Venom: A Novel of Suspense

by Joan Brady

A gripping tale of international corporate intrigue from the award-winning author of Bleedout . . . EASTERN EUROPE . . . Thirty years after Chernobyl, nuclear fallout is still claiming victims. ILLINOIS . . . Fresh out of prison, David Marion doesn’t expect a hit man at his door. But when one appears, their meeting is lethal—for the hit man. Who sent him? David has no idea. But warned that a powerful secret organization is after him, he is forced to disappear until he can strike back.ALABAMA . . . Devastated by the death of her lover, physicist Helen Freyl escapes to her bee farm to care for a colony carrying a unique strain of venom. But when an unexpected job offer from a giant drug corporation arrives, it proves to be a much more intriguing diversion.LONDON, ENGLAND . . . Helen’s new company is close to a cure for radiation poisoning, but the sudden death of a colleague is followed by another, and Helen begins to doubt the organization’s motives. When she realizes her own life is in danger, what can she do and who can she call on for help? Venom brings David Marion and Helen Freyl together as they fight for their lives against a backdrop of industrial espionage, corporate greed, and human tragedy in an exhilarating and fast-paced follow-up to the bestselling Bleedout .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2010

About the author

Joan Brady is an American-British writer. She is the first woman and American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for her novel Theory of War.
She was married to writer Dexter Masters and has a son who is also an author: Alexander Masters.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joan Brady’s Venom  is about political intrigue amongst multinational pharmaceutical corporations, and the story gathers its strands from Belarus, Illinois, Alabama, Washington, London and Devon.

A cure for radiation poisoning is its theme. In Belarus citizens are still suffering from the effects of Chenobyl but oddly seem to be becoming sicker, not better.  

The plot of Venom features two main characters, Dr Helen Freyl and David Marion. Bruised and damaged, David Marion has been released from a life sentence for murder, only to find that wherever he turns he is danger of death from a secret organisation determined to hunt him down, using any means to do so. One of them is through Dr Helen Freyl, who has taken a job with a powerful pharmaceutical company involved in seeking the cure for radiation. But too many people are dying, and soon she begins to fear for her life. She is reunited with David, and they fight their way through the web of deception and danger that threatens them both.

Good premise but overly complicated.

[Lisa C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. I debated a while about whether to continue with this, but after nearly 100 pages it still didn’t grab me. It might’ve been fine, but there are too many books I want to read to spend time on the “meh” ones.

[Dave Rochester · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book - the story was OK but the prose wasn't great to follow and the ending just didn't rate with me

[Annie Layer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the main storyline, but I felt there were too many intricate side storylines that it was overall hard to keep up with. Great if you want a dense read, though

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so complicated, I don't even know where to start with a synopsis. David Marion is an ex-con who receives advance notice of a hit on his life. He escapes and learns that a mega-corporation, UCAI, was behind it. At the same time, Dr. Helen Freyl, who has a complicated past with David, learns that UCAI is trying to get their hands on a patent she holds on some honeybee venom and they'll stop at nothing to get their hands on it.

Let me say first of all that I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for review.

Now, this was really more like 2.5 stars for me, but I can't bring myself to round up.

This is a sequel to Bleedout , which I haven't read, but there was a pretty good explanation of what had happened previously, so I don't think I necessarily needed to read these in order.

Helen was my biggest problem. I could not bring myself to like her at all. She was a spoiled rich girl who treated the whole thing like a game until she realized that her own life might be at stake. I can't remember how many others had died at that point, but it was enough for me to think that this was an amazingly self-absorbed woman. She had to be at least firmly into her twenties to have her doctorate, but she tended to act more like a teenager. "Oh, let me smoke in this guy's car just to see if he'll say anything." "Oh, let me order the crazy-expensive caviar at this restaurant just to see if he'll say anything." She just liked to push her boundaries and see what she could get away with. She was a tiger while she was pushing away at someone, but the moment that someone pushed back, she was a thoughtless mess of need. I guess there's no turn-on like a guy with a spine, is there? I kept reading, thinking that she was just too stupid to live. She's picking a fight with someone over her hurt feelings as he's trying to save her life, clueless that he's even doing so. Self-absorbed and stupid. Not a winning combination for me.

The book took a long time to get going. There was too much background information. About half the book felt like set up, then by the time the action really got started, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Maybe that was on purpose, but it just felt like there should be more suspense in a thriller. Once I did reach that halfway point, I enjoyed things much more and would give the second half three stars. Unfortunately, that is where I got a little confused though. I was correct about part of what was going on, but it went a step further and I didn't quite follow. That could just be me.

I know this is an ARC and I should make allowances, but there were a few incorrect things that jumped out at me that I really hope get fixed by the final printing. First of all, the Smoky Mountains are in Tennessee, not West Virginia as one of the chapter headings states. There were more incorrect things in that chapter that I'm going to put down to David being a city boy. One other little thing that jumped out was the name SmithKleinGlaxo. That's all tangled up. It's GlaxoSmithKline. I would've missed that one if my uncle didn't work there. Things like that make me wonder about the research that went into the rest of the book.

A reader who isn't as dependent on likable characters as I am will probably enjoy this more than I did. There is a good story of industrial espionage and little guys vs. big corporations in here. It just didn't quite live up to the potential that I saw inside.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

***really 2.5 but not quite a 3 - a bit hard to rate this one***

This book is a little hard for me to review. It is a good story but I thought sometimes it was too higgledy piggledy. There seemed at times too much going on, storylines expanded which didn’t seem to make much difference in the end and then there were a couple of storylines I would have liked expanded more but were left a little light in content.

Helen Freyl is a physicist who is offered a position at a huge pharmaceutical company but with ulterior motives. She owns a bee colony and a patent on honeybee venom which could be used as a cure for the Chernobyl victims in Belarus. The pharmaceutical company want that patent and will do anything to get it. Meanwhile Helen is oblivious to this and the reader wonders how on earth she can’t see what’s going on. In fact she is quite frustrating at times and just a little too dim-witted to be believed.

David Marion is an ex-con recently released from gaol. At the beginning of the book he is notified there is a hitman wanting him erased and then we follow him to see how he will evade this outcome. We learn of the history between David and Helen, much of which is explained in Joan Brady’s sequel Bleedout, however it is not necessary to have read that first as ample information is given so the reader understands what the position is now. Helen and David are joined by the past and the present - each dealing with their feelings for one another and each embroiled in life threatening situations.

Helen and David learn of murders related to their respective storylines but are they able to put it all together? Will they work together or will they work alone? In the end will greed win out? How many innocent lives will be lost?

Like I say, it’s a good story but it could have been a great story. Perhaps it is because I had just finished reading The Constant Gardener, which I thought to be a great story and which also dealt with pharmaceutical mega giants and testing medication on innocent victims, I thought Venom didn’t measure up - two different writing styles with two different outcomes and two different reading experiences. I don’t know.

Thanks to Book Chick City for sending me out a copy of this book for taking part in the Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge 2010.

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 2 out of 5]

FYI - I wasn't thinking when I sent my request to Simon and Shuster to review the latest Jennifer Estep novel Venom, and totally forgot to put the authors name in the request. That is why I got a copy of this particular book to review. This is not my type of book, so I just want you readers to know that before I do the review. Anybody willing to come to Humber College or pay for shipping, this book is yours.

The Good Stuff

* Author builds up a convincing back story and keeps you guessing on what is going on
* Intelligent thriller with a timely topic
* The grandma is a feisty one
* You should probably read Bleedout first, as to understand some of the motivations of the characters

The Not so Good Stuff

* I really didn't like most of the characters
* Way too many characters and backgrounds, very hard to keep straight
* Story took a long time to get your attention, I honestly had a hard time trying not to put the book down, because I was lost. Quite a few times I was just going to put this down as DNF, but I am a stubborn one

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"And the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to him that Christ was an ill-tempered white man."

"It's employee joke that the letters NSA stand for "No Such Agency" and "Never Say Anything."




What I Learned

* Always to put the author's name in when requesting books for review
* Pharmaceutical companies are evil
* How to create an explosion -- read the first chapter and you will understand

Who should/shouldn't read

* Fans of Intrigue and mystery and industrial espionage
* I think John Grisham lovers would enjoy
* Not for those looking for a light read, you need to pay attention with this one (Hence why my Mommy brain had such a hard time)

2.5/5 Dewey's -- Please remember that this is based on MY enjoyment of the book and nothing against the author or their talent-- this is not my type of book so that affects the review -- if you see this Joan, nothing personal : )

I received this from Simon and Shuster in return for an honest review -- sorry guys, just didn't love this one

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me very surprised. We meet Helen Freyl who I take an instant dislike to. We also meet David Marion who is less than a pleasant character however I find myself still reading. I could not understand why. Had the publishers put glue on the cover? No but for some reason I find myself drawn back to it constantly.

The story starts violently and despite Helen's early unawareness of the danger she is in, the reader is aware and wonders why. I found myself wanting to say "Why don't they all meet up in a meeting room and drum out a deal? There's no need for this intrigue and danger." Two thirds of the way through I had this book down as three stars but then we START to find out why the friendly chat wouldn't have worked. It is very late on before we find out all the reasons and it is worth the wait. I ended up on four stars because it was gripping and held my attention throughout. I would still say that I don't like Helen or David but that means they aren't flat characters if I can dislike them.

David Marion, an ex-con receives a phone call warning him of a contract killer out to kill him. David attacks and kills the killer without a moments concern and destroys his house to make it look like his own death. This has happened because of a corporation called UCAI. Helen then is offered a fellowship to a medical foundation that is backed by UCAI and the intrigue starts.

There is a romantic link between Helen and David which I found difficult to believe in or accept, so don't read it for the romance, but as a thriller it is well worth reading. It is fast moving and well written and I would recommend this to any thriller fans.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this novel is pretty slow-paced and at times incredibly complicated. I felt that too many characters were being introduced too early into the story and I had a hard time keeping track of who everybody was and how they were involved in the storyline. It wasn’t until nearer the end that all of the characters were brought together and I felt less confused.

However, the second half of the novel really picks up the pace and is so full of action and unexpected plot developments that I had trouble putting the book down. Although some of these developments were slightly unbelievable, it didn’t ruin the story for me at all.

I really liked the relationship between Helen and David. There is obviously a lot of history between them but this is only hinted at and we never really get to find out what has happened between them in the past as I presume that this is all covered in Bleedout. For me, this just added to the chemistry that was obviously sparking between them.

I also really liked the character of Helen’s grandmother, Becky, who is an incredibly strong-willed and intelligent woman. She knows exactly what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it although she obviously loves her family and is fiercly protective of them.

The end of the novel is brought together really well, considering the large number of characters and sub-plots involved, with all of the loose ends being tied-up. But the author has definitely left the ending open enough for the possibility of a sequel.

I am glad that I worked through the opening of the book as once I got into the action it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podem ler opinião completa AQUI.

This is book has a story that could actually happen. It's not the kind of suspenseful story that is so over the top you like but think "this could never happen".
In that way it's a good book, but it is also because of that that it isn't as enjoyable as I'd expect.
The suspense is there, but it could've been handled better. I could predict mostly every turn in this story, but well, that usually happens with every book (my head works in ways even I can't comprehend).
I did enjoy David's personality, and almost loved him. He's the bad boy, actually, a very bad boy, which I could get over until the last few chapters and that scene with the kid. I get where the author wanted to go, but there went my love for the character David. Down the drain!
Helen, on the other hand, was one of the most hateful protagonists ever! I wanted to slap her so bad. She's a rich dumb girl who seems smart but does the stupidiest mistakes EVER! And worst, she thinks she owns the world. This could be bad or good, depending on the view. I personally don't dislike hating a characetr, because it means it got to me, and that has to be good in a story.
I could not feel the love between these two either, at least on Helen's part. David seemed genuine enough, but she just seemed like the plump girl looking for some danger in the form of a sexy and murderous guy.

All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but I was hoping for a little more, especially on the suspenseful part and the misteries involved.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unlikely relationship takes place between Helen Freyl and David Marion. Helen is from a very well to do famly in Alabama and David is from a broken home and an ex-convict.

Helen was given at an early age a birthday present of a bee farm. It is discovered that the bees being raised on the farm have venom that is very unique. The venom seems to retard the effects of radiation poisoning and can actually repair damage done by radiation and protect from future radiation poisoning.

On can only image the companies that would "kill" to get hold of the patent for this bee venom.

Helen is sent to England to work for one of these companies and becomes involved in a study being done on the survivors and land that surround the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. She gsts caught up in the murder of people who may have information that the company has been falsifying figures of the effects of radiation. There is also speculation that the company has been supplying soil to the region that is already laden with radiation.

Helen summonds David to help her when she finds that she is in way over her head.

I have to admit that I could not relate to anyone in this book - not even the good guys. In fact, David, came off almost as bad as the "bad guys". I also found that there were large gaps in the story and the writing was inconsistent. The book started off showing great promise, but kept losing me chapter by chapter.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first ARC review, courtesy of a fellow Twitter friend, who's doing the Suspense/Thriller Challenge this year. She mentioned about doing ARCs earlier this year, in lieu of the challenge. I got the book in January and have been reading this thriller for almost two weeks. I'm only doing an abridged version of my review here. See my book blog review blog at http://kristensbookjungle.blogspot.com/ for a full review on this story. This is a sequel to Bleedout from Joan Brady. What does corporate espionage have to do with venom from bees? It deals with a miracle cure for victims of Chernobyl in Belarus. This novel takes place in England, Belarus and some areas of the USA, when two corporations are after the patent from these bees. For Dr. Helen Freyl, who's a heir to the patent of the bee farm and a physicist, and David Marion, an ex-con on the run from a hit man, they discover how venomous a betrayal can be, when people starting to die from a cover-up and a scandal. It throws Helen and David together, with a long-standing passion, when they discover the truth, before they're the next target to blow the whistle sky wide on this scandal.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolutely horrid book. Very poorly written. Although the author is apparently American, the book reads like someone guessing at what an American is and acts like. Way to many characters are introduced who have no relevance to the overall story. And while I consider myself a careful reader but I have no idea what the plot really was or who was involved in what cover up or exploitation of Belarusians.... The ending is absolutely ridiculous - the bad boy vigilante and the supposed independent-but-really-needs-someone-to-look-out-for-her-spoiled-southern-girl-doctor who can't be without each other turn out to be second cousins (but no one will know...) and the bad guy (I think he was a bad guy) kills himself. And finally, despite the fact that the jacket cover and copy makes it sound like there might be some bees in this book - it has virtually nothing to do with venom or bees. The only redeeming characteristic of the book is the great cover photo. A true disappointment.

[Emily D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, a friend got this for me from the dollar store, so I was prepared for some faults in the writing. Overall, it was a fun, suspenseful thriller, and a pretty quick read. I think the author could do better by visiting the places she writes about, since I got a strong feeling that she did online research on American places and customs and did not have or does not remember, first-hand knowledge. I also thought some of the plot was rather cheesy and that more time was spent detailing facts than developing the characters. Often an explanation of a character's past would be thrown in as a necessity to support the plot structure, in an unnatural or somewhat jarring way. I wish she would have provided a more thorough background and character development before throwing in surprising plot twists. The story was hard to follow.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen's grandmother gave her a bee farm when she was 8 years old. The honey is bitter, but the venom is patented and seems to hold scientific promise. When an offer to buy the bee farm is made for $5 million, Helen demurs and seeks to find out why. Why would a multi-national corporation want her tiny bee farm? From London to Chernobyl, just what is up? Her practically "dream lover" is newly out of prison (for killing her father)and she sends an SOS. She thinks he's dead, and is quite surprised when he appears. These two with the help of the ancient grandmother take on Big Business. Who will survive?

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel had a good premise - greedy corporation doing dodgy science and little family business holds overlooked patent - corporate espionage & skulduggery ensues.

It's downfall however is that it made it not only overly complicated with a field of characters throughout three countries, but also overly unrealistic.

I tried hard to like it but it turned in to quite the chore to read and one of the few books I've read that's hard NOT to put down.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was really convoluted. There was too much going on, too many characters, and the two main characters were one-dimensional and unlikable.

[Lori]

total waste of my time and the world's supply of paper

[Andrew Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time with this book....don't know why. The story is good, but was not sufficient to make me want to pick it up.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Will not get anymore of this authors books

[Srini · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books that I ahev read. Very slow, not sticking to the plot and leaving the dots unconnected.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

really disjointed storyline, had a hard time keeping track of details, didn't always hold my interest...