The Demon in the Freezer

If skin sliding off your body in sheets and merging pustules don't bother you, dive in. This is not for the faint of heart or stomach. It does give a clear picture of the effects of anthrax and smallpox, and the results if they were released as a bioweapon.
If nothing else, do what you're mother told you, wash your hands!
Also have a listen to In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made (Unabridged). One of the interesting points made was that anthrax was present at the time and oftened mistaken for plague. Not that it made a lot of difference to the victim.

This is an interesting account of the bio terror attack on the US. There are a lot of names (who cares) and the flow is painfully slow in parts as a result. Information about other countries bio programs was interesting. My Mom is a nurse, so I find biology interesting. If you don't have an interest in what Smallpox can do to a human body, I would suggest skipping this one. The point was: there are bad people out there and Smallpox is a nightmare...

Insight in the operating procedure of the CDC and WHO and what a weaponized pathogen has done and can do in the wrong hands. Well performed and reads more like a novel than a tech book. Creditworthy

I've enjoyed Richard Preston's work in the past, and I most likely would prefer to actually read a copy of this one. I found the narrator dull, lifeless and absolutely boring to listen to. There was no inflection of his voice, no intonation, just a monotone delivery that drove me to distraction! The material that I could manage to listen to was well written, but very poorly read. I think I"ll go buy a copy of the book and save myself the tedium of listening to this narrator. If I were basing this review on the quality of writing, this book would easily earn 4 stars, but because it's an audio version I can't give it more than 2.

I got this thinking it was another thriller but, be clear, you're not buying a thriller, this is NON-fiction about horrible biological weapons (mostly anthrax and smallpox). It revisits the national scare in 2001 and goes on to reveal staggeringly terrible truths about some countries which did "weaponize" bacteria and viruses (including the USA). Truth makes it all the more compelling. This scientist turned writer's style allows comprehension of some heavy duty science. There are a few editing errors, just a FEW passages are re-read (NO reason to avoid this book, it is not poorly produced) Most rewind and relisten to their devices anyway to avoid missing key facts.. so no big deal! Well narrated even with a few regional accents (in non fiction) to flesh out the characters. I'd put this on my "must listen" list if one wishes to be well informed about a threat worse than one nuclear bomb could ever be. Even with the mild let down of no "plot" the book is still riveting.

This book kept me on edge almost the whole way through. It is a must read based on the times we are in. I had no idea about the severity of biological warfare and the implications of someone having it. I feel like my eyes have been opened. I would suggest it to everyone.

Probably not a book to listen to in bed before going to sleep, unless you are truly fearless.

But overall, a well-told true story that is as much about the people behind the effort to irradicate smallpox (and prevent future terrorism) as it is about the disease itself. Very well-researched. It seems that Preston interviewed just about all the key people behind the story over the last few decades.

The most interesting parts of the book for me were the incredible personal stories of how certain seemingly unlikely individuals became involved in different ways.

A couple reasons for a less than perfect rating -- I thought sometimes Preston went overboard on his attention to detail. Like discussing what someone happened to be eating or wearing at non-pivotal moments in the story.

Because the events in fall 2001 occurred while writing the book, Preston seemed compelled to tack on the story line dealing with anthrax. At times it made the book a little disjointed but overall I thought the discussion of anthrax added more than it detracted.

Parts are VERY good and parts are not good. We get a mix here. This author can do better than this. Just a so so book.

wow. dont start this before bed... not only will this book put the absolute fear of bioterror in you, but it is difficult to put down. far more sinister than any fiction, this book weaves the history of smallpox, anthrax, and 9/11. i'm a physician and had little education on smallpox, a simply horrific disease. bottom line, the averaqe american lives in ignorant bliss... and i'm not a fear mongering conservative.

I was sooo looking forward to this book as his previous books have been very entertaining and kept the interest high. Not this one. The narrator was bland, and the events that take place are disjointed- it doesn't flow smoothly. I hope the next one is better.