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Shadow of Eden
A call for a physician on board a 747 awakens Dr. Steve James. He is ushered into the cockpit where he finds an unconscious copilot and a delusional captain. Moments later, he is the only conscious person in the cockpit as it plunges headlong toward Washington DC.
Secretary of State Linda Strahorn and President Robert Dixon watch in horror as China’s army ruthlessly kills 30,000 peaceful worshippers in Hong Kong, broadcast by a sole but ill fated TV camera crew.
Dr. James is confronted by the puzzling and relentlessly progressive brain illness of the 747 Captain and a young woman, an illness that may be the forerunner to thousands more getting the invariably fatal illness.
Secretary Strahorn and the White House Staff become alarmed as President Dixon becomes increasingly erratic in his management of the escalating military confrontation with China.
With his deep medical experience and his highly placed political and military informants, Kirby delivers a smart, devastatingly intense, and jaw-droppingly realistic medical and political thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last riveting page.
Secretary of State Linda Strahorn and President Robert Dixon watch in horror as China’s army ruthlessly kills 30,000 peaceful worshippers in Hong Kong, broadcast by a sole but ill fated TV camera crew.
Dr. James is confronted by the puzzling and relentlessly progressive brain illness of the 747 Captain and a young woman, an illness that may be the forerunner to thousands more getting the invariably fatal illness.
Secretary Strahorn and the White House Staff become alarmed as President Dixon becomes increasingly erratic in his management of the escalating military confrontation with China.
With his deep medical experience and his highly placed political and military informants, Kirby delivers a smart, devastatingly intense, and jaw-droppingly realistic medical and political thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last riveting page.
490 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
35 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Louis Kirby
2 books7 followersSource: http://www.amazon.com/Louis-Kirby/e/B...
Louis Kirby is an internationally recognized neurologist who specializes in neurodegenerative diseases, chiefly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Throughout his life he has always been drawn to writing. While in medical school he published two of his stories, one landing him in hot water with the Dean of Medicine.
While in clinical practice, Dr. Kirby founded Pivotal Research Centers in Phoenix, a research facility that specialized in human drug testing. Pivotal rapidly grew into one of the nation's largest medical research centers of its kind. During this time, Dr. Kirby served as principal investigator on nearly 400 clinical trials. He frequently gave presentations at national and international conferences on drug development and consulted for the government and the pharmaceutical industry.
After selling Pivotal Research Centers to a publicly held company, he served for a year as Chief Medical Officer for Provista Life Sciences, a biotech firm working with Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Kirby currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, and the Arizona Alzheimer's Association. He is a scientific advisor for several companies, including the Critical Path Institute, a non-profit organization working with the FDA in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. He consults for biotech and pharmaceutical companies on a part time basis and regularly speaks at scientific gatherings. These activities still leave him plenty of time to research and write his next book.
Dr. Kirby enjoys the wide-open skies (and dry heat) of Phoenix with his wife and daughter.
Louis Kirby is an internationally recognized neurologist who specializes in neurodegenerative diseases, chiefly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Throughout his life he has always been drawn to writing. While in medical school he published two of his stories, one landing him in hot water with the Dean of Medicine.
While in clinical practice, Dr. Kirby founded Pivotal Research Centers in Phoenix, a research facility that specialized in human drug testing. Pivotal rapidly grew into one of the nation's largest medical research centers of its kind. During this time, Dr. Kirby served as principal investigator on nearly 400 clinical trials. He frequently gave presentations at national and international conferences on drug development and consulted for the government and the pharmaceutical industry.
After selling Pivotal Research Centers to a publicly held company, he served for a year as Chief Medical Officer for Provista Life Sciences, a biotech firm working with Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Kirby currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, and the Arizona Alzheimer's Association. He is a scientific advisor for several companies, including the Critical Path Institute, a non-profit organization working with the FDA in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. He consults for biotech and pharmaceutical companies on a part time basis and regularly speaks at scientific gatherings. These activities still leave him plenty of time to research and write his next book.
Dr. Kirby enjoys the wide-open skies (and dry heat) of Phoenix with his wife and daughter.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 18, 2021
Just the right ingredient I like. Conspiracy involving big pharma company. A good man being chased. The white house is involved. Medical thriller.
October 23, 2013
I chose this book for THRILLER OF THE WEEK on my site.
If you like techno-thrillers from authors like A.G. Riddle, Michael Crichton, or Kathy Reichs, you’re going to love Louis Kirby. But don’t start the book anywhere near bedtime, the first seven chapters won’t let you go; and the rest will keep you awake until the end.
It’s not often you find a neurologist who can speak English to regular folks without making you run away*. Rarer still, is the doctor who can turn a career of studying neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc) into an understandable story. But Dr. Kirby is far better than his peers.
Shadow of Eden weaves a fascinating story that will fill you with page-turning anxiety and keep you engaged for hours.
From the opening scene in which an airliner plummets to the earth, through the death-defying car chase, to the final foot race through Washington, DC, you will be cheering your hero’s drive to expose an evil pharmaceutical kingpin and save the country from an unwinnable war.
Click here to see the whole review.
Peace, Seeley
If you like techno-thrillers from authors like A.G. Riddle, Michael Crichton, or Kathy Reichs, you’re going to love Louis Kirby. But don’t start the book anywhere near bedtime, the first seven chapters won’t let you go; and the rest will keep you awake until the end.
It’s not often you find a neurologist who can speak English to regular folks without making you run away*. Rarer still, is the doctor who can turn a career of studying neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc) into an understandable story. But Dr. Kirby is far better than his peers.
Shadow of Eden weaves a fascinating story that will fill you with page-turning anxiety and keep you engaged for hours.
From the opening scene in which an airliner plummets to the earth, through the death-defying car chase, to the final foot race through Washington, DC, you will be cheering your hero’s drive to expose an evil pharmaceutical kingpin and save the country from an unwinnable war.
Click here to see the whole review.
Peace, Seeley
November 14, 2013
Wow, what a roller coaster story! This is a classic thriller if there ever was one. I'm not big on medical stories because I worry that they'll lose me in the med-speak but this was done quite nicely. The actions were realistic, the chases were white-knuckle, the stakes were frightening, and worst of all, the premise was all-American (a problem with a weight loss drug). There was a little of the debut-author clumsiness, which knocked a star off, but a winner overall.
October 14, 2013
This is a great first novel by a new author. Well written, well edited. Louis Kirby's background in medicine gives this novel a lot of intricate, believable detail. I enjoyed the way different individual's medical choices led to larger crises and global concern. I'm already looking forward to this author's second novel.
February 27, 2015
Vanity...
Another good book that deserves more than five stars. Warning, if you have two days and nights just to read, than start reading. Because, you won't be able to put it down. Almost starting another war by sick president, to FDA approval of drugs. Excellent book, learned many things. Just take a pill, everything won't be okay. Kindle even was mentioned in this book.
Another good book that deserves more than five stars. Warning, if you have two days and nights just to read, than start reading. Because, you won't be able to put it down. Almost starting another war by sick president, to FDA approval of drugs. Excellent book, learned many things. Just take a pill, everything won't be okay. Kindle even was mentioned in this book.
September 28, 2013
I didn't finish this book, I only read 1/4 of it. There was too much government inter-action and not enough suspense or thrill.
January 6, 2024
|| 2.5 ⭐️ ||
It was okay, but very long for a thriller.
For at least three quarters of the book, I felt like I was reading two entirely different stories in one. There was the pharmaceutical scandal (which was the plot line I found interesting) and the political scandal (which I wasn’t really interested in at all), and there was very little convergence between the two plot lines until near the end. Even then, they just barely came together, and they were not tied together in a satisfying way. Take away 80% of the political plot line, or at least the unnecessary gruelling detail of it, and it would be a much more gripping book.
There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and for the most part not a whole lot to differentiate them. Aside from a few, most of the characters felt really flat.
The parts of this book that I enjoyed, I enjoyed quite a bit. But the negatives were hard to look past.
|| Content warnings ||
A fair bit of profanity and misuses of God’s name. Sexual references: brief and sparse but gross, and literally contributed nothing to the story or character development. Massacre, war, violence, murder, rape. Mentions of suicide.
It was okay, but very long for a thriller.
For at least three quarters of the book, I felt like I was reading two entirely different stories in one. There was the pharmaceutical scandal (which was the plot line I found interesting) and the political scandal (which I wasn’t really interested in at all), and there was very little convergence between the two plot lines until near the end. Even then, they just barely came together, and they were not tied together in a satisfying way. Take away 80% of the political plot line, or at least the unnecessary gruelling detail of it, and it would be a much more gripping book.
There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, and for the most part not a whole lot to differentiate them. Aside from a few, most of the characters felt really flat.
The parts of this book that I enjoyed, I enjoyed quite a bit. But the negatives were hard to look past.
|| Content warnings ||
A fair bit of profanity and misuses of God’s name. Sexual references: brief and sparse but gross, and literally contributed nothing to the story or character development. Massacre, war, violence, murder, rape. Mentions of suicide.
April 11, 2024
My favorite medical-themed book since The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.
A tale that'll make you weary of how much money is in the pharmaceutical business and how much is at stake for something as boring and mundane as FDA approval. I found myself sifting through the ethical dilemma. How much would I bend the truth for $10 billion dollars and an ends-justify-the-means product?
The political intrigue is spot on, and post-Ukraine holds a more haunting realism than I'd like to admit.
Definetly worth a read, amazing book by an amazing author.
A tale that'll make you weary of how much money is in the pharmaceutical business and how much is at stake for something as boring and mundane as FDA approval. I found myself sifting through the ethical dilemma. How much would I bend the truth for $10 billion dollars and an ends-justify-the-means product?
The political intrigue is spot on, and post-Ukraine holds a more haunting realism than I'd like to admit.
Definetly worth a read, amazing book by an amazing author.
April 12, 2021
Thriller medyczny o tym jak nie do końca prawidłowo przebadany blockbuster na odchudzanie zaczyna zabijać pacjentów. Jest też bardzo dzielny doktor DR Steve James, który dąży do odkrycia prawdy. A prawda jest trudna, bo właściciel firmy farmaceutycznej za wszelką cenę stara się wyluczyć z gry wszystkich, którzy zaczynają zadawać za dużo pytań,
Fajna rozrywka
Fajna rozrywka
January 2, 2014
Shadow of Eden by Louis Kirby, M.D. is a thriller of a book, but it's so much more than that.
The different levels run the gambit from our society's obsession with thinness at any cost to the sway of power and money with an even higher price tag.
I usually don't read this type of action-packed, plot driven novel. However, after finishing Shadow of Eden in two days because I couldn’t leave it alone, I wonder why I’ve put limits on my reading list. As usually happens, when I step out of my reading pigeonhole, surprising things happen.
At first, the number of characters and the changing names with each new chapter caused some confusion. However, as the layers of the story began to coalesce, I forgot about trying to keep all the names straight and went for the enjoyment of losing myself in the story. While the characters and their traits are important to the story, they aren’t as important as the speeding plot heading for a collision with the climax of the story.
I like the short chapters, too. This technique allows the plot to move forward quickly, and I didn’t have much of a chance to wonder if I knew who everyone was or if I was enjoying the genre or not. Who can stop to analyze when the novel’s train has already left the station and sped around the corner? That's a good thing for me when I read. As a writer myself, I spend far too much time taking apart the guts of what I'm reading. When I stop doing that and allow myself to be transported into a story, then I know the author has done what all good writing should do. Good writing gives the reader the opportunity to forget they're reading. Good writing transports the reader into the cockpit of a jet, even though the reader has never been inside of one. Good writing transcends believability because no matter what comes next, the reader has become lost in the setting and conflicts and plot. Dr. Kirby’s writing falls into this category.
Dr. Kirby delved into subject matter that required a tremendous amount of research. His standing as a respected neurologist and founder of a facility specializing in human drug testing gave him very specific knowledge of the body and its reaction to foreign substances; his knowledge of jets, government infrastructure, and corporation duplicity shines through in this novel for a fast read and a vast amount of tracks to explore.
I’m a fan of both Dr. Kirby and the action-packed thriller after reading Shadow of Eden.
The different levels run the gambit from our society's obsession with thinness at any cost to the sway of power and money with an even higher price tag.
I usually don't read this type of action-packed, plot driven novel. However, after finishing Shadow of Eden in two days because I couldn’t leave it alone, I wonder why I’ve put limits on my reading list. As usually happens, when I step out of my reading pigeonhole, surprising things happen.
At first, the number of characters and the changing names with each new chapter caused some confusion. However, as the layers of the story began to coalesce, I forgot about trying to keep all the names straight and went for the enjoyment of losing myself in the story. While the characters and their traits are important to the story, they aren’t as important as the speeding plot heading for a collision with the climax of the story.
I like the short chapters, too. This technique allows the plot to move forward quickly, and I didn’t have much of a chance to wonder if I knew who everyone was or if I was enjoying the genre or not. Who can stop to analyze when the novel’s train has already left the station and sped around the corner? That's a good thing for me when I read. As a writer myself, I spend far too much time taking apart the guts of what I'm reading. When I stop doing that and allow myself to be transported into a story, then I know the author has done what all good writing should do. Good writing gives the reader the opportunity to forget they're reading. Good writing transports the reader into the cockpit of a jet, even though the reader has never been inside of one. Good writing transcends believability because no matter what comes next, the reader has become lost in the setting and conflicts and plot. Dr. Kirby’s writing falls into this category.
Dr. Kirby delved into subject matter that required a tremendous amount of research. His standing as a respected neurologist and founder of a facility specializing in human drug testing gave him very specific knowledge of the body and its reaction to foreign substances; his knowledge of jets, government infrastructure, and corporation duplicity shines through in this novel for a fast read and a vast amount of tracks to explore.
I’m a fan of both Dr. Kirby and the action-packed thriller after reading Shadow of Eden.
March 17, 2016
This is a long book, but I loved it! Elaine Fisher (marylane)
Eden is a wonderful new drug that's been on the market for several years and by now there are many diagnoses for which it is being used . The most famous of all these is for weight loss . Pharmacies can hardly keep it in stock! As the book opens, Dr. Steve James has a harrowing experience as he has to take over the piloting of the 747 he is on as the pilot starts having convulsions and the plane is accidentally put into a nosedive. Dr. James determines that the pilot has a incurable brain disease as a result of using Eden and that anyone else who uses it may be in danger. After this, the drug company is out to get him and anyone he recruits to help him find the truth. He narrowly escapes death on more than one occasion. When he tries to take his information to the government, he suspects that one of the highest ranking officials may be infected. As the book is drawing to a close , the United States and China are about to go to war, Dr. James has lost his medical license and things are looking dire. But I can't be a spoiler-you'll have to read the book to see what happens! It's really worth it!
Eden is a wonderful new drug that's been on the market for several years and by now there are many diagnoses for which it is being used . The most famous of all these is for weight loss . Pharmacies can hardly keep it in stock! As the book opens, Dr. Steve James has a harrowing experience as he has to take over the piloting of the 747 he is on as the pilot starts having convulsions and the plane is accidentally put into a nosedive. Dr. James determines that the pilot has a incurable brain disease as a result of using Eden and that anyone else who uses it may be in danger. After this, the drug company is out to get him and anyone he recruits to help him find the truth. He narrowly escapes death on more than one occasion. When he tries to take his information to the government, he suspects that one of the highest ranking officials may be infected. As the book is drawing to a close , the United States and China are about to go to war, Dr. James has lost his medical license and things are looking dire. But I can't be a spoiler-you'll have to read the book to see what happens! It's really worth it!
September 30, 2014
I wanted to give this three and a half stars because the craft wasn't as polished as it could have been, but rounded to four anyway. The fast-paced plot was exciting enough to keep me reading.
The story starts with a scary scene when a pilot reliving battle scenes attacks his co-pilot. A doctor on board is called to the cockpit, but the situation deteriorates as the pilot again goes off on a tangent. Dr. James eventually has to take the controls.
From that beginning, we're drawn into the world of drugs. Legal drugs peddled by the big pharmaceutical companies. Drugs that sometimes slip through the tests and trials and end up doing real harm to people. Dr. James trusts one of these, a drug called Eden that promotes weight loss. To his horror, as the story unwinds, it also promotes a killing disease in humans similar to Mad Cow Disease. And the drug company will do whatever it takes to keep it quiet.
Before it's over, Dr. James's personal and medical reputation is at stake, as well as his life and the lives of his family.
Good read.
The story starts with a scary scene when a pilot reliving battle scenes attacks his co-pilot. A doctor on board is called to the cockpit, but the situation deteriorates as the pilot again goes off on a tangent. Dr. James eventually has to take the controls.
From that beginning, we're drawn into the world of drugs. Legal drugs peddled by the big pharmaceutical companies. Drugs that sometimes slip through the tests and trials and end up doing real harm to people. Dr. James trusts one of these, a drug called Eden that promotes weight loss. To his horror, as the story unwinds, it also promotes a killing disease in humans similar to Mad Cow Disease. And the drug company will do whatever it takes to keep it quiet.
Before it's over, Dr. James's personal and medical reputation is at stake, as well as his life and the lives of his family.
Good read.
July 8, 2020
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2020: "a medical thriller."
Thrillers, in general, are not my favorite genre, but I thought this particular book sounded interesting based on the blurb/description online. It was a pretty quick read when I actually picked it up, but I found that there were almost too many characters to follow (some only had one chapter and I felt those were not always necessary).
The basic premise for me was good: "miracle" drug turns out to be not a miracle. The adversaries (protagonist and antagonist) only met at the end, leaving a pretty good build-up to how that would resolve. So I don't give spoilers I will only say that while the idea behind the drug being a major health issue was believable, the steps that the drug company took to hide that fact were a bit too far fetched to really find even plausible.
Thrillers, in general, are not my favorite genre, but I thought this particular book sounded interesting based on the blurb/description online. It was a pretty quick read when I actually picked it up, but I found that there were almost too many characters to follow (some only had one chapter and I felt those were not always necessary).
The basic premise for me was good: "miracle" drug turns out to be not a miracle. The adversaries (protagonist and antagonist) only met at the end, leaving a pretty good build-up to how that would resolve. So I don't give spoilers I will only say that while the idea behind the drug being a major health issue was believable, the steps that the drug company took to hide that fact were a bit too far fetched to really find even plausible.
January 18, 2015
Imagine being able to buy a drug that gets rid of obesity without the need to diet or exercise! Eden is such a medication, but there were some shortcuts made in getting it approved by FDA, and now people are coming up with alarming and potentially fatal symptoms. The enormously wealthy CEO of the manufacturing company now must take drastic measures to silence those who are trying to discredit Eden. Add to this mix the fact that the President is making some bad decisions regarding Taiwan and China that could put the country and its fleet in peril. Pretty good tale.
March 24, 2014
Shadow of Eden reminds me a bit of Ludlum's writing style. Not that I read a lot of Ludlum though. I actually preferred the Bourne series as movies over the books and I think I would feel the same about this book. Overall I did enjoy it somewhat, but certainly wouldn't recommend it.
April 28, 2014
A bit formulaic for my tastes, but he did a nice contrast between the expected "bad drug" politics and a rather (unlikely) related Political thriller... A quick read but nothing really new or earth-shaking in terms of the plot. Cotton candy :)
October 28, 2014
This was a book I could put down. Took 7 months to read. The story was good, but the characters were somewhat flat, somehow not complex enough. Left them unbelievable. And KCl does not burn your skin. But the prion disease was interesting for a plot line.
May 15, 2015
Fantastic!
What a great blend of Big Pharma, politics and our society's obsession with pills. I stayed up all night just to read Mr. Kirby's fast-paced drama. It would make a great movie!
What a great blend of Big Pharma, politics and our society's obsession with pills. I stayed up all night just to read Mr. Kirby's fast-paced drama. It would make a great movie!
May 17, 2015
Couldn't put this one down
Great medical crime novel along the lines of a Robin Cook story. Really entertaining. Kept me up half the night as I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Great medical crime novel along the lines of a Robin Cook story. Really entertaining. Kept me up half the night as I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
June 10, 2015
Tense big stage thriller
This author uses action packed, short chapters to move the story along and maintain interest in the interlocked tales. An ailing president, confrontation with China, and a 21st century plague are skillfully handled in this action packed thriller
This author uses action packed, short chapters to move the story along and maintain interest in the interlocked tales. An ailing president, confrontation with China, and a 21st century plague are skillfully handled in this action packed thriller
September 17, 2015
Excellent!
I was interested right away in the whole premise. But when I hit somewhere around 35% of the book, I couldn't put it down and read week into the early am. Fast paced, thrilling and well written. Adding this author to my list.
I was interested right away in the whole premise. But when I hit somewhere around 35% of the book, I couldn't put it down and read week into the early am. Fast paced, thrilling and well written. Adding this author to my list.
February 22, 2014
Exciting thriller! Medical and political themes, lots of scary action, plausible plotline that felt real. I liked it a lot.
March 14, 2014
Shadow of Eden
This book could have only been written by a doctor. It was a fantastic read. Hard to put down, exciting with every turn of the page.
This book could have only been written by a doctor. It was a fantastic read. Hard to put down, exciting with every turn of the page.
March 15, 2014
I loved this book! There were so many subplots that were all interconnected and yet no apparent means of resolution. Would make a great movie!
April 29, 2014
A thrilling suspense novel! There are both medical and political issues afoot and a fascinating assortment of characters. You know how it will turn out, but you have no idea how it will get there!
October 20, 2014
This was a very fun book to read! Would read more by this author.
June 29, 2015
Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I just can't get over the imagination of the author.. I am grateful for his ability as a writer. All I can say is KEEP THEM COMING. THANK YOU!
I just can't get over the imagination of the author.. I am grateful for his ability as a writer. All I can say is KEEP THEM COMING. THANK YOU!
July 17, 2015
Fast paced
I was caught up the minute I started reading. Fast paced. Intriguing. I stumbled on a few of the medical jargon reports but it was so-so good.
I was caught up the minute I started reading. Fast paced. Intriguing. I stumbled on a few of the medical jargon reports but it was so-so good.
August 18, 2015
Excellent Edge of the Seat Reading
This is a great story. Don't plan on getting to bed early! You'll be staying up late reading this one.
This is a great story. Don't plan on getting to bed early! You'll be staying up late reading this one.
November 16, 2015
Great read!
Although it wasn't one of those "can't put it down" books, it kept my attention throughout. Characters were fully drawn, and tensions were tight.
Although it wasn't one of those "can't put it down" books, it kept my attention throughout. Characters were fully drawn, and tensions were tight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews