Book Rating
Rated 3 (Highly Recommended) by: nobody
Rated 2 (Recommended) by: 1 person
Rated 1 (Suggested) by: 1 person
Rated 0 (Reviewed) by: nobody
Total Votes: 2 people
Average Rating: 1.50 (Recommended)
Score: 0.30 (Reviewed)

This work is marketed as a mystery, although it could also be argued that it falls under the category of science fiction because the plot involves near-future technology (genetic engineering, to be specific.) Cliff Devon is a Consumer Safety Officer for the FDA. His former tutor, Deborah Givens, has discovered a drug which seems to have a striking impact on people suffering from many kinds of viral diseases. Their efforts to bring the drug through the FDA's safety review to make sure that it does what they think it does (and nothing else) are threatened by several factors which are mysterious to them. From Washington lobbyists to gun-toting strangers, hazards pop up everywhere.

In the time since they knew each other before, Givens has become a Christian. Unlike the stereotypical "Christian fiction", Devon does not go through the "sinner's prayer" in the second-last chapter. Givens does talk about her faith, but naturally and not in a way that violates the plot or the characters. The description of genetic engineering is not quite right on, but good enough for fiction. (And, truth be told, if it were more accurate in one specific way, there would be a huge nightmare for the characters to deal with.) This is not a big book, and in fact it only took me one day to get through it. (Although I did stay up too late to finish it.) It's an easy read, and enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to more from Locke. (March, 2000)