The widow of a murdered scientist and an unstable FBI agent join forces on a trail of science and death that leads them from a biotech company to a paramilitary splinter group to a religious commune. Reprint. NYT. PW.
Judy O'Brien Kozinski has no idea what she'll find as she investigates the death of her husband. A genetic scientist, he was slain for his refusal to work for a biotech company of dubious intentions controlled by the mob. As she fights for answers in the offices of the FBI, witnesses the mass execution of a religious cult, and uncovers the devious motive of the biotech firm--producing customized viruses that could be spread like a cold--she realizes the power and potential of herself as an individual. Her transformation, from unhappy and insecure widow to confident, sleek sleuth is almost as Herculean as her success at exposing this global threat.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Too many characters:
Kress tries to pull off four main viewpoint characters in 400 pages and fails. She has a great opening hook, and then the Vegas showgirl we followed for the first 25 pages hardly gets mentioned. Then the reader is alternated between a ex-marine with a drinking problem who wants his kids back, an FBI investigator who is stalking his ex-wife, and the wife of a deceased researcher who just found out he was having an affair. Each of these four 'main' characters come with supporting casts of three to ten minor... more info
My definition of fun!!!:
"Oaths and miracles are usually followed by deceptive statements." FBI Manual
* 30 year old English major/ FBI agent stalks his ex-wife with lovely romantic notes and goofy drawings while trying to connect the dots between the Mafia and a biotech firm.
*The widow of a brilliant, philandering, narcissistic geneticist as a only a trained journalist whose father is a retired teacher of Physics and Chemistry and whose hobby is writing a history of the saints. (And they live in Troy, NY.) * A... more info
Engrossing techno-thriller:
The first book I read by Nancy Kress was "Stinger," which is the sequel to "Oaths and Miracles," and the only unfortunate aspect of that is that I didn't have the opportunity to meet Robert Cavanaugh here first.
"Oaths and Miracles" transcends the genre of thriller fiction by containing characters of real depth and interest. Where most popular fiction of this type is populated by very thin characters, Nancy Kress does an excellent job of drawing the reader into her story by helping us care about the... more info
Different for sure:
I must say that I was amazed to see this book with an average rating of only 3 stars. Gotta have my eyesight checked, I guess, or my memory, because that's actually my favorite Nancy Kress novel. I love her short stories, but usually I find her novels somewhat tedious and predictable (especially the endless Beggars cycle). Here we have some twists, some turns, some unflinching looks at violence - even as a thriller per se, it's really above average. But it's also a nice novel about damaged relationships,... more info
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