With the highly acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Genesis Code, John Case gave us a compelling, chillingly plausible novel of suspense. Now C...
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reviews
Jan 07, 2012
Jen
rated it: 
Well, that's several hours of my life I'll never get back. I read The Genesis Code by the same author about a decade ago and liked it. I picked this up at a used book store shortly after, but never got around to reading it until now. Either The Genesis Code was not as good as I remember it, or I've matured as a reader since then, or I've now read too many science/religion sort of thrillers, because this book was awful. I figured out what was going on somewhere in the first third of the book,
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Jan 10, 2009
Kim
rated it:
This is a thriller about a journalist who stumbles upon a plot to release a biological weapon into the public.
I needed books on CD for commuting, and someone passed this along to me. I found it disappointing for a number of reasons:
1. The characters didn't really have any depth. I was surprised at hints of a possible romance in the story, because the characters don't display emotion. They were not developed in any way.
2. The climax is rather anti-climactic. It More...
I needed books on CD for commuting, and someone passed this along to me. I found it disappointing for a number of reasons:
1. The characters didn't really have any depth. I was surprised at hints of a possible romance in the story, because the characters don't display emotion. They were not developed in any way.
2. The climax is rather anti-climactic. It More...
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Mar 15, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
The entire plot of this book is better handled as a subplot in Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. It struck me how dated this book was, even compared to some sci-fi books from the eighties I'm reading. If the number two sin of this book is that the terrorists have a ridiculous plan that deserved to be foiled, the number one sin is that the author reveals things to the reader half a book before the main characters catch on to it... so we're left reading what amounts to a slow game of "watch the re
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Feb 14, 2008
Maurean
rated it: 
The story begins when a small North Korean village suffers a high death toll from a strange illness, which the doctor sent from Pyongyang cryptically refers to as “the Spanish Lady” before said village is burnt to the ground by military officials.
As the CIA investigates the events at Tasi-ko, they realize the disease could well be a hybrid Spanish flu being tested as a biological weapon, and so recruit a team of American microbiologists to uncover the only known sample of the 1918 fl More...
As the CIA investigates the events at Tasi-ko, they realize the disease could well be a hybrid Spanish flu being tested as a biological weapon, and so recruit a team of American microbiologists to uncover the only known sample of the 1918 fl More...
Nov 10, 2010
Susan
rated it: 
I got this one from my dad's personal library. I was attracted to it because it novelizes a germ warfare plot involving the Spanish Flu, which I read about in Gina Kolata's book "Flu - The Story of the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918 and The Search for the Virus That Caused It". Since I got the "Flu" book off my niece Mo's GoodReads list, I will carry this little novel, a good fast ride of a read, to Mo when we see each other at Christmastime in Flagstaff, AZ.
Aug 02, 2011
Mattias
rated it:
Its a very enjoyable book with a very interesting story which feels as relevant today as when the book was written back in 1998. Religious groups and bio weapon is enought to make me scared. The story is good but Mr Case isnt as good with action sequences and with the love element of the story which feels a little bland. I reco the book but read "The Genesis code" first which is a much better book.
Nov 05, 2010
Jenn
rated it:
When I began this one I wondered what the story had to do with the blurb on the back. After finishing the novel, I still believe the blurb didn't bring justice to the entire story.
I found the novel a little hard going at first and it took awhile to capture my interest. It all wrapped up fairly quickly and I thought it might make a good 24 episode/season. However, I only rated it as a 3 as I have read better thrillers including his second book.
I found the novel a little hard going at first and it took awhile to capture my interest. It all wrapped up fairly quickly and I thought it might make a good 24 episode/season. However, I only rated it as a 3 as I have read better thrillers including his second book.
Oct 18, 2011
Beth
rated it:
The front cover claimed that Publishers Weekly said that this book was "gripping... [a] tense thriller" (which is NOT what PW said, if you read the review). Anyway, I couldn't disagree more that this was a tense thriller (mainly because I kept falling asleep while trying to read it). I usually like medical/scientific thrillers, in addition to anything related to the 1918 flu, but this didn't do it for me. Also, I don't think a book can be counted as a thriller when it details all the r
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May 18, 2011
Freddy
rated it:
First book i've read by john case. It was given to me by a coworker who reads some of the same stuff i do. It started out a little shaky for me-didn't seem like something i would like. However, the book quickly shifted in another direction and i didn't want to put it down. The characters were good. The dialogue was fun. definetely a good read that kept you interested.
Aug 09, 2009
Jenn
rated it:
This is a Michael Chrichton/Robin Cook type book, but done better than Cook and a little more believable than Crichton. It is about the ver real Spanish flu and repercussions when terrorist groups get a hold of it. I enjoyed this book and now I would like to reread it considering what is going on with the H1N1 virus.
Jan 19, 2009
LeAnn
rated it:
Not as great as John Case's The Genesis Code, The Syndrome, or The Eight Day. If I could, I'd give this 4 stars and the others 4 1/2 or 5 stars. The last 1/3 of The First Horseman is the most thrilling, so you kind of have to hang in there for the good stuff. Definitely worth reading, though, if you're a John Case fan.
Aug 31, 2009
Jack
rated it: 
A truly timely read with the spread of the Swine Flu.
A startling example of what could come from viral biological terrorism.
Once opened, I could not close the book, and could not believe what
I was reading.
A startling example of what could come from viral biological terrorism.
Once opened, I could not close the book, and could not believe what
I was reading.
Dec 17, 2009
Russ
rated it:
This is an example of a book that ends up better than what the back-cover blurb suggests. I think I bought this because it mentioned Norway, but it only spends a brief time there. I did get a kick out of the little Norwegian spoken by harbor cops.
I also thought the book would take place on a ship, but it really doesn't spend much time on one. The plot suggested by the blurb is merely the beginning of an incredible, very scary situation.
I won't spoil it by saying an More...
I also thought the book would take place on a ship, but it really doesn't spend much time on one. The plot suggested by the blurb is merely the beginning of an incredible, very scary situation.
I won't spoil it by saying an More...
Jun 24, 2009
Keith
rated it:
Could anything like this really happen? There are some swine flu conspiracy theories out there. But seriously, this book picks on some the right people in my opinion.
Nov 29, 2011
Mailmanr5
rated it:
Excellent version of a plot that has been done before. It just comes at you from a different angle and is more realistic.
Jul 17, 2009
Wouter
rated it:
John Case writes always according the same paradigm. He is very good in describing something imaginable as very realistic.
Aug 23, 2011
Amy
rated it:
3 star science thriller (top 50% of the genre). For my full review, see ScienceThrillers.com
Jan 02, 2010
a very well-written book that has gripped me from the start..fast-paced and thrilling..
Sep 19, 2009
Anne-françoise
rated it:
Jan 28, 2012
Charleen
rated it:
This is my second John Case novel, and I really enjoyed it. I debated giving it 5 stars, but it wasn't quite there. Still, it's an entertaining page-turner, one I would highly recommend to thriller fans, especially those who like stories with high stakes and global implications. It had a similar feel to Jane Jensen's Judgement Day, another of my favorite thrillers.
Mar 03, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
I started the book with the first few chapters looking at the back cover trying to figure out how they tied into the book summary, but now that I'm into it, I'm really enjoying the book. I could do without chapter 25, and if you read the book, don't plan on stopping for the night after reading this chapter because it's disturbing.
Sep 18, 2010
Bettie
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 16, 2008
Myrivername
rated it:
Just a quick read while I was a camp counselor for AmeriCorps, from the limited selection available at the camp. It's actually a pretty cool mystery.
Nov 22, 2011
Janiej78
rated it:
A scary thought that this "could" happen. Reading this book was slow for me, not exactly sure why but I wanted to finish it and I did.
Sep 24, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
Interesting, well written story about a reporter who uncovers a plot to release a manufactured plague of Spanish Flu on the world.
