Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Book Review: Bloodborne


Bloodborne by Gregg Luke is a book full of twists and turns that will make you raise your eyebrows and turn the page quickly to see what happens.

Dr. Erin Cross goes to a neighborhood deli for lunch and her life changes in the blink of an eye. She starts receiving text messages that she is going to die in sixty seconds, sees a man in the corner texting, and angrily goes over to confront him. Just as she does, a gunman enters the deli, spraying gunfire and killing several people before a former Special Ops Marine (who happens to be the man she accused of texting her) is able to stop him.

As Dr. Cross tries to put the incident behind her, she finds herself caught in a web of lies, unsure of who she can trust. With nowhere to turn, she puts her life in the hands of that Special Ops Marine, but after a series of strange events, wonders if he is involved with the men who are trying to kill her. It’s a thrilling ride that makes you take a deep breath when you turn the last page, mostly because you’ve been holding it throughout the book.

I loved the author’s depth of knowledge about viruses, bacteria, and medical conditions and it was easy enough for me to read and understand. I enjoyed the mystery behind our main characters and the life issues they were dealing with because they were real and many people can identify with them. My only complaint about the book was that the chapters were so short (generally 2-4 pages) and there were so many point of views (the bad guy, the scientist, Erin, Sean, etc.) it made it feel a bit choppy to me. There were definitely places were I wanted to skip ahead and see what was happening with Erin and Sean’s story. But it was a book that I will heartily recommend to all my friends who love suspense. And if I were going to give a star rating for the cover I would definitely give it a five star. It was creepy, caught my attention right away, and totally went with the book’s subject matter.

Here is the back copy:

One ordinary afternoon, research specialist Dr. Erin Cross steps into a local deli to get some lunch, and nearly takes a bullet instead. Thanks to the timely intervention of a former Marine, she walks away from the seemingly freak incident. But when she returns to find her lab under security lockdown and her apartment ransacked, she realized the attack was anything but random. Erin can’t make sense of the threat, given her low profile after a disastrous H1N1 vaccine trial. She doesn’t know her former colleague has used the virus to develop a potent bioweapon or that her recent research hold a key to his success. And she doesn’t know that his collaborators want her dead before she blows the whistle.

Fleeing for safety with her research in hand, Erin unravels the threats with the help of the timely Marine, former Special Ops agent Sean Flannery. But the closer they come to finding answers, the more questionable Sean’s behavior becomes. His erratic moods and suspicious communications are more fitting for an enemy than a friend. And as the crisis comes to a head, Erin can’t be sure who harbors more secrets—the bioterrorists pursuing her or the one man who can give her protection

Bloodborne Stats:

Published by Covenant Communications
325 pgs.
Can be purchased at Amazon here

4 comments:

Stephanie Black said...

I enjoyed Bloodborne--I think it's my favorite of Gregg's books!

Tristi Pinkston said...

Awesome, Julie - thanks!

Sarah Tokeley said...

This sounds pretty good, and again not what I was expecting from the cover :-)

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Stephanie, I think it was my favorite of his books, too. Tons of thrills in this one.

You are welcome, Tristi!

Sarah, isn't the cover great? Totally matches the story. :)