A história parte de uma premissa interessante, o roubo de um vírus que pode dizimar a população se cair nas mãos erradas. E quando o próprio filho do dono do laboratório, que sob ameaça das pessoas a quem tem dívidas de jogos e que instalou o sistema de segurança do laboratório, consegue roubar o vírus, aí começa o problema.
Quase toda a ação se passa na casa do dono do laboratório, onde as personagens que foram passar o natal com o pai acabam por ficar retidas pela neve e pelos mauzões, e aqui gostei muito da descrição pormenorizada das tentativas de fuga dos elementos da família.
A única parte um pouco forçada é o romance entre o dono do laboratório e a sua chefe de segurança, mas não pode ser tudo perfeito, não é verdade? :P

I went in with cautious expectations as I am not generally found of dangerous virus stories, but this tight story covering a 24 hour period in a Christmas snow blizzard was very enjoyable - of course, Follett is very experienced at maintaining the pace of a story. I had not read one of his books for ages but I will look out for some more now.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Christmas Eve should be a time of joy and family, but for one medical research firm’s CEO, it becomes a night of terror, blood and death. Biological terrorism is horrific, but when one deadly virus is stolen, Christmas Eve will become anything but silent and holy.

Ken Follett’s WHITEOUT pits greed, dark secrets and deadly plots against the clock as Mother Nature does her part to foul up any chance of success for one man, forced to steal from his father’s company to pay his gambling debts. What he hadn’t planned on was that if anything could go wrong, it would.

Part biological thriller, part soap opera, this thriller is filled with chilling grit as one family’s drama plays out and unlikely heroes step up.

I was completely captivated with the theft of a potential biological weapon, but found the family soap opera portion to be a bit distracting as dirty little secrets are revealed and the perfect family’s façade is cracked. Lots of drama, lots of bad blood and some clichéd bad guys whip this thriller into a froth of bloody terror.

This may not be one of my favorite Ken Follett novels, but it does have some chilling twists!


Publisher: Penguin Books (November 23, 2004)
Publication Date: November 23, 2004
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Print Length: 374 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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This was a suspenseful, edge of your seat kind of read. I loved it. Toni Gallo is the head of security at a biochemical lab in Scotland called the Kremlin. When she discovers 2 doses of an experimental drug missing, she has no idea that this is a prelude to an even more dangerous plot to rob the company. Stanley Oxenford, the owner, is Toni’s boss. They have a great working relationship and she is interested in more. Christmas Eve brings many surprises including a blizzard that makes the plot even more dangerous. The reviews on this were mixed, leaning towards not so good. I am wondering if it’s because it’s different from the other books Follet has written, so different, fans were not expecting what they got. This was the first Follet I have read and I loved it. I will definitely try another.

Като за първа среща с Фолет ми хареса. Държа ме в напрежение, а и темата с вируса е актуална. На любителите на трилъри, би се харесала, и все пак нещо не й достигна за повече звезди.

7/10

Good suspense during a Christmas blizzard in Scotland. Solid pacing and writing, well-written characters, both good and bad guys.

4.5 actually. Ken Follett in my opinion is an authors whose stories are always wonderful. His characters are multi-dimensional, his plots multi-layered and his writing style is very engaging. Whiteout was book up to his usual excellent standard. Think of a fatal virus, with no antidote; a large mostly functional family (with only one really bad sheep); a father who is a scientific and wealthy patriarch (who really loves his family and a lovely lady who is an ex-cop, heads security for the patriarchs' pharmaceutical firm and had a crush on the patriarch; then add a sudden ferocious storm. Unputdownable reading.

A really good book. Full of action and suspense

I was surprised to see a novel by an experienced pro that had such terrible stretches of writing in it. Would not have finished if it hadn't been a club selection. Got better nearer the end, where the action picks up.

So where was the editor? Is Follett so big that they can't tell him when something is clunky and amateurish? Awkward info dumps, cardboard characters, and too much that is thrown in to see what sticks. Way too many superfluous beatings, errors, and convenient plot devices. And in this part of Scotland, apparently most of the populace drives expensive luxury cars. Um...

Yes, there are good things, but they are overshadowed by the things that aren't. If professional publishers and writers are going to put out something so much in need of editing that it says they don't care, it shows what contempt they hold readers in. "Aw, they'll buy it anyway, because it's a Follett!"

News flash-- we expect better!

Oh for heaven's sake, Follett. Just because as a sixty-ish man you wish that a hot 38-year-old redhead would find you irresistible does not mean you have to bake this into a novel in such a thinly veiled fashion. And P.S., the book was actually going pretty well until said 38-year-old hugged the handsome sixty-ish man and felt——AHEM——wetness in her underthings. I beg your pardon? Way to ruin an otherwise almost-convincing romantic moment. Also Mr. Follett, you don't actually have to wrap up EVERY SINGLE LOOSE END when you conclude the book, like a child's chapter book. The whole idea of a (SPOILER ALERT) "one Christmas later" finale, in which all the happy protagonists wistfully remember, over an expensive dinner, how great their lives have been since they neatly captured and thwarted the bad guys.... well, I won't lie to you: it's overwrought, and corny. You should have used some White-Out of your own, and kept the story tighter.

Ein interessantes Thema und auch ein gutes Setting! Aber mir ging die Handlung zu schleppend voran, so dass ich am Ende froh war, als ich am Ende angekommen war...