Outbreak

Outbreak

  • Downloads：2208
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-15 00:51:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Frank Gardner
  • ISBN：1787632385
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Deep within the Arctic Circle， three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter。 They see a cabin ahead。 It appears abandoned。 No lights。 No snowmobile outside。 But as they push open the door， the smell hits them。 Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside。
Then movement。 A man lies slumped， his face disfigured by livid pustules。 Blood runs from his nostrils; his chest glistens blackly。 The team's medic， Dr Sheila Mackenzie， pushes forward to examine him when the convulsions start。 Blood， bile and mucus spray into the air。 The doctor knows it's too late - she's been contaminated 。 。 。
Within hours， a full-scale operation to contain this contagion is underway。 Samples are rushed to the laboratories at Porton Down on high alert。 What they discover changes everything。 Supported by phone and data intercepts， British Intelligence reaches a terrifying conclusion: that Russia has been developing a new generation of bio-weapons。
Dispatched to investigate， MI6 operative Luke Carlton finds himself on a serpentine trail of lies and deception。 From a mysterious factory in Lithuania， via arrest and imprisonment， and ultimately back to Britain， he discovers that they've been looking in the wrong place all along 。 。 。

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Reviews

Lisa’s Bookshelf ，

3，5 stars。 I’m always drawn to a conspiracy thriller， a d even before our present situation in the midst of a pandemic， I’ve enjoyed books on plagues and viruses。 Weird， I know！ Outbreak is a fairly run of the mill spy/action thriller with all the required ingredients: damaged but effective main character， a cast of sympathetic/efficient female characters around him， an international plot with both a ticking timer and the potential of millions/billions dead。 The one person who can save the day i 3，5 stars。 I’m always drawn to a conspiracy thriller， a d even before our present situation in the midst of a pandemic， I’ve enjoyed books on plagues and viruses。 Weird， I know！ Outbreak is a fairly run of the mill spy/action thriller with all the required ingredients: damaged but effective main character， a cast of sympathetic/efficient female characters around him， an international plot with both a ticking timer and the potential of millions/billions dead。 The one person who can save the day is Luke Carlton。 But as these thriller go， I feel this one kept the tension in the storyline fairly well， it paced its action and its relationship building effectively， and it got just enough of the science for it to be sort of believable — and had the bad guy/s been slightly less stock-standard baddies it would have gone up a notch for me。 A no nonsense， no effort required airport read。 Recommended for the boys action thriller reader， and if you’re into pandemic books， perfect！I listened to this as an audio， and though the narrator was a tad older/gruffer than I saw the main character， he still did a great job （and well done on those accents！）。Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for letting me listen to the audio galley in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Rachel Tulloch ，

I was slightly disappointed with this one。。。The blurb suggests a large proportion would be set in the Arctic Research Station。。。it isn’t。 The blurb suggests it’s going to be a high octane thriller。。。it also isn’t。 I was all for reading something completely different to what I got。 I didn’t mind that it was a book about a deadly virus and it was very akin to our real world situation BUT the boom references almost every single bioattack we’ve had and uses every three letter abbreviation under the I was slightly disappointed with this one。。。The blurb suggests a large proportion would be set in the Arctic Research Station。。。it isn’t。 The blurb suggests it’s going to be a high octane thriller。。。it also isn’t。 I was all for reading something completely different to what I got。 I didn’t mind that it was a book about a deadly virus and it was very akin to our real world situation BUT the boom references almost every single bioattack we’ve had and uses every three letter abbreviation under the sun。 This made it feel like the book was trying too hard。The plot was okay but not a lot happened after the release of Agent X。 Lots of meeting and chatting but not a lot of doing until the last chapter？ 。。。more

Lizzie ，

Thank you to NetGalley， Frank Gardner and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review。 This book is very close to home with the Corona Virus pandemic。 I liked the way it’s been written as a thriller with MI6。 This is not the usual book I would read but I thoroughly enjoyed it。 A lot of the facts about Corona Virus and the way viruses attack the body were correct which was refreshing。 A great and unexpected thriller。

Neville Townsend ，

I received this book free from Penquin and Netgalley for a review。 A good solid well paced thriller。

Sarah Waldron ，

I know this book is a thriller but it’s not my usual kind of thriller。 It is a type of book that I enjoy; I just don’t read enough of them。 So I was super excited to get the chance to add this book to my read list。 Thank you to @FrankRGardner and @TransworldBooks for this advanced audio copy of Outbreak in return for an honest review。 Outbreak is due to be published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here。Description 🔖Three scientists from the UK are battling a blizzard deep in the Arctic C I know this book is a thriller but it’s not my usual kind of thriller。 It is a type of book that I enjoy; I just don’t read enough of them。 So I was super excited to get the chance to add this book to my read list。 Thank you to @FrankRGardner and @TransworldBooks for this advanced audio copy of Outbreak in return for an honest review。 Outbreak is due to be published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here。Description 🔖Three scientists from the UK are battling a blizzard deep in the Arctic Circle but when they spot an abandoned cabin ahead they start to feel some relief。 As they enter the cabin they immediately realise that something is very wrong。 A severely sick man is in the cabin and when the team medic approaches him to help she quickly figures out that whatever this man is suffering from is very dangerous and very contagious。Within hours， UK government and bodies are working to try and contain the disease and investigate its origin。 Intelligence concludes that this is a terrifying man made bio weapon created to cause destruction。 Luke Carlton from the MI6 is assigned to work on the case and is thrown into danger every which way， but is he looking in the right places？General Thoughts 🤔As soon as I started this book I knew I was going to like it。 It’s packed with action， tension and it’s so fast paced。 I don’t know what it is about intelligence operatives and covert missions but I find them really exciting and Outbreak did not disappoint on that front。 It was thrillingly nail biting and I was so invested。Only a week or so ago I was wondering whether or not books set in the present day or future would reference COVID-19。 I feel like they have to right？ I know it’s fiction but it’s such a big thing that has happened I expected it to start popping up in stories。 Although this book is not about COVID-19， I thought that it was referenced just the right amount。Characters 👭👫👬I did not realise that this is not the first book from Frank Gardner about Luke Carlton but now that I do， I want to read more。 I loved him as a character; flaws and all。 I like my heroes to be a little rough around the edges and I got that impression of him。 Not scared to break a rule here and there in order to get to a result。She wasn’t a huge part of the storyline， but for some reason， Luke’s girlfriend irritated me a little。 I thought she was a little bit of a nag but then I may have missed some of the history about their relationship that has skewed my opinion of her。Writing Style ✍🏽I really liked the way that this book was written。 Short and snappy chapters kept me engaged and gripped and I loved some of the cliff hangers。 I did get a little confused at times as the chapters jumped locations a lot and I lost track of what was happening where geographically。I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great。 It was dramatic in all of the right places and I’m not ashamed to admit that there were moments where I shouted back at the voice reading me the story as though I was cast into the story。Conclusion & Scoring 🎖I thought that this was a really good action thriller and I was even a little bit disappointed that it was over once I was finished。 I thought it was a bit of a cross between I Am Pilgrim and the Robert Galbraith series so if you like either of those I would recommend that you give this a try。 。。。more

Kirsty ，

Outbreak by Frank GardnerNarrated by Jonathan KeeleI was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and Netgalley。 Deep within the Arctic Circle， three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter。 They see a cabin ahead。 It appears abandoned。 No lights。 No snowmobile outside。 But as they push open the door， the smell hits them。 Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside。Then movement。 A ma Outbreak by Frank GardnerNarrated by Jonathan KeeleI was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and Netgalley。 Deep within the Arctic Circle， three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter。 They see a cabin ahead。 It appears abandoned。 No lights。 No snowmobile outside。 But as they push open the door， the smell hits them。 Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside。Then movement。 A man lies slumped， his face disfigured by livid pustules。 Blood runs from his nostrils; his chest glistens blackly。 The team's medic， Dr Sheila Mackenzie， pushes forward to examine him when the convulsions start。 Blood， bile and mucus spray into the air。 The doctor knows it's too late - she's been contaminated 。 。 。This is the first book I have read featuring Luke Carlton。 There are a lot of references to the current Covid-19 outbreak。 In places it was possible to forget that this was a work of fiction as there was a lot of reference to past epidemics and acronyms that needed explaining。I liked Luke and throughout the book I found myself rooting for him。 This is a fast paced book and features multiple POVs。 Rating 3/5 。。。more

Nick Brett ，

I enjoyed this one， for me the right blend of “tip of the spear” action and the background stuff that enables it， just the way Tom Clancy balanced his books。Written after Covid， this relates to a bioweapon that could be even more deadly。 An infected body in the Arctic leads to a race against time。 MI6 agent Luke Carlton is brought in for the initial investigation and continues to be the lead guy as the action moves around the world。 Who is responsible and why？ Are the Russians helping or hinderi I enjoyed this one， for me the right blend of “tip of the spear” action and the background stuff that enables it， just the way Tom Clancy balanced his books。Written after Covid， this relates to a bioweapon that could be even more deadly。 An infected body in the Arctic leads to a race against time。 MI6 agent Luke Carlton is brought in for the initial investigation and continues to be the lead guy as the action moves around the world。 Who is responsible and why？ Are the Russians helping or hindering， the answers might determine if Carlton lives or dies。As I said， I enjoyed this。 I enjoyed that it wasn’t just an agent plane hopping from one gun fight to another and that we got more under the skin of the intelligence services。 Possibly my favourite of the books so far， not just because it was topical but because it all clicked together rather well。 The author has the experience and knows his stuff and it all clearly shows。 。。。more

Scarlet Wilson ，

I love a good old plague story and this was also crossed with an old style Cold War story。 It’s set in modern day times with frequent references to the previous Covid-19 pandemic， but the writing and narration reminded me of long ago read John Le Carre novels。 There were a few cliches thrown in there but the narration was easy to listen to and I liked the final twist。This is a review of the audiobook which currently isn’t listed on Goodreads

Nic ，

Outbreak is the 3rd book from Frank Gardner featuring Luke Carlton; MI6 and formerly SBS。 Outbreak is a high octane superior thriller。 The world has made it to the other side of Covid-19。 However， in the Norwegian Artic Circle 3 British scientists come across a man who is in the last throes of life。 Not only does he die from an apparently unknown pathogen but he infects all those around him。 Thereafter Luke becomes embroiled in hunting down the source and the purpose of this deadly man-made viru Outbreak is the 3rd book from Frank Gardner featuring Luke Carlton; MI6 and formerly SBS。 Outbreak is a high octane superior thriller。 The world has made it to the other side of Covid-19。 However， in the Norwegian Artic Circle 3 British scientists come across a man who is in the last throes of life。 Not only does he die from an apparently unknown pathogen but he infects all those around him。 Thereafter Luke becomes embroiled in hunting down the source and the purpose of this deadly man-made virus。 Sometimes a little outlandish， Outbreak is great fun and a welcome distraction。 Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC for an honest review。 。。。more

Adrian Dooley ，

This one looked right up my street。 Fantastic cover。 Arctic setting。 An out break of a virus。 Heck we even have a gruesome death in the opening pages。 Here we go I thought。 Not so unfortunately。 Despite being about a potential outbreak of a deadly virus， not a lot actually happens。 There are lots of meetings， lots of acronyms that have to be explained （which became extremely tedious）， an agent that must be the most incompetent agent that ever existed， making one stupid decision after another and This one looked right up my street。 Fantastic cover。 Arctic setting。 An out break of a virus。 Heck we even have a gruesome death in the opening pages。 Here we go I thought。 Not so unfortunately。 Despite being about a potential outbreak of a deadly virus， not a lot actually happens。 There are lots of meetings， lots of acronyms that have to be explained （which became extremely tedious）， an agent that must be the most incompetent agent that ever existed， making one stupid decision after another and a story that never fulfilled its opening set up and promise。 The dialogue is extremely cheesy at times， there’s a romantic side story shoe horned in that feels extremely clumsy and the whole thing was just extremely underwhelming。 A shame。 It has some good ideas but the direction chosen by the author and the poor writing overall made this a no no for me unfortunately。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Áine ，

My first Frank Gardner！ I did seem to read it all in his voice I'm afraid but as most of it was pretty serious stuff it kind of worked。 I need to read the rest of the Luke Carlton books but I liked the fact that he's portrayed as an M16 agent with flaws and doubts unlike many main characters in the spy genre。 Bizarrely I'm still enjoying epidemic scenarios in fiction despite lockdown。 A strong four stars and my oh my that ending！！ My first Frank Gardner！ I did seem to read it all in his voice I'm afraid but as most of it was pretty serious stuff it kind of worked。 I need to read the rest of the Luke Carlton books but I liked the fact that he's portrayed as an M16 agent with flaws and doubts unlike many main characters in the spy genre。 Bizarrely I'm still enjoying epidemic scenarios in fiction despite lockdown。 A strong four stars and my oh my that ending！！ 。。。more

Charlotte ，

In the Arctic circle a a man lies dying; with his last breath he sprays blood and mucus into the air and so begins the start of the contagion。 Luke Carlton from MI6 is called in to investigate and so begins a deadly game of cat and mouse around the globe to try and stop the virus from infecting the world's population。The theme of this novel felt very relevant and at times a little too close to comfort with the characters mentioning Covid-19。 Both the plot lines and characters felt very real and In the Arctic circle a a man lies dying; with his last breath he sprays blood and mucus into the air and so begins the start of the contagion。 Luke Carlton from MI6 is called in to investigate and so begins a deadly game of cat and mouse around the globe to try and stop the virus from infecting the world's population。The theme of this novel felt very relevant and at times a little too close to comfort with the characters mentioning Covid-19。 Both the plot lines and characters felt very real and I was gripped; a truly exhilarating thriller and one I couldn't put down。。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review 。。。more

Hayley ，

An enjoyable book about an outbreak of a potent virus。 There were a lot of references to Covid and other past epidemics。 Sometimes it read as a bit non-fiction because of the amount of explaining of these past epidemics and of all the acronyms that were spread throughout the book。 On the whole I did enjoy the story and liked the main character so was rooting for him。 Fast paced in places and multiple POVs。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book。

Emma ，

I am one of those people who can’t get enough of stories like this。 Even in the midst of a pandemic， I’ll happily sign myself up for a shitload of bloody and oozing orifices with a side of international conspiracy。 What I’m saying is 。。。 I had to try this。 And I was disappointed。 While the story is decent enough， the patchy writing and weird structure works against it， being both distracting and unnecessary。 It opens well— I mean， you can’t knock someone dying horrifically in the first few chapt I am one of those people who can’t get enough of stories like this。 Even in the midst of a pandemic， I’ll happily sign myself up for a shitload of bloody and oozing orifices with a side of international conspiracy。 What I’m saying is 。。。 I had to try this。 And I was disappointed。 While the story is decent enough， the patchy writing and weird structure works against it， being both distracting and unnecessary。 It opens well— I mean， you can’t knock someone dying horrifically in the first few chapters。。。 Though it has really short POV passages that jump around more than I usually like， I thought it held some promise， and I can put up with that technique as a means of building tension， even if I prefer it to come from the writing rather than artificial cliffhangers。 Then the author started shoehorning in way too much information。 You can’t have the immediacy of rapid POV switches and then load up the sections with meetings， someone’s romantic life， every acronym known to mankind （which you then have to explain）， references to each and every terror or bio attack we’ve seen in the modern world， more meetings， the kind of dialogue you’d see in a cheesy 80s thriller， and a ton of repetition。 Hardly anything actually happens in the book。 Apart from of meetings。 Lots of discussions about what should be done or about how terrible the outbreak will be。 There’s a distinct lack of action for a book being touted as ‘an explosive thriller’。 Maybe it’ll work in the market it’s aimed for， but unless you’re really desperate， I wouldn’t recommend it。 ARC via Netgalley 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Outbreak

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Outbreak&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Outbreak&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0