Stinger

Let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of medical thrillers; to me, they tend to fall into two categories--overly technical labyrinths that have Tom Clancy Excruciating Detail Syndrome, or they get carried away into panicky melodrama."Stinger," however, is a great read. It's well-plotted, with authentic characterizations, and a basic premise that is both plausible and engaging.Ms. Kress is to be commended for maintaining a balance among three very different worlds: government bureaucracy, police procedure, and epidemiology. Her descriptions of each of these worlds has enough detail to lend authenticity, but she still manages to keep the story moving briskly along.The story unfolds in a way that both entices and rewards; we quickly come to care about the lead characters, and can identify with their internal conflicts that arise from a situation that is at first alarming, then horrifying, then paranoia-inducing.The resolution of the story is clever and satisfying; at no point did I find myself gagging on contrivances or oversimplifications. In fact, I found myself admiring her ability to resolve a tricky setup.Most importantly, this book makes me want to read more works by Nancy Kress.

Nancy Kress has taken a bold step. She's an award-winning science fiction writer who is universally recognized as one of the best in the genre. With `Oaths and Miracles' and now with `Stinger,' she has proven that she can stand toe-to-toe with the best of the thriller/suspense writers as well.`Stinger' begins with Senator Malcolm Peter Reading, a presidential hopeful, collapsing during a speech. Reading, an African-American, dies in a matter of minutes. It is discovered that he had contracted malaria. Others quickly begin dying of malaria. Nearly all of them are African-American. Then the epidemic begins.FBI agent Robert Cavanaugh and Dr. Melanie Anderson of the Centers for Disease Control quickly discover that the deaths are not accidents. Someone...or some country...has reintroduced malaria into America. The cards appear to be stacked against them: they have few clues and little time. To complicate matters, both Cavanaugh and Anderson are faced with personal and professional crises just as an answer is beginning to develop. I have always appreciated two things about the writing of Nancy Kress: fascinating characters and scientific ideas a clod like me can understand. Cavanaugh acts exactly the way we think an FBI agent should - logical, methodical thinking, going through the proper steps at the proper time, etc, but Kress shows us that while the agent has everything together on the job, that doesn't necessarily mean every aspect of his life is in order. Melanie Anderson is an African-American woman who is mad as hell at what is happening. She's not perfect, yet we identify with her, hurt for her, and cheer for her. Two great characters.`Stinger' is a great thrill-ride all the way to the very last page, but it is also chilling in another aspect. Although this book was published in 1998, it has some frightening parallels to the events surrounding Sept. 11. A real page-turner...and a real eye opener.303 fast-moving pages

Maryland, USA. Are we dealing with an attempt to wipe out the black population by a biological weapon? Dr. Melanie Anderson of CDC thinks so. Malaria reading, named after Malcolm Peter Reading, a black Senator from Pennsylvania and a presidential hopeful, who died after suffering a stroke in the middle of his speech, continues to spread rapidly. What made Dr. Anderson so sure about the genocide attempt is that the disease seems to attack only t hose with sickle-cell trait, a predominantly black population.

i bought this book because i once read a short story by nancy kress that was very good, it was a part of SCI-FI collection edited by the great assimov, i remember that he was very impressed of her - anyway i was impressed also.nancy kress is considered to be a SCI FI writer, although this book puts her in chris carter or michel krighton ganere of "modern time SCI FI" - a plot that take place in our time but includes basic SCI FI features, plus the conspiracy factor, which put it much closer to the "X - FILES" stories genre.the book it self is very enthralling, the plot is about tew main characters : the first is a white FBI agent, that was "frown to the doggs" and is career and personal life are going nowhere, who finds himself in the midle of investigation about a suspect for using biological human-made weapon against black americans.the second is a black female epidomologist doctor from the DCC in atlanta who is called to check the epidemic, as a black she suspect that it's not an ordinary disease, and let her fillings take over her.both characters find themselfs removed from the investigation. they teams up together, each from is own motives, to try to solve the puzzle : who did the crime, is the goverment responsible for this ? or the ku klas kan ? or other racist groups, and is this a conspiracy againts black people ? and was it a crime at all ?all this answers are being solved in the end by this tow, plus some of the other problems they were having in their personal life.for conclusion very good book, that is written in much more reliable way then all SCI FI's stories.the characters themselfs are interesting and are reliable. the story is very interesting, and i think that those who liked the X-FILES or michael krighton books won't be dissapointed.

Dellbridge Community Hospital in La Plata, Maryland, suddenly is dealing with the beginnings of what could easily become an epidemic when several African-Americans die from strokes. FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh investigates the astronomical possibility that this is just a coincidence. Besides race, it is quickly determined that the common factor is that all of the deceased carried the sickle cell gene. Though they understand the cause, CDC is divided as to how the mutant strain formed. Epidemiologist Melanie Anderson insists that this particular strain was genetically engineered to eradicate the black race. Because of the potential size, the Army sends in its best team because they are taking the risk seriously. Cavanaugh must convince his own agency that two and a half million Americans are at dire risk and a race war could be imminent if the FBI fails to actively seek answers. STINGER is a well written scientific thriller that fans of the sub-genre will take pleasure reading. The plot is well designed as Nancy Kress demonstrates her remarkable ability to scribe complex scientific knowledge and theory into an easy to read fiction. However, too many events seem to miraculously occur for the hero and heroine, and the ending seems weak for a story line as well written as this one is. As with her previous novels, OATHS and MIRACLES, Ms. Kress provides fans with a state-of-the-art science thriller that is frightening because it appears so realistic yet remains an enjoyable experience.Harriet Klausner