A book primed for reading during America's 250th Anniversary year. > Likes and Comments

If you’re looking for a page-turner that respects your intelligence, this book is for you! I wanted to blend the historical mystery of Dan Brown with the high-octane scientific thrills of Michael Crichton. It’s a bit of a "what if" directed at the Founding Fathers (specifically Benjamin Franklin), wrapped in a story about the spirit of liberty and the dangers of a monopoly. I hope it entertains you, challenges you, and keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Please enjoy: The Deep Surge

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin's 4-year-old son, Francis, died of smallpox in 1736? Because the boy was recovering from another illness at the time, Franklin had postponed his vaccination, a delay he later deeply and publicly regretted for the rest of his life. In 1736, the smallpox vaccine as we know it had not been developed. The precursor to the current vaccines was not as effective and was known as a variolation. For many reasons, this was a major paradox in Franklin's life. He discusses this in Echoes of Genius: The Deep Surge, while the scientific team was recovering from a thrilling escape.

What are your thoughts on this? Would we have called Ben an anti-vaxxer? It was a different time and culture in the 1700's.

This book The Deep Surge has a unique combination of high-stakes action and hard science. But it has 'soft edges'. You might even get emotional right in the middle of a chase down Broadway in Times Square!

A reminder that the book has an America 250 commemorative book cover for a limited time only. I hope you can get it.

May 4 2026 Lee D. Blumenthal released The Deep Surge

Count the reviews:
- 4 in May
- 16 in Jun
- 27 on Jul 04, 2026
- 33 on Jul 05, 2026
- 17 on Jul 06, 2026
77 in 3 days

Multiple 5-star ratings on single day:
- 5 on Jun 12, 2026
- 5 on Jun 23, 2026
- 4 on Jun 24, 2026
- 2 on Jul 1, 2026
- 18 on Jul 4, 2026
- 19 on Jul 5, 2026
- 12 on Jul 6, 2026
- 3 on Jul 7, 2026

Jul-6 5-star raters' name, location, month_joined, photo:
- 201153696-kim-kennedy Nigeria May_2026 0
- 201153645-blessing-isabelle Nigeria May_2026 0
- 201248802-gawert-freighton ????? May_2026 AI
- 199170299-gerst-mattew Argentina Feb_2026 M
- 201275397-clong-angel ????? May_2026 F
- 201275526-maxwelll-clinton ????? May_2026 M
- 195719339-jason-alexander Chicago_IL Nov_2025 F !!
- 201246595-samson-maywerth Australia May_2026 M
- 200308299-john-white ????? Apr_2026 0
- 199298377-williams-mary Nigeria Mar_2026 0
- 200361152-jackson-fred ????? Apr_2026 0
- 200414964-james-bennett London_UK Apr_2026 F !!
All but 1 joined this year, and 1 in 4 is Nigerian.

Out of 72 5-star ratings:
- 34.7% give no surname
- 23.6% show no image
- 86.1% provided a review
- 86.1% have no followers
- 97.2% have no more than 1 follower
- 4.2% occurred in May
- 20.8% occurred in Jun
- 68.1% occurred Jul 4-6
- 8.3% have done no reviews
- 11.1% have done no more than 1 review

This is an incredibly high ratio of reviews to ratings.
The overall ratio is similarly high at 97/111 = 87.4%.
And the vast majority of these reviewers have no followers.

This book appeals to a very different audience
than Sister Tue Nghiem's Caregiving and the Art of Presence
yet both had surges in the first week of July
and 35 of those who gave 5 stars to each book
also gave 5 stars to the other.
This one had 77 reviews on July 4-6.
That one had 76 reviews on July 4-6.
Both had 12 5-star raters on July 6,
and 9 of those were the same for both books,
even listed in the same order except
for one transposed pair.
And they overalp multiple other books as well.

If Demosthenes joins Goodreads,
these reviewers will steal his lantern.