A Heartbeat Away

De: Michael Palmer

Narrado por: Robert Petkoff

The New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense delivers another novel at the crossroads of politics and medicine in this shocker of a thriller

On the night of the State of the Union address, President James Allaire expects to give the speech of his career. But no one anticipates the terrifying turn of events that forces him to quarantine everyone in the Capitol building. A terrorist group calling itself "Genesis" has unleashed WRX3883, a deadly, highly contagious virus, into the building. No one fully knows the deadly effect of the germ except for the team responsible for its development—a team headed by Allaire, himself. The only one who might be able to help is virologist Griffin Rhodes, currently in solitary confinement in a maximum security federal prison for alleged terrorist acts, including the attempted theft of WRX3883 from the lab where he worked. Rhodes has no idea why he has been arrested, but when Allaire offers to free him in exchange for his help combating the virus, he reluctantly agrees to do what he can to support the government that has imprisoned him without apparent cause.

Meanwhile, every single person in line for presidential succession is trapped inside the Capitol—every person except one: the Director of Homeland Security, who is safely at home in Minnesota, having been selected as the "Designated Survivor" for this event. With enemies both named and unnamed closing in, and the security of the nation at stake, Griff must unravel the mysteries of WRX3883 without violating his pledge as a scientist to use no animal testing in his experiments…and time is running out. 

Tense, thrilling, and entirely plausible, A Heartbeat Away will make you reflect, wonder, and be truly afraid.

©2011 Michael Palmer (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Actor Robert Petkoff delivers a tense, exciting performance. He's especially proficient as the crafty female speaker of the House. Petkoff's virtuosity makes this thriller intense and as close to reality as one dares to think about.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Robert Petkoff is excellent as narrator not only at maintaining the pace but also at providing the voices of the varied accents of men and women. Transitions are seamless and unobtrusive. Palmer's fans will be enthralled.” —Sound Commentary

“Robert Petkoff proves to be the perfect choice to narrate Palmer's latest medical thriller…Petkoff never misses a beat in his reading of this high-octane medical thriller, fully realizing each scene and character with ease. His energetic and skillful performance will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.” —Publishers Weekly

I almost returned it unfinished

I almost returned it. it was do hard to get into. I turned it back on months later picking up where I left off and it grabbed me. I enjoyed it immensely to the end

Loved this book

I really enjoyed this story from Michael Palmer especially the twists in the story. Narrator Robert Petkoff was great except when he tried the different languages. Please don’t even try to take off the South African accent if you can’t . I was cringing when He was supposed to be Frink!!!! Otherwise a great read (Audio)

Who is the Bad Guy? Hard to tell.

Many books have a very obvious bad guy - not so with this one. The deadly virus is rampant and it is hard to tell who can be trusted. Even the President's actions are suspect. More than one time, I guessed wrong on who the culprit was. I also was not really sure there could ever be a satisfactory resolution, but I was wrong. The story flows beautifully with just enough suspense to keep you intrigued and a great resolution in the end. I highly recommend.

Well worth the cost and time. Great Story.

If you could sum up A Heartbeat Away in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, interesting, and exciting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Heartbeat Away?

When they discovered the living person from the research trials. It gave hope and continued excitement to the story.

What about Robert Petkoff’s performance did you like?

He was clear, consistent, and showed emotion / excitement without over doing it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Scientific thriller that could actually happen anytime and anywhere in our present world.

Any additional comments?

Great story line and plenty of excitement.

Riveting.

I found this book to be completely engrossing. It was realistic and believable. Great listen. I love Michael Palmer and he did not disappoint with this one.