The Judas Virus

In his debut novel as David Best, a well-known mystery writer, as I've gleaned from some of these other reviews, has mutated genres into the fascinating world of medical thrillers. I have to concur with Tess Gerritsen who notes on the cover that, "He is one of the very few authors who can write with convincing authority."Beneath that striking cover, "The Judas Virus" unleashes a thoroughly entertaining, yet plausible story about the experimental xenotransplantation of a genetically altered pig's liver into a recovering alcoholic. Best's protagonist, Chris Collins, medical director for infection control at Good Samaritan hospital, hasn't seen her father since he left her mother for another woman 29 years ago. Out of the blue he shows up at the hospital dying from cirrhosis and asks Chris to donate a portion of her liver to save his miserable life. "...a visit to his parts warehouse," as Best phrased it, filling Chris with, "so much disgust that she couldn't stand to look at him another second." Because her whole life is dedicated to helping the sick, she is immediately caught in a conflict of emotions and ultimately winds up proposing the experimental surgery. Ironically, the surgery produces an unexpected retrovirus with surprising therapeutic effects. The story turns as Best conjures mental images of impending devastation by giving us glimpses of the virus' deleterious side effects on well drawn secondary characters and the tertiary characters they infect. He gives his readers not only a visual sense of location, but auditory, olfactory and sensory preceptions as well, which he adeptly weaves into the story line to put us there.Personally, I read fiction for amusement. I rarely find it necessary to either praise or trash a novel and have difficulty understanding those who do. Mel Brooks said it best in his "History of the World Part II." "Twenty million years ago the earth gave birth to the artist, and as inevitably followed, the afterbirth: The Critic." Or something like that. Anyway, the heart of Guy M. DeWitte's review above is directly behind his name, i.e. (see more about "ME"). I linked to his web page and found that afterbirth isn't very pretty. It takes minimal effort to write a dozen or so sentences badmouthing the work that's obviously taken real authors months or years to complete. If Mr. DeWitte thinks the books he reads are so bad, he probably shouldn't waste his time finishing them. Instead, maybe he could spend it writing his own books and exposing them to such hackneyed critics as himself.At any rate, "The Judas Virus" isn't your standard "Genie out of the bottle" epidemic story. As the therapeutic effects from the retrovirus wane and it becomes lethal, the book makes you stop and think that something like this could really happen. Leonard Goldberg says, "[It's] A fast paced medical thriller with believable characters and plenty of twists and turns." I think "The Judas Virus" is page-turning, cutting-edge fiction that will leave

If you enjoy intriguing mysteries with many a medical twist, The Judas Virus is one of the top reads of its genera. David Best (aka Don Donaldson) knows how to weave medical intrigue, many a sub plot and spell binding prose into the warp and woof of a novel. Given that the author teaches in a medical school, his gifts as a novelist are greatly enhanced by his compelling authority in the medical arts. David Best uses the English language to keep you turning pages, much like the writer of a symphony keeps you coming back to hear the next movement of her musical creation. Motive, mystery, malice, misunderstanding, mistrust, and medicine are all tools that David Best uses to keep your mind keenly tune for reading pleasure.Best creates ethical situations in this novel that challenge not only the medical professions, but also the personal sensibilities of the reader. The actions of his characters cause one to pause and think about one's own decision-making processesI would also recommend two other novels by the same author (Don Donaldson) Do No Harm, and In The Blood. I must say that these two novels, along with The Judas Virus, though unrelated, form a triangle of treasures that will make you look forward to the author's next novel.

The Judas Virus opens with a bang and keeps us guessing until the very end, which is just what I like in a thriller. Author David Best (some might know his as Don Donaldson) handles his latest book with his usual precision and skill.Chris Collins is a doctor in an Atlanta hospital who is confronted by her terminally-ill father, Wayne, years after he had walked out of her and her mother's life. With unparalleled gall, he asks her to donate a piece of her liver so that he might live. She refuses, but pulls some strings to get him accepted in an experimental program.The suspense builds when an unknown virus affects not only ayne, but the nurses who treat him. But the weird thing is that the virus makes the infectees feel better, healing old wounds and salving aches - right up until it makes them blind and kills them.Chris and her colleague Michael suspect there's more going on than meets the eye and begin a private investigation, which draws a killer's attention to them.Reading David Best is like riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland. The ride is mesmerizing, with plenty to draw your attention and keep your interest, right up until you drop off the side of the mountain, your heart in your throat. The suspense here builds slowly, tantalizingly, and the payoff is a good one.One of Best's best features as a writer is his economy of words - every word is chosen for maximum effect. His characters and motivations are real enough to make you believe the action. And that's no mean feat. I recommend The Judas Virus and I can't wait to see what he does next.

The Judas Virus opens with a bang and keeps us guessing until the very end, which is just what I like in a thriller. Author David Best (some might know his as Don Donaldson) handles his latest book with his usual precision and skill.Chris Collins is a doctor in an Atlanta hospital who is confronted by her terminally-ill father, Wayne, years after he had walked out of her and her mother's life. With unparalleled gall, he asks her to donate a piece of her liver so that he might live. She refuses, but pulls some strings to get him accepted in an experimental program.The suspense builds when an unknown virus affects not only ayne, but the nurses who treat him. But the weird thing is that the virus makes the infectees feel better, healing old wounds and salving aches - right up until it makes them blind and kills them.Chris and her colleague Michael suspect there's more going on than meets the eye and begin a private investigation, which draws a killer's attention to them.Reading David Best is like riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland. The ride is mesmerizing, with plenty to draw your attention and keep your interest, right up until you drop off the side of the mountain, your heart in your throat. The suspense here builds slowly, tantalizingly, and the payoff is a good one.One of Best's best features as a writer is his economy of words - every word is chosen for maximum effect. His characters and motivations are real enough to make you believe the action. And that's no mean feat. I recommend The Judas Virus and I can't wait to see what he does next.

D.J. Donaldson (aka David Best) has written another "edge of your seat book". If you like medical thrillers, you won't want to miss this book. The "thrilling" part of Donaldson's books is that he takes his plot lines from real medical research as an insider. I don't want to discuss the plot to keep from giving something away. But I will tell you that it gives you insight into what is going on in the scientific world. His characters are not just an means to an end, they are genuine and real. I fell in love with his mystery writing when I read his Andy Broussard and Kit Franklin series (Cajun Nights, Blood on the Bayou, No Mardi Gras for the Dead, etc). Now it's move over Cornwell, Donaldson is my favorite medical thriller author too. I definitely would recommend Judas Virus along with his last two thrillers, Do No Harm and In the Blood.