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Nathalie Thompson #3
Drugs to Forget
TV documentary maker Nathalie Thompson is back for a third adventure, this time making a film on bioterror and Ebola that takes her from the Javanese jungle to the desolate interior of Zimbabwe. A web of secrets and threats lie in front of her. The threat of Ebola, lethal microbes and memory loss stand in her way. Can she unlock the tangle in time to broadcast the facts and prevent the spread of a terrible disease?
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2018
About the author
Martin Granger
7 books28 followersMartin has been making documentary films for thirty years. In that time he has won more than 100 international film awards. His work has ranged from directing BBC’s Horizon to producing a BAFTA nominated science series for Channel 4. His novels, although fiction, are based upon his exploits in the film industry. He lives in Wimbledon with his wife Jacqueline.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 31, 2018
Natalie Thompson is an investigative film director, tasked with making a documentary on the threat of bioterrorism. She is quickly made aware of an Ebola outbreak in central Africa which is being kept under wraps by the authorities, and the journalist in Natalie seeks to find a way into the local healthcare system in order to search for answers. She gains the trust of medical staff by posing as a film maker for a Western aid charity who wishes to learn more about their vaccination programme. Whilst in Africa, a contact introduces her to a Zimbabwean terrorist group and she must take on yet another undercover persona, posing as a blogger and Western African rights sympathiser. Is it possible that these terrorists are really planning to give the West a dose of “African disease”?
Meanwhile in London Tom is a new rookie to the investigative film world and is set to work doing research for Natalie’s project. He uncovers suspicious activities in a laboratory in Java and soon finds himself dispatched off to investigate – and with a minder in tow! They make contact with a young chemist who is concerned about the research work that she is being asked to undertake. When Natalie and Tom touch base with each other, they find that there are various strands to their stories that are linking to each other and to the terrorist group. Certain names in pharmaceutical companies keep cropping up too, alongside studies into Alzheimer’s disease. Now the question is do they continue with the sole purpose of making a documentary or should the authorities be alerted to the very real prospect of a bioterrorist attack?
Action, suspense, intrigue, danger, fear, excitement…..just some of the words to sum up this novel. I believe that Natalie Thompson has appeared in several other novels by the author, but this can be read as a stand-alone book – I haven’t read the others. This novel is so current and the author’s background in investigative documentary films is very evident with the detailed descriptions of both fieldwork and the editorial offices. The devastation of Ebola has been on our television screens for several years now and the Western world is well aware of the havoc that it can wreak. Add to this the recent happenings in the UK with the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter, this storyline becomes completely plausible and for that reason more frightening.
I do love the fact that the lead character is a woman – but then I would say that, I suppose! Natalie is gutsy, strong, intelligent and driven. At times I was fearful for her when she appeared to be reckless in her actions, but this for me is an indication of the great suspense that Mr Granger conjures with his writing. The complexities of her character develop as she becomes more involved with the medical programmes in Africa and meets the real people who are affected. She is empathetic and finds herself conflicted between the story that she is out to uncover and the other very human stories that she is finds thrown into, including research trials into drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Essentially, she is lying to people who believe that she is there to help and I like the fact that I can feel her grappling with her conscience when recording in an undercover capacity.
The other characters develop nicely through the story too – young Tom who finds himself in dangerous situations that he would never have dreamt of and using his sexuality to win the confidence of a source; Nick the ex-soldier sent to babysit Tom who has useful contacts within various police/ authorities; and Geoff the boss, who is spinning so many plates in his office that it feels at times that he can’t possibly keep everyone happy and produce a great programme. I learnt so much about film production from the great descriptions of the actual filming to the editing and beyond.
The author does cover moral and ethical conflicts that I imagine are a daily occurrence for any documentary maker. In this case the issues are around the findings of the investigations as it becomes apparent just what the terrorists are planning and just how the pharmaceutical companies are linked. Should the team continue filming in order to get a fantastic story? Just when is the right time to inform the authorities what they have discovered? What happens if the authorities in other countries don’t listen or are just too corrupt themselves to act? Then Mr Granger introduces us to the legal implications!
I loved this book from start to finish. The fact that at times my heart was in my mouth for me shows how well it is written – the suspense created through the investigation was great. For an action-packed, exciting, believable investigative read I would definitely recommend “Drugs to Forget” – this gets full marks form me! Now I am off to find the other books from this author. 5 stars.
Meanwhile in London Tom is a new rookie to the investigative film world and is set to work doing research for Natalie’s project. He uncovers suspicious activities in a laboratory in Java and soon finds himself dispatched off to investigate – and with a minder in tow! They make contact with a young chemist who is concerned about the research work that she is being asked to undertake. When Natalie and Tom touch base with each other, they find that there are various strands to their stories that are linking to each other and to the terrorist group. Certain names in pharmaceutical companies keep cropping up too, alongside studies into Alzheimer’s disease. Now the question is do they continue with the sole purpose of making a documentary or should the authorities be alerted to the very real prospect of a bioterrorist attack?
Action, suspense, intrigue, danger, fear, excitement…..just some of the words to sum up this novel. I believe that Natalie Thompson has appeared in several other novels by the author, but this can be read as a stand-alone book – I haven’t read the others. This novel is so current and the author’s background in investigative documentary films is very evident with the detailed descriptions of both fieldwork and the editorial offices. The devastation of Ebola has been on our television screens for several years now and the Western world is well aware of the havoc that it can wreak. Add to this the recent happenings in the UK with the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter, this storyline becomes completely plausible and for that reason more frightening.
I do love the fact that the lead character is a woman – but then I would say that, I suppose! Natalie is gutsy, strong, intelligent and driven. At times I was fearful for her when she appeared to be reckless in her actions, but this for me is an indication of the great suspense that Mr Granger conjures with his writing. The complexities of her character develop as she becomes more involved with the medical programmes in Africa and meets the real people who are affected. She is empathetic and finds herself conflicted between the story that she is out to uncover and the other very human stories that she is finds thrown into, including research trials into drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Essentially, she is lying to people who believe that she is there to help and I like the fact that I can feel her grappling with her conscience when recording in an undercover capacity.
The other characters develop nicely through the story too – young Tom who finds himself in dangerous situations that he would never have dreamt of and using his sexuality to win the confidence of a source; Nick the ex-soldier sent to babysit Tom who has useful contacts within various police/ authorities; and Geoff the boss, who is spinning so many plates in his office that it feels at times that he can’t possibly keep everyone happy and produce a great programme. I learnt so much about film production from the great descriptions of the actual filming to the editing and beyond.
The author does cover moral and ethical conflicts that I imagine are a daily occurrence for any documentary maker. In this case the issues are around the findings of the investigations as it becomes apparent just what the terrorists are planning and just how the pharmaceutical companies are linked. Should the team continue filming in order to get a fantastic story? Just when is the right time to inform the authorities what they have discovered? What happens if the authorities in other countries don’t listen or are just too corrupt themselves to act? Then Mr Granger introduces us to the legal implications!
I loved this book from start to finish. The fact that at times my heart was in my mouth for me shows how well it is written – the suspense created through the investigation was great. For an action-packed, exciting, believable investigative read I would definitely recommend “Drugs to Forget” – this gets full marks form me! Now I am off to find the other books from this author. 5 stars.
May 29, 2018
This is the story of Nathalie Thompson, a reporter that wants to do a documentary film about bioterrorism and Ebola, and will put in danger the life of all the country thanks to her questions... Ready?
Microbiology has been always something I've been fascinated by, how can something so small could be so damaging and dangerous? How nature could have created something so devastating for humans and nature too? Of course in this story, we will be talking about the dangerous virus Ebola, but not the natural one, the one modified by humans...
Nathalie and Tom (Nathalie new colleague) want to do a documentary film mixing terrorists, virus and the connection between the big pharmaceuticals... Maybe it would seem that there's no link between them, but after reading this book you'll be surprised on how a dangerous idea could mean the death of millions of people.
While I was reading the story I didn't totally understand Nathalie's character, sometimes it felt like she had ice on the blood and she just wanted the highlight... In other parts, she was regretful of her acts... like she didn't know what their beliefs were... On the other hand, Tom, that is the first time on this dangerous job, is ready to sacrifice his life for the program and to share with the world the truth.
This is not one of those books with a beautiful ending, it is too real to have a nice ending, because as you have read a few times on the newspapers spreading a dangerous illness in a big city is something some terrorists already have tried... But maybe instead of thinking of their attacks, we should think why they are doing it. I don't believe in killing, I am against weapons but some countries are really poor because some other are too rich, when will we start to make a change and give something to them?
This had been an interesting read, sometimes the technical part were a little boring, but it was necessary to put the reader in context and understand how the documentary was going.
Be prepared for a non-stop trip around the world, full of dangerous illnesses, terrorists and scientists... Would you kill for your beliefs?
Microbiology has been always something I've been fascinated by, how can something so small could be so damaging and dangerous? How nature could have created something so devastating for humans and nature too? Of course in this story, we will be talking about the dangerous virus Ebola, but not the natural one, the one modified by humans...
Nathalie and Tom (Nathalie new colleague) want to do a documentary film mixing terrorists, virus and the connection between the big pharmaceuticals... Maybe it would seem that there's no link between them, but after reading this book you'll be surprised on how a dangerous idea could mean the death of millions of people.
While I was reading the story I didn't totally understand Nathalie's character, sometimes it felt like she had ice on the blood and she just wanted the highlight... In other parts, she was regretful of her acts... like she didn't know what their beliefs were... On the other hand, Tom, that is the first time on this dangerous job, is ready to sacrifice his life for the program and to share with the world the truth.
This is not one of those books with a beautiful ending, it is too real to have a nice ending, because as you have read a few times on the newspapers spreading a dangerous illness in a big city is something some terrorists already have tried... But maybe instead of thinking of their attacks, we should think why they are doing it. I don't believe in killing, I am against weapons but some countries are really poor because some other are too rich, when will we start to make a change and give something to them?
This had been an interesting read, sometimes the technical part were a little boring, but it was necessary to put the reader in context and understand how the documentary was going.
Be prepared for a non-stop trip around the world, full of dangerous illnesses, terrorists and scientists... Would you kill for your beliefs?
May 29, 2018
3.5*
Martin Granger writes very much on topic - bioterrorism used, in this instance, to show how the pharmaceutical industry is so badly treating Africa, being allowed to get away with it and the cover up on drugs which should be helping those who are sick but don’t.
In Drugs to Forget we have a new group, not known even in their country of origin, WEXA are even more dangerous because of that – nobody knows them so no one can predict what they will do.
Natalie is a hardened film director, she’s seen it and done it, but even she is shocked at what WEXA is prepared to do and how far they will go to get what they want. Will she be able to prove how dangerous they are?
Her new research assistant, Tom, is sent to check out leads in Java. Wet behind the ears he, with the help of Gita, Nick and Michael uncovers some strange goings-on, manages to get some vital information and terrific footage to boot.
There is a lot of stuff in the book about filming some technical but mainly about processes and, of course, there’s a bit of medical information it may seem a little tedious but by and large it’s interesting and gives context. This is a book about investigative filmmaking after all.
The characters are quite well drawn. I liked Natalie, although she was all business, there were one or two glimpses of a caring, passionate person but she knows she has to keep her head in the game. Tom tends to be more open as a character. Nick, Geoff and Stephanie make for a good supporting ‘cast’.
This isn’t an action-packed book but it does have some pretty tense scenes in it. You are carried around the globe as various leads are followed and, as the end approaches, it is nicely brought together through Natalie’s insight, Tom’s reasoning and some rather sad events. This book highlights what could happen, does happen it’s realistic and an interesting read.
With thanks to LoveBooksGroupTours for inviting me to read and review Drugs to Forget by Martin Granger and to Red Door Publishing for providing the eARC.
Martin Granger writes very much on topic - bioterrorism used, in this instance, to show how the pharmaceutical industry is so badly treating Africa, being allowed to get away with it and the cover up on drugs which should be helping those who are sick but don’t.
In Drugs to Forget we have a new group, not known even in their country of origin, WEXA are even more dangerous because of that – nobody knows them so no one can predict what they will do.
Natalie is a hardened film director, she’s seen it and done it, but even she is shocked at what WEXA is prepared to do and how far they will go to get what they want. Will she be able to prove how dangerous they are?
Her new research assistant, Tom, is sent to check out leads in Java. Wet behind the ears he, with the help of Gita, Nick and Michael uncovers some strange goings-on, manages to get some vital information and terrific footage to boot.
There is a lot of stuff in the book about filming some technical but mainly about processes and, of course, there’s a bit of medical information it may seem a little tedious but by and large it’s interesting and gives context. This is a book about investigative filmmaking after all.
The characters are quite well drawn. I liked Natalie, although she was all business, there were one or two glimpses of a caring, passionate person but she knows she has to keep her head in the game. Tom tends to be more open as a character. Nick, Geoff and Stephanie make for a good supporting ‘cast’.
This isn’t an action-packed book but it does have some pretty tense scenes in it. You are carried around the globe as various leads are followed and, as the end approaches, it is nicely brought together through Natalie’s insight, Tom’s reasoning and some rather sad events. This book highlights what could happen, does happen it’s realistic and an interesting read.
With thanks to LoveBooksGroupTours for inviting me to read and review Drugs to Forget by Martin Granger and to Red Door Publishing for providing the eARC.
February 21, 2022
A tale about a team of documentary film makers, bioterrorism and criminal pharmaceutical companies, which combine to produce an intriguing thriller. This proved to be an entertaining read which provided interesting information on how independent TV film makers go about their work.
I found the description of the documentary filming process fascinating. All the more so as it was underpinned by bioterrorism and the methods used by pharmaceutical companies. The characters were believable as were the locations in London and Zimbabwe.
The author was well briefed on the situation his characters found themselves in and so was able to produce a believable peace of fiction. I highly recommend it.
I found the description of the documentary filming process fascinating. All the more so as it was underpinned by bioterrorism and the methods used by pharmaceutical companies. The characters were believable as were the locations in London and Zimbabwe.
The author was well briefed on the situation his characters found themselves in and so was able to produce a believable peace of fiction. I highly recommend it.
May 30, 2018
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I was really intrigued to read this book after reading the blurb and seeing that cover! The cover definitely has impact and I was hooked by the story from the first few chapters.
I thought that the story was really good and I did enjoy it, the characters were likeable and it did leave me thinking – it is quite scary with there being another Ebola outbreak at present… and the recent issues the UK has had in Salisbury.
3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!
I was really intrigued to read this book after reading the blurb and seeing that cover! The cover definitely has impact and I was hooked by the story from the first few chapters.
I thought that the story was really good and I did enjoy it, the characters were likeable and it did leave me thinking – it is quite scary with there being another Ebola outbreak at present… and the recent issues the UK has had in Salisbury.
3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!
December 12, 2018
Unlike so many other characters of trilogies or series, Natalie Thompson keeps getting better. The writing is even tighter, the pace is breath-taking and through it all, Natalie and this book's sidekick, Tom, manage to keep their heads - just about. In a world where the word 'pandemic' is used with increasing frequency, and where overseas travel is commonplace for a significant proportion of the world's population, bioterrorism is a very real, very possible threat. Once again, Martin Granger takes a current affairs issue and asks 'what if?' His answers are both enthralling and deeply worrying. Genuinely, could not put it down.
July 14, 2020
This book has been the slowest one I have read this year. I was looking forward to reading this as well but I felt it getting slower the deeper I got into it.
June 28, 2019
A book about bioterrorism you say? I was wondering how I would react to this. The first thing that struck me was how easy it could be for an Ebola attack to happen in the West. I thought Martin Granger writes in an exciting way. The science is explained so that even I could understand. AND what a main character! Nathalie Thompson is my new heroine. This book is so good, I immediately went on Book Depository to buy Martin's earlier work : Manila Harbour & Oceans on Fire.
I recommend this book!
I recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews