1st in the John Corey series.

Corey, a NYC homicide detective on leave after being seriously wounded, is recovering at his uncle’s house on Long Island. The police chief of the small hamlet, a long-time family acquaintance, persuades Corey to become involved in a double murder homicide of two biologists whom Corey has met and liked. But since the couple worked on generating genetically altered viruses for vaccines at a Department of Agriculture animal biological research station on Plum Island, all sort of government agencies become interested, including the FBI and the CIA. Half of Long Island is in an uproar, convinced that the research station is involved in germ warfare research (illegal under an international treaty to which the US is a signatory) and that the couple were killed trying to smuggle out deadly viruses to sell to a foreign power.

The basic plot is good and the book is very well written. The denouement is exciting and again, very well written. But while I will rate this book highly on its merits, I don’t think I’ll read further in the series. Corey is a standard hard-boiled homicide detective who has a smart mouth and has trouble keeping his pants on. He’s a little too much of a stereotype and others have developed their protagonists better. I find him rather boring as a character and not interesting enough to read further to see if his character will change--which I rather doubt.

Highly recommended for fans of this type of police procedural.