Scream

by Laurel Bradley

In 1963, CDC research scientist, Dr. Liam Frank, travels to Uganda to reunite with his girlfriend Penny and treat patients at a Peace Corps camp where she’s teaching grade school. The minute he arrives, however, he’s hijacked by Mwana, a master strategist from the war-torn Belgian Congo, who has far different plans for the talented disease control physician. Despite Liam’s desire to prove himself to Penny, he’s coerced into the lab to try to isolate and control a horrific new disease called Scream—which drags its victims through a bloody, screaming hell and leaves no survivors. In a tightly played game of pawns, knights and would-be kings, Liam is cast in the role of pawn. To survive and rescue Penny, he’ll need to become a hero.

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found in the clearance section at Half Price Books, it looks self-published as heck, but somehow I could not walk away from its popcorn-flick-equivalent promises. I got what I came for while also being pleasantly surprised by the professional grade writing. Engaging medical thriller featuring the old "forced to work for bad guys" trope, set in a politically unstable part of Africa for extra kicks, with bonus dude-worried-about-his-girlfriend's-safety bits.

It kind of fizzled at the end, where I was expecting a lot more answers about the disease (whose name made it tough to take seriously despite its Ebola-esque horrors), but I'm still very happy with the time spent on it.

[Shelly Reddinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam works for the CDC and is remarkable at his job. His girlfriend is working for the Peace Corps in Africa. She wants him to come take a year and work with her helping people. Sounds like a great plan for Liam to be with Penny but from the moment his flight arrives in Africa he gets the feeling things are about to go very wrong.

Mwana is a very powerful man in the Congo who claims to need help solving mysteries around Scream and getting a vaccine made. Scream is a horrible deadly virus that takes out entire villages in what seems like hours. Mwana takes Liam hostage to figure out everything he can about Scream and how to cure it.

Liam knows things at not as they seem when he makes it to Mwana's compound and lab hidden deep in the dense jungle. Liam must figure out what Mwana plans to do with Scream as well as how to get back home. Can Liam save everyone from Scream? Can Liam figure out what Mwana plans to do with the virus or vaccine?

A must read for anyone who enjoys a good medical thriller book. This book has it all and it will keep you reading until the end.

[Goldie Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurel Bradley never fails to amaze me with her talent and the diverse styles of her books. "Scream" is one of those edge-of-your-seat thrillers that was impossible to put down. It's not at all like the silly old slasher satire movie with the same title. But it is a very, very scary story when you think about the way the Ebola virus made its way into our country...Sorry, I won't give away the plot, but I will say that it is an intelligent, thoughtful, and well-written suspense novel. I highly recommend "Scream."

[Beth Volkmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Laurel Bradley book and I can't wait to read the next one! It was definitely a thinker, from beginning to end, and unfortunately a very realistic scenario. I continually tried to put myself in Liam's position and figure out what I would do. A must read, exceptionally written!

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled greatly with his book; I found it slow and drawn out at times. I did not feel a connection between Frank and Penny, in fact in the first 85 pages of the book they had only spoken and seen each other twice. I would have liked to see more of a connection given the premise that he flew halfway across the world to be with her.
Heather
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More