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moeeyc's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun, fast and entertaining - just right for a vacation read. The science seemed very plausible to me.
suggsygirl's review against another edition
3.0
The way this book is written reminded me a bit of John Grisham or Michael Crichton but it felt really dated. I liked most of the characters but there were some sections of this book that were just laughably terrible. One thing that bugged me was that I know the story is fiction but I think it added fuel to the ‘vaccines are bad’ fire, and also seemed to confirm a link between vaccines and autism which has been disproven by legitimate scientists (not the people who read one article and somehow think they’re an immunologist.) Other than that it was readable if you can suspend your disbelief far enough.
rainbowreviewskc's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4.5
Characters: 4
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.58
Characters: 4
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.58
annies1's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was brilliant. The story was suspenseful and really quite realistic as it dealt with vaccines and their sometimes unknown side effects. I like this author and have yet to read one of his books that I didn't really enjoy.
notoriousleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I loved this book a lot more when I first read it back in 2000 or so. Now the anti-vax stuff makes my stomach hurt. If you havent already read it and arent coming back for the characters (slocums) then maybe dont bother. 3 stars is for Lyle
bloodredwine's review against another edition
Using plot of vaccines causing autism is both inaccurate and insulting to those who have autism.
elizcait's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annhenry's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise. But too many winding storylines and too long in the tooth. After a quarter of the way through I began to skim to the end. Don't waste your time. Has high hopes
ronilynnreads's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, it was a good 'story'...trying to link what everyone thought were three random medical issues, despite the fact that these three cases were located in different parts of the country. It started out really interesting...how can a case of paranoid patients with neurofibromas (one in W. Virginia and the other in Boston) be linked to a pregnant woman in Chicago who thought she had the flu, but ended up with a fever and diarrhea that caused bleeding from every part of her body? What I like about Mr. Palmer is his ability to explain medical procedures and and healthcare policies with ease. what I don't like about him is his tendency to ramble on and on seemingly going nowhere with his explanations. This book (the paperback) was 509 pages! The story should have ended around page 321...it dragged on unnecessarily. It was a REAL struggle to finish it. I plowed through because I was ready to connect the dots. He seemed to add incidents just to make it a bit more convoluted to throw us off, but it only served to make things more boring. I don't know if I can recommend it unless you are truly fascinated by environmental issues (toxic dumps, coal mines) and vaccine-related illnesses and the supposed connection to autism and other similar diseases. The first Michael Palmer book I read was A Heartbeat Away and I really enjoyed it so I set out to read all of his books. Fatal was my second book and I think I need to take a quick break and read something more fast-paced before I dive back into the rest of his books.