Stillness

"Stillness" by Eldon Farrell is an infectious disease thriller novel in which an outbreak of deadly plague occurs in a small town in Iowa. The CDC is called in and eventually the mysterious origin of the bacteria is discovered but not before many die of plague pneumonia. Their fatal lung infection seems impervious to a variety of antibiotics which should work but do not, which heightens the fear factor and frustration of healthcare workers attending the sick and dying. This lack of effective treatment harks back to hundreds of years ago in the pre-antibiotic era when black plague epidemics ravaged Europe and Asia.

Farrell effectively tells the story of how the town is thrown into turmoil by the outbreak and the impact it has on the lives of the many characters vividly described in the book. There's plenty of action and gore galore, almost too much at times.

As a physician specialist in infectious diseases and epidemiologist, I enjoyed the story which held my interest throughout and which is very well crafted by the author who does not have a medical background. One criticism I would have is that in reality, such a serious, deadly outbreak would attract a horde of media personnel to the town as well as would justify mobilization of a small army of epidemiologists and medical personnel and equipment to help control the outbreak and treat victims. This didn't happen in the book but I don't think it detracts from the story the author tells. Also, in reality, the CDC would focus more on interruption of transmission of the bacterium than on identification and characterization of the outbreak plague bacteria and it's original source. For example, knowledge of the ways HIV was transmitted led to implementation of measures to protect the blood supply, to ensure safer sex, etc. These measures saved many lives long before HIV itself was fully discovered and characterized. But again, for the average reader, the relative lack of this component doesn't detract from the story that is told.

The book is well written. The dialogue is realistic and the descriptions are nicely detailed. It is fast-paced and entertaining. I highly recommend it for fans of the genre and for anyone else who likes a good story! I look forward to reading more from the author.

My kind of book! A small town filled with mysterious deaths and lots of action! Very complicated subject matter that seemed really well researched. Full of gripping suspense. The plot is both an interesting and compelling premise. The dialogue is believable. There are allot of characters, yet they are well developed and three dimensional. I liked the main character Lynn, she is someone you care about, and you end up wanting her to succeed throughout. I really enjoyed reading it. An easy five stars!