The true concept of this book wasn't that clear until about halfway or 3/4 of the way through and I felt like the author took a long time getting to the core of what Reaper was and the potential impact it would have on the world. While the book opened with a whole bunch of people dying at the hands of Reaper, I felt the book was more technical sci-fi than medical sci-fi, and it's harder to conceptualize the impact a rogue computer can have on the world rather than a virus of the medical sort.
Character-wise, I found the book sort of weak. The lead male is a surgeon turned paramedic who lost his wife to AIDS and his surgical career due to a hand injury, and it felt like the author wrote too much pain into this guy's life in order to justify why he cared about stopping Reaper, but otherwise he seemed very shallow. The lead female is even worse so, as the only thing I truly remember about her is that she worked for the government. Bottom line, I just didn't find this book that memorable and not worth a 2nd read, but it wasn't a horrible book either.

Reading a book about future technology that was written in 1998 is accidentally hilarious.

That aside, I loved this book. It's a medical / technology thriller in the style of Stephen King's Cell. A mysterious disease is killing people suddenly. Is it coming from their computers and TVs? Only a Boston paramedic and an uptight Federal Agent can solve the case!

The book has flaws - character flaws, plot flaws, etc. - but it's a fun read, fast-paced, and has enough twists and turns in the story to keep you guessing.

I generally like techno-thrillers and this is not an exception. The premise is not really feasible but made for an interesting listening.

ok, here is the reason i only gave this book 1-star. it's not the book, it's me. this is a good story and the writing is ok. here is the deal: this story is about technology. it was published in 1998. 'nuff said? i have real trouble reading about supposedly world rocking technology that has already come and gone. about the only one who could pull this off was Michael Creighton (RIP) i bet this was a much much better read in 1998. now as i read it i sort of laugh at some of the techno stuff (the way we laugh at the old Flash Gordon movies). just makes it tough for me to take it serious. pretty good characters and the plot line is good, just couldn't get into it. put it this way, i am a way way avid reader and i took forever to finish it because i could put it down.

shout out to the author Ben Mezrich though. this would have been a 3+ star book in '98 and i love his recent stuff.

Fast paced thriller that sucked me right into the plot and kept me turning the pages as fast as my eyes could fly across the page.
Excellent first book by this young author.

Fabulous book.

Well-written, fast-paced, and engaging story. In hindsight, and without giving much away, it's a little like the movie "Bird Box," but a decade or two before the movie was made. I feel that Ben Mezrich, as a novelist, was well ahead of his time.

Crime Fiction

Great book. Love the way this guy writes

This was a sci-fi/ techno thriller book that I picked up at a thrift shop and didn't expect much of it. I was wrong! This book had a great plot and storyline and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The characters were not characterized very well until the end of the book and you don't really know much about who they are. The main character is a man named Nick Barnes who was at one time one of the best cardiovascular surgeons in the nation until his wife died of AIDS and his career went down the hole. The other main character is Samantha Craig, a government worker who the author never really describes what her job is. These two outcasts come together to take on a super virus stemming from a rouge company who is trying to take over the world. Many people are dying and it is up to them to find the cure!

This book had so much potential. I was intrigued by the story line and by the unexpectedness of the first chapter. After that it almost felt like the book was written to become a movie. The characters were all so perfect and so good looking. The last few chapters just dragged on...especially the last chase. I actually starting skimming to get to the end. I didn't need to hear about how they were still running...and running...and running. Anyway, I guess it was turned into a TV movie so if that was Mezrich's intention, it worked out well for him.

took a few to get into it , but i liked it would not read it again though