Ya la había leído hace unos quince años, pero quería darle otro repaso.
Me gusta el estilo fluido de la novela y el ritmo del tiempo, casi va en tiempo real la lectura con lo que sucede durante el robo en el laboratorio, que ocupa toda la novela.
Personajes muy bien definidos, escenario en la tormenta perfecto, buenas subtramas de apoyo (como el noviazgo de los adolescentes o la relación de Miranda con su nueva pareja), pero sobre todo la tensión entre Toni y su jefe.
En definitiva, una buena lectura que se aleja de la narrativa habitual de Ken Follet, no es espionaje y tampoco del estilo de sus dos trilogías históricas.

[17/11/16]
I finally finished this! I took such a long time because of university, but I enjoyed it every time I grabbed it! Ken Follett is one of the masters of thriller, and this one didn't fall behind on that.

Whiteout deals with a deadly virus that, if spread, could kill millions of people. One of the scientists died with the virus but it was an isolated case. That was supposed to be the worst thing that could happen, right? Wrong.

Toni Gallo is an ex-police that now works as the head of the security of a lab that belongs to Stanley Oxenford. And she now has to deal with the biggest crisis of her life, and if she fails, millions could die. But this isn't just about her. Stanley's family - which is a huge family - has a role in all of this. And what a pleasant surprise that was! (it's not everyday that you find a thriller revolving around an entire family)

Miranda was a really good surprise, she turned out to be one of the bravest of that family. Ned too, I was really bothered with the way he acted but then he turned out to be a good character. I still have a meh opinion about Hugo but the guy didn't deserve what he got. Olga was a pretty good character, if it probably wasn't for her - and the snow, mind that - the virus would have probably been released.

But the most amazing surprise were the kids. Even if Caroline didn't have any role at all and Tom barely had one, Sophie and Craig almost stole the spotlight. They were amazing, and funny in their own way, and incredibly brave and even helped Toni literally save the day.

The bad guys were well developed too (as obviously they'd be, it's Ken Follett, duh). Madoba-2 was actually Toni's main problem, but it derived from Kit, so I wasn't that wrong. Kit is a very complex character, so I enjoyed all of his thoughts.

The only downfall? The ending. It's completely predictable, including the main character's ending. There's not any twist to it. It's predictable and even cliché, and that's why it doesn't get 5 stars.

All in all, this is a great book, with good characters and a good plot. It all makes sense and all the characters play a role (almost all of them, basically the ones I don't remember the names don't have that big of a role). It was very nice to be reading a thriller but still see the way the characters interacted with each other. Some of the chapters were really pleasant in the sense that it seemed like a completely normal story about a big family. And that's probably what I like the most, the way Ken Follett is able to intertwine trivial things into a thriller and make it all seem realistic.

[11/11/16]
I'm still confused with the names of everyone that showed up in the first chapter, but Stanley's family is pretty easy to memorize. Also, I want to see how everyone his family, especially Miranda and Olga, will play their roles in this story. I'm sensing the main problem for Toni won't even be Madoba-2 but yes Kit.

[1/11/16]
I'm currently very confused with all the names. I really don't know who anyone is besides Toni and Kit due to the amount of characters that were introduced just in the first chapter. Still I'm sure by the end of the book I'll know exactly who everyone is.

Das Buch hat mich ganz gut unterhalten! Habe es für ein paar Euro auf einem Flohmarkt gekauft und das war es auf jeden Fall wert. Zuerst fand ich es nicht allzu spannend, nur die wissenschaftliche Laborwelt hat mich daran gehindert aufzuhören zu lesen. Es war für mich als Biologin mal interessant, etwas über Hochsicherheitslabore der Virologie zu erfahren. Etwa ab einem Drittel des Buches wurde es dann etwas spannender und ab kurz nach der Hälfte konnte ich es nicht mehr weg legen und musste es an einem Stück zuende lesen.
Dafür, dass ich momentan eigentlich nur Romance oder Romantasy lese, hat es mir überraschend gut gefallen. Vielleicht lese ich in Zukunft nochmal ein anderes Buch von Ken Follett… mal sehen!
Ich glaube nicht, dass ich dieses Buch nochmal lesen werde, aber für einen Flohmarkt-Fund war es wirklich gut.

Razões da escolha do livro: Desafio do mês de Junho – ken Follett
Proveniência: A minha Bibioteca.
A minha Opinião:
Mais um livro bom deste autor de que sou fã! A sua faceta thriller/suspense continua a surpreender e a prender o leitor!
Um vírus é roubado de uma empresa farmacêutica de alta segurança na Escócia e um dos funcionários morre. Toni Gallo juntamente com a polícia começa a investigar! A busca por este vírus é fundamental para evitar uma catástrofe em larga escala!
A ação decorre em apenas dois dias véspera e dia de Natal e a aventura é uma constante do princípio ao fim.
Mais uma vez Follett consegue aliar na perfeição o suspense com o romance o que cativa muito o leitor.
É um livro sobre a ética e as experiências com animais que dão que pensar!
Quando se lê bastante um determinado autor existe a tendência para se comparar livros. Por exemplo, comparativamente ao livro “O terceiro Gémeo” do mesmo autor e na mesma linha de suspense, posso afirmar sem dúvida que é melhor do que este. Contudo, recomendo-o!
O melhor: O suspense e as personagens.
O pior: Nada a registar….
O Autor:
Ken Follett, nasceu a 5 de Junho de 1949, em Cardiff, Wales. Formado em filosofia, é um autor de grande sucesso, que vê os seus livros darem regularmente origem a filmes ou séries televisivas. A sua primeira obra foi publicada em 1978 sob o título Eye of the Needle, um thriller que venceu o Edgar Award e deu origem a um filme. O seu próximo projeto será a muito aguardada sequela de Os Pilares da Terra. O espólio de Ken Follet está armazenado numa coleção exposta na Saginaw Valley State University, nos Estados Unidos e inclui notas, esboços, manuscritos e correspondência. Follett é um grande apreciador de Shakeaspere e um músico amador.
A minha classificação: 5 – Bom.
Período de Leitura: De 26 a 29 de Junho de 2012.

Sou mais fã de Ken Follett na sua vertente de romance histórico, mas gostei bastante deste "thriller".

Um livro cheio de ação, com cerca de 350 páginas a descreverem dois dias intensos de Toni Gallo, diretora de segurança de um laboratório farmacêutico, e da família do seu patrão, Stanley Oxenford, ao serem confrontados com o roubo de um vírus altamente contagioso e letal.

Um bom livro de ação, traição e coragem!

Estaba dudando en darle un dos o un uno. Los últimos capítulos me han ayudado a decidirme. Malamente escrito y desarrollado, no perdáis el tiempo con este libro de verdad

Another truly great book by one of my favorite authors. An invincible virus is stolen from a high security medical research facility in Scotland, and the motive runs deeper than anyone could expect. It's Christmas eve, and Stanly Oxenford is dangerously close to losing his facility thanks to a heartfelt technician bringing home one of the test animals, and trying to cure it. and thanks to his debt, if he loses the Kremlin, he loses everything he owns. i recommend this book to those who enjoy mystery, suspense, and also anyone who has thought about reading one of his books, this one is considerable shorter than most of the books he's written. i wouldn't recommend to anyone who doesn't like gore, as usual accordance with his books, or anyone who's a little too attached to the events of a story, and might think it possible for someone to achieve. just when you think the twists are over, he'll throw you into a tailspin, so set aside a good length of time and hold on, this is one you will not want to put down!

Not Follett's best work. Put off mostly by the slow pacing and seemingly unnecessary detail. Listened to the audiobook, which lasts almost twelve hours. The time frame for the story itself was not much more than 24 hours (if I recall).

Like many readers, I thought the "romance" between Craig and Sophie should have earned a minor mention at best, and mainly for the purpose of placing them in the barn when the bad guys came and establishing the attic as a hiding place/observation spot for later in the story.

The story also labored under the excessive details about the snow piling up on the roads and halting traffic, as well as making it nearly impossible for pedestrians to walk through the two-foot drifts. We get it, Ken--snow, cold, everything shut down. Get on with the story.

Still, the plot was well-constructed, although I had a few moments of thinking certain plot turns were a little too convenient and allowed Follett to get the plot to where he wanted it to end up without much trouble.

The family dynamics provided much of the tension, which was a plus. Daisy was a credible villain, and the stakes (the killer virus) were plenty high and gave urgency to Toni Gallo's mission. She was a decent MC, but her romance with Stanley, while intending to add a sub-plot to her stopping the bad guys and intensifying the personal stakes, sometimes seemed to get in the way of her making what I would call "proper business decisions."

Tight editing would have helped a lot since one of the flaws that stuck out was Follett's excessive use of 'ly adverbs tacked onto dialogue tags and inner dialogue of characters.

No es uno de mis libros favoritos de Follett, aunque se lee fácil y como novela ligera de entretenimiento cumple a la perfección.

No dio en el blanco de mi corazón..., pero no fue un mal tiro.

Meio bobinho, mas o suspense me manteve presa à leitura até o fim.
Acabado o livro, a sensação é de que não acrescentou nada.

Um thriller bem urdido!

( Feira do Livro do Continente )

Opinião no blog: http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Mesmo fora do género histórico, Ken Follett não desilude: com um enredo altamente emocionante, narra o assalto a um laboratório e o roubo de um vírus mortal. Este é um livro sobre conspirações, terrorismo, ética e a utilização de animais em experiências científicas.

De igual modo, o autor consegue aliar eficazmente todo este suspense com uma pitada de romance. As próprias personagens formam um conjunto surpreendente: indivíduos corajosos, cheios de garra, com personalidades fortes mas vulneráveis, humildes, sem atitudes desmesuradas de super-herói. Ao mesmo tempo que decorrem reviravoltas completamente imprevistas, descobrimos segredos e observamos dinâmicas familiares envolventes.

A narrativa decorre em dois dias e cada capítulo corresponde a uma hora do dia, num ritmo quase contra-relógio. Durante a estória o leitor acompanha as diversas perspetivas, tanto durante o roubo como no contexto familiar das personagens. Devido ao seu ritmo alucinante, este é um livro impossível de fechar até ao desfecho final.

Ken Follett possui uma capacidade inegável na criação de argumentos inteligentes, ambientes repletos de suspense e personagens cativantes. Como tal, o resultado final só poderia ser um excelente livro como este.