The Marburg Mutation

Unit 1 Series, Book 4

By: Allen Kent

Narrated by: Paul J. McSorley

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

At the death of fabled CIA operative Bud (Fisher) Liljigren, field agent Adam Zak and his tech-savvy partner, Dreu Sason, are recruited to lead the agency’s deep-cover Unit 1.

When Fisher’s former lover from his service days in Norway alerts the unit of renewed secret activity in what was once a WW II Nazi experimental lab, Zak recruits a brilliant but disaffected FBI agent, Janet McIntire, to replace him in the field and lead the investigation. 

As McIntire inserts herself into the life of Alesund, Norway, as the visiting great-niece of Fisher’s wartime lover, word circulates through the international intelligence community that a weaponized strain of the deadly Marburg virus is on the market to be auctioned to the highest bidder. 

Following a devastating demonstration of the virus’s phenomenal kill rate, McIntire and the Unit 1 team race international buyers to identify the seller, destroy the Marburg mutation, and prevent a potential global catastrophe. 

The Marburg Mutation is the fourth book of the popular Unit 1 series that features The Shield of Darius and The Weavers of Meanchey.

©2016 Kent Farnsworth (P)2019 Kent Farnsworth

Bio Weapon

This is a realistic story about a bio weapon sought by many governments. The ebola like strain is for sale to the highest bidder. The US, both regular and clandestine agencies, rush to get it before rogue nations do. I was gifted this from the author.

Fascinating and Frightening!

The Marburg Mutation by Allen Kent pulled me in immediately. The concept of biological weapons is terrifying, and in some parts of the world a reality. The book is written with various threads woven together to get the big picture. Paul J. McSorely was incredible bringing the story to life. I could hear the various characters, and the emotions were spot on.

Extreme

This book involves a team trying to keep a biological weapon from falling into the hands of those who might use it. In the process it covers the actions of multiple people who are involved directly and indirectly and weaves their stories into a whole.

The story is very well written and describes times of danger and times of romance. Solid writing that keeps you riveted to the story.

The narration is is also solid with very good range of voices and accents as appropriate. The characters are easy to identify and understand. There is no overboard fake accents nor high squeaky voices that are hard to understand.

This book was provided free of charge and this review was given without constraints.

Reminiscent of author Robert Ludlum's writings

The Wager (Unit 1 #3), my seventh outstanding read from author Allen Kent each book better than the last. Reminiscent of author Robert Ludlum's writings. Outstanding thrillers with well-written characters & plots you can buy into with unexpected twists & turns. I got this book back in May of 2020 and now that I've read 4 Allen Kent books in the last 5 days this was next in line. I look forward to reading more from this author and since I own a total of 24 books by him I eagerly look forward to reading more! “I received a free Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." Next up is Straits of the Between (Unit 1 #5). Narrator Paul J McSorley's narration made a good book even better. The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

biological warfare

I enjoyed this ride! We saw loved characters and followed an enticing biological warfare story. I especially Iike the pieces taken from real life history. I’m excited to start the next one. The narrator was great.

Unit 1 pulls us into another exciting assignment!

Mr. Kent has given us much to think about with this book and even though I know it could have happened, I pray it never will! This story is non stop action as Unit 1 tries to figure out who is behind the threat in a small village of a deadly virus. New characters are pulled into Unit 1 and I really enjoyed getting to know Janet especially with the compassion she shares with the people she ends up working with. I loved Sophie and her grandmother Anna they are so sweet and such a help to Janet. I also grew to care about Essie a prostitute who ends up in big trouble. Drue and Adam are also heavily involved in this story and Drue is really learning how to be an invisible person able to get in and out of sticky situations. The different places described in this book are mostly true as Mr. Kent lets us know at the end of the book. I truly enjoyed this intricate weaving of a story that pulls you in and doesn't let you go and I can hardly wait to read what happens in the next book.
I received a free code from Audiobooks Unleashed to download and listen to this book on Audible.com. This review is my own honest opinion.

A thriller connecting dots across the globe

A weaponized strain of the deadly Marburg virus is on the market to be auctioned to the highest bidder. A brilliant FBI agent, Janet McIntire, is recruited by Adam Zak and Drew Sason, the new leaders of the Unit 1 team after the death of legendary CIA operative Bud Liljigren. She must lead the investigation into what what was once a WWII Nazi experimental lab, and is now located in Alesund, Norway.

This thriller connects dots across the globe, following the deadly trail of experiments with contagion. The mad scientist has no scruples using the deadly strain on prostitutes, whom he lures to his place for the purpose of experimentation. He also lets the virus loose on a small village to gauge its effects. A local boy who knows where the virus came must be rescued by the deep-cover Unit 1 team.

The characters are carefully drawn by Allan Kent, the events that made them who they are layered in detail, and their appearance vividly described, reflecting that history. “Bud’s face was a network of small scars from fragments of the windscreen that had exploded during his crash. She had stopped noticing them long ago, seeing instead the firm, determined set of his jaw when a problem caught his attention…”

The narrator of the audiobook edition, Paul J. McSorley, an avid listener himself, is not at all embarrassed to tell people that some of the best times of any given day he spends are inside a padded room. His joy at telling the story definitely comes through and his reading is truly engaging.

A good installment to the series

The Wager was a good book in its own right, but I thoroughly enjoyed Marburg Mutation much more. The character building I believed was stronger, where we as the listeners got to see more of the main cast in how their minds problem solve, and where their moral lines stand. I enjoyed the overall arc of the story and recommend giving it a listen. Furthermore, Paul McSorley brought the characters to life with his voice and thought he did a wonderful job with differing between each character. I hope for another story and this narrator in the future!