Rushing around from Houston to Virginia and DC, they stage a crafty chase, leading the gunmen astray and/or escaping them in the nick of time. Decent character development, and some human moments put this one above many in the genre. Interesting premise for the end, and a little fun along the way. I enjoy his books. Haven't met one I didn't like, so he's a go-to guy for me.

[Andrea Ika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Product Details
Rating :4 stars
Publisher:Gallery Books




Blurb
In this thrilling novel, chemist Kevin Hamilton must protect his research, his girlfriend, and himself from dangerous thieves after his experiments.

My thought
A thriller in which a graduate chemistry student and his girlfriend go on the run after his co-discovery of a cheap way to produce diamonds results in the murders of others familiar with the process.

Fast pace, good plot. I really enjoyed this book. Not many plot twists and turns, but characters are believable. Good for a quick escape from reality.

The author does a good job with the pairing of Erica and Kevin as each has their own past issues. They constantly need to stay ahead of the bad guys and there are several tense moments. The main bad guy (Lobec) is a "super polite all business" bad guy that makes him more scary. Writing was tight and LACK of bad grammar and typos was amazing.

It is a great book. It's a true page turner in that our heroes are never really "safe", so you have to keep seeing what's happening next. I really liked the book and would have given it the full five stars except I felt that Tarnwell had entirely too many resources working for him and sometimes the bad guys looked overly dumb.

I do recommend this book for those looking for a page-turner

[Lorraine Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Doctor Michael Ward dies in a suspicious fire, his student Kevin Hamilton is convinced it was no accident. The young Ph.D. student received a cryptic email from Ward just before the fatal blaze, warning him that their recent and supposedly failed experiment had actually brought about one of the most important discoveries of the century: a chemical process worth billions, with the potential to destroy lucrative global industries.

Along with his girlfriend, Kevin faces an urgent race to escape some extremely dangerous assassins. He must use all of his wits to protect his top-secret discovery and to prevent a conspiracy that will silence him for ever. And time is running out...
I enjoyed this book but it just did not reach 5 stars for me - something was missing but I am not sure what. Still worth a read.

[Edward H. Busse, III · Rating 3 out of 5]

FYI - the book isn't sold anymore under the title of The Adamas Blueprint - it's now sold with the title The Catalyst. It was an OK read - nothing like Mr. Morrison's previous novel…The Ark. If I could have given in 2.5 stars, I would have. This story was a little slow and the premise, although highly important/sensitive, wasn't as earth-shattering as the premise in The Ark. The characters were a bit uninspired and the bad guys seemed a little too predictable…along with their efforts to get the good guys. I don't think there was enough "fantastic" in this story. Mr. Morrison wrote a good book here and the story was solid - it was just a bit slow for me. Tons of other folks might love it…which is fine. I'm looking forward to reading The Vault by Mr. Morrison very soon.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good thriller, perhaps a bit on the generic side. Morrison certainly knows how to write a decent page-turner! The book rockets along from one action set piece to another. The ending is especially well done, with some interesting aspects that I can't comment on without spoiling things. Sorry. I do notice that the heroes seem to get out of some predicaments more by encountering the right people at the right time than through any skill of their own--though they do their own share of escaping as well. This is possibly my least favorite Boyd Morrison book, but it's still worth reading, especially if you like thrillers.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost didn't get past the first page it was so cliche ridden. But then I had a change of heart and decided to plough on. This is, after all, the epitome of pulp. The result, having ploughed through about three hundred and fifty pages is the same as eating a couple of kilos of cheap confection (I imagine): dissatisfied, a little disgusted with myself and an overwhelming nausea. Nevertheless... the story grips (in a Dan Brown sort of way - do I bash him too frequently?) and I wanted to know how it ended (although I knew really). It's cheap, it's trashy, but I bet Boyd Morrison sells tons of this stuff.

[Michael Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept my attention, had an interesting premise, and enjoyable characters (even if they were a little one dimensional). I didn't have any "can't put it down moments", but it was quick and enjoyable. I didn't find it as fun as Rogue Wave (although it was a lot less cheesy), but I think it was much better than some of his other work. If you have a couple of hours on a summer beach day, bring it along and you'll finish it before you head home for the day.

[Fabien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Adamas Blueprint being presented as the first, cruder book of Morrison, I was prepared to be disappointed, but it was not the case.
Sure, the story was sometimes far-fetched, but the non-stop action makes this book a real page-turner. Once I reached the last part, I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in one sitting.
A great thriller.

[Stewart Joslin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting...there is no way college kids could do what these kids did evading professional killers. It was an insane set of weird circumstances that came together -- some of which were simply not possible. If yuo get a chance to read this, skip it and get a Thor or Flynn or Ludlum or Cussler instead.

[5ngela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is very great and wonderful. I read the story in the middle and I can't stop. Usually I don't like 26 years old as main character but Mr Morrison magic make me love Kevin and Erica instantly. I already Mr Morrison fans before since I bought his The Ark novel. And this novel just confirms that Mr Morrison is a very talented author. Cannot wait to read another book from Mr. Morrison.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read most of this on a cross-country flight and thought it a fine distraction from the air travel. The story is a little farfetched, but it did keep my interest. I greatly appreciate that the author made it a free kindle download.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I love Boyd Morrison's writing style, it took me a while to get into this story. I wouldn't say that it was a fast read but the action picked up once I got into the story. A good read overall.

[Shane Stafslien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid novel from Mr. Morrison. It was interesting to read that this book was actually written in the 90's and updated/released in 2011. Certainly withstood the test of time. Overall, a nice story to hold you over until the next Tyler Locke book arrives in 2013!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard thriller -- good guys chased by bad guys, they make a series of rather unbelievable escapes, bad guys keep miraculously finding them again, good guys win in the end. But a quick read and entertaining enough.

[Jen Mendeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I guess there's a reason this isn't my typical genre. I found the plot to be pretty thin, along with the characters. As far as I can tell, chemistry not being my strongest suite, the science seemed pretty good. I really appreciate that.

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a suspense/thriller rather than a mystery. Although I found the concept interesting, the book is primarily a series of chase scenes of varying degrees of believability. For the genre, it's an okay read.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a pretty good thriller. I've read most of his other books and have not been disappointed yet. Of course, with this one, it doesn't hurt that one of the main characters went to the University of Kansas, my alma mater, for their undergraduate coursework.