Spiral

A Novel

By: Paul McEuen

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The race is on to stop the devastating proliferation of the ultimate bioweapon: a drug-resistant fungal infection.

“A fascinating ride through a world of bioweaponry, nanoscience, murder, and international intrigue . . . one of the best debut thrillers I’ve read in a long time.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston.

ITW THRILLER AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL • NERO AWARD NOMINEE

When fungi specialist Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead at the bottom of one of Ithaca, New York’s famous gorges, his research collaborator, Cornell professor of nanoscience Jake Sterling, refuses to believe it was suicide. Why would one of the world’s most eminent biologists, a eighty-six-year old man in good health who survived some of the darkest days of the Second World War, have chosen to throw himself off a bridge? And who was the mysterious woman caught on camera at the scene? Soon it becomes clear that a cache of supersophisticated nanorobots—each the size of a spider—has disappeared from the dead man’s laboratory.

Stunned by grief, Jake, Liam’s granddaughter, Maggie, and Maggie’s nine-year-old son, Dylan, try to put the pieces together. They uncover ingeniously coded messages Liam left behind pointing toward a devastating secret he gleaned off the shores of war-ravaged Japan and carried for more than sixty years. What begins as a quest for answers soon leads to a horrifying series of revelations at the crossroads of biological warfare and nanoscience. At this dangerous intersection, a skilled and sadistic assassin, an infamous Japanese war criminal, and a ruthless U.S. government official are all players in a harrowing game of power, treachery, and intrigue—a game whose winner will hold the world’s fate literally in the palm of his hand.

©2011 Paul McEuen (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“Spiral by Paul McEuen carries the reader on a fascinating ride through a world of bioweaponry, nanoscience, murder, and international intrigue. This gripping story, partially based on Unit 731, the biological warfare group of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, is one of the best debut thrillers I’ve read in a long time.” (Douglas Preston, author of Impact and The Monster of Florence)

“Spiral is an all-too-frighteningly-real tale. This is an exciting debut.” (Steve Berry, author of The Emperor’s Tomb)

“A riveting story that combines international intrigue with fascinating inventions such as the MicroCrawler, a spiderlike robot with knife-sharp legs. In more ways than one, Spiral will get under your skin.” (Mark Alpert, author of Final Theory)

Top notch science thriller

I liked the characters in this story, I liked the narration, the action is fast and the story is well written. The science is fun and the author brings it to the reader in an enjoyable and accurate fashion. The story does remind one of crichtons but the author has his own style and the reviews that pan this book as not standing up to Michael C's almost had me passing on this book, that would have been a mistake as this is a good book it is well written and fun and worth your time, this author has his own style and deserves to be read.

Non-stop suspense

A decent thriller, would make a good movie. Characters could use a little more development, but the story kept my interest all the way through.

Great Book!<br />

Recommended by my son who lives in Ithaca. Fantastic book. I am looking forward to reading more books by Paul McEuen.

Bio-terror Thriller that Breaks the Mold

I'll admit up front that there were a few times I thought the pace lagged a bit. McEuen spent a lot of time developing interesting and intriguing characters, and in the process the plot slowed.

On the other hand though, I became attached to the characters. Well developed and interesting, the list of characters was kept short leaving plenty of time to get to know each character well. The killer mold threat (a character in it's own right) and the way it was presented was a unique take on bio-terrorism that is hard to find in today's thrillers.

Fans of science based thrillers should give this one a listen. You won't find quite as many explosions and violence as you might see in a Tom Clancy novel, but there is enough intrigue to make it thrilling.

Can't wait for his next!

Just finished Spiral, Paul McEuens first novel, and can't wait until his next one!! Excellent techno-thriller with something for everyone.... Political intrigue; Explosions; History; Murders; Sword play; Love; Romance; Evil vixen; Revenge; Mutant fungus; A Boy and his dog....
Light and easy read, however full character development and action packed.
Worth a credit and you won't be disappointed.

Great science fiction (not fantasy)

Good science fiction is hard to find. Too much of the genre has been contaminated by fantasy. I like to read a book where I understand the laws of physics (or at least most of them). This book proposes some plausible scientific developments and weaves a skillful thriller story around them. The setting for the book comes from McEuen's home town of Ithaca, NY and the surrounding area. This area has enough interesting features that the author did not have to invent any.

I'm waiting for McEuen's next book.

Better than most

The other reviewer's are right. This is a taut, well thought out, well written novel. Enjoyed it right to the end. Good storyteller. Yes, it is slightly repetitive. But it is an intelligent thriller, and these are hard to find. Well worth your time.

Predictable

A lot of sterling reviews for this book and I guess for the genre it is well done. The scientific background and information was certainly interesting but the story, sadly, was predictable. Well read, though, by Rob Shapiro who handles the accents well.

Couldn't stop listening!

It's 3:30 AM, I should be in bed and had to FORCE myself to stop. This one is worth the credit. One hell of a mystery!

Fast paced thriller

This is a great beach (or gym) book. I was hooked from the first 10 minutes and the pace did not let up. I agree with the NY Times review that compared McEuen to Crichton in his prime (e.g., Andromeda Strain).