Flawless

By: Joshua Spanogle

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

With his explosive debut thriller, Isolation Ward, medical insider Joshua Spanogle earned wide acclaim. Now Spanogle takes us into the dark heart of medicine to tell a terrifying story of a billion-dollar medical breakthrough - and the side effects it unleashes....

A former medical detective for the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Nate McCormick had seen enough suffering to last a lifetime. Now he’s left the CDC, determined to begin a new life with his girlfriend in San Francisco - until the vicious murder of an old friend hurtles him back into the world he left behind. While police hunt for a killer, Nate starts sifting through evidence, convinced that the dead man’s research at a high-tech lab has gotten him killed - and has harmed dozens of innocent women.

With only a handful of clues, Nate soon uncovers a hidden link between his friend’s employer and a dangerous cosmetic drug. But suddenly the stakes are raised. The woman he loves has been thrust into the line of fire, and Nate is running out of time. As more women surface with agonizing stories to tell, Nate makes the most startling discovery of all: a secret alliance between crime, science, and a billion-dollar industry - where some people have already paid the ultimate price for beauty.

Taut, thrilling, and relentless, Flawless takes us on a terrifying, adrenaline-charged journey.

©2007 Joshua Spanogle (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"For page-turning fun, this gory medical thriller has all the elements." (Publishers Weekly)

Exceptional

Both the story and the narration was exceptional.

The only area that concern me that some of the situations presented were truly unrealistic. I believe the author could’ve accomplished everything you wanted without making some of the overly unlikely situations.
I look forward to hearing more of his works.
The narrator Scott Brick once again made the story come to life - He is fantastic

This guy is funny

I love his sense of humor and am already having withdrawal since he has no more books. Write more, Joshua!! Please - and of course the audio is made awesome by Mr Scott Brick!

Could have ended 24 hours earlier

Very long winded in many places. Ended up putting on 1.5x speed to get through it. Will not listen to next book - this character just doesn’t do it for me.

Enjoyable Scott Brick performance

Wow, so many one star reviews. I suspect you either sit back and enjoy the ride or you hate the book. After a slow start I enjoyed the narration so much that it didn't matter a whit if I could guess where the story would head next, and there were plenty of twists I didn't see. I especially enjoyed every second this protagonist matched wits with an eight year old boy. I will definitely seek more from this author.

Better than Isolation Ward!

I loved Isolation Ward, and found Spanogle's writing style addictive, so I used my next credit on Flawless.
I was happy to see that Scott Brick narrated this as well. He always does a great job.
Like Isolation Ward, "Flawless" blends medical thriller, detective, and police procedural. There are even some horror elements.
Not too farfetched either... this sort of story, poisonous injections of an experimental cosmetic surgery procedure, and the cover-up that follows, is actually believable on some level. This is what makes the story evoke so visceral a reaction.
The pace of the story is nice and fast, the way I like it, and the characters are well-developed, especially Dr. Nate McCormick.
There is quite a bit of gore and violence, so this book is not for the faint of heart. But this is what makes the story so gritty.
I loved this book and look forward to the author's next novel.

Surprisingly good!

I gave the author's previous book in the series an average score, and this is a big improvement. The dialogue is fluid, and the main character is much more developed. Many twists and turns in the plot keep you guessing.

Excellent story. keeps you guessing

As always, Scott Brick brings true life to the characters. The plot is fantastic! Be sure to read both books.

Credits

Good book, but not quite as good as his earlier one, Isolation Ward. Would be worth listening to except for the 2 Credit charge, which I didn't see until after purchase.
His books are good, but certainly not worth more than a Baldachi or DeMille. Just my opinion.

Tough Book to Rate -2* for excessive detail

98% of the book rates 4.5 stars especially with the great story telling of Scott Brick, however, I frequently found myself fast forwarding or seriously considering turning the book off. The gruesome detail is fine for a text in dermatology or oncology but please - I just don't appreciate a good story ruined by fatuous gory details that add nothing to the plot-line or character development. I’m reminded of why I stopped reading Patricia Cornwell – it may be “real” but I think the writer is too talented to need the yuck-factor.

Great writing style

I really enjoyed the wry humour the author injected into the book through his main character, Dr. Nate McCormick who told us this medical techno thriller story as it unfolded.
The only criticism I had was that sometimes it just went on and on a bit long before the story changed it's tack. With a bit of clever editing the book could have been reduced from a long 16 hours to a more faster paced 13, thus saving 3 hours of agonising detail. Apart from that the plot was quite interesting and actually believable. The story moved along well and the ending was OK. I will read more of Joshua Spanogle's works and hopefully his future books will rate 5 stars with a bit more experience. Recommended, for a reader looking for a thriller with subject matter that's a bit different.