Knockout Mouse: A Bill Damen Mystery

I really loved this book! James Calder is a gifted writer who has created an imaginative, fast-paced, and truly clever mystery that hinges on cutting-edge biotechnology, but that also brings up interesting questions about the world biotech is producing. Bill Damen is a complex mix of macho and sensitive who has an artist's eye for detail, the hutzpah of a curious journalist, and a bulldog's fight and determination. But he also has a fine-tuned sense of how complicated relationships are between people, including himself, and a subterranean ambivalence about what it all means--so fitting for the Bay Area, I think. He's someone I'd like to know. The writing is witty, the story always compelling, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

I didn't think I'd be able to understand the high tech aspects of Calder's thriller, either the film jargon nor the biotech genetic engineering implications of the shady characters' quest. But happily Calder is a superior writer, easily able to steer even the novice through these strange new waters. The characterization is also outstanding, with Bill reluctantly, almost subconsciously, realizing that his longtime girlfriend, Jenny, is not the woman for him, even though he continues to find her sexually attractive. Bill's an interesting phenomenon, a man of complicated wishes and regrets. I'll look forward to getting to know him better in succeeding volumes. A great plus was, I couldn't figure out how the victim died, and it remains a mystery until almost the very end. You'll shed a tear for the victim and for "Squidge," her lab animal with the tragic end.

Bill just wanted to finish work and make it to his girlfriend's dinner party, but one thing happens after another. At the party he meets Sheila, a fascinating woman with a severe allergy to shellfish. Suddenly she isn't feeling well and soon disappears from the party, later to be found dead. Bill and Jenny are drawn into the mystery of her death and Bill soon finds himself conducting his own investigation, in the high-powered world of biotechnology start-up companies, a world of ferocious ambition, greed, and ever shifting loyalties.It is a dangerous world, and Bill seems to be getting in over his head, but somehow he survives every battle, and manages to pit one greedy and ambitious player against another until the real killer is found.Author James Calder has done his homework and manages to educate his readers about molecular biology and some of the interesting things being done with genetics these days. He has made such concepts as monoclonal antibodies and transgenic mice understandable even to me--well, almost.A fast-paced easy-to-read thriller. Its major flaw is that there are too many shallow characters, in too many shallow and shifting relationships, and it is sometimes hard to keep them all straight. If you don't mind that, I think you will like this book!

I won't bother to repeat any of the plot, but just say that this was a fun mystery to read. As a Silicon Valley resident, it was a real treat to read Mr. Calder's description of the valley and the people here. I found his story to be well written, with good characters and a nice mystery.Definitely recommended, and I can't wait for his next book!

As a Silicon Valley ex-pat, I was thrilled by this insightful and well researched thriller. Here's a hero that no one can resist. Bill Damen is brilliant. He reminds us of the importance of integrity, and the power that is gained in trusting our own intuition. I would leave my children with this man!With many unexpected twists and turns, (as one would expect in a story classified as a mystery) nothing prepared me for this enlightening journey through the business and cultural world of bio and high-tech. I am convinced that this series is destined for greatness. Keep up the great work James!