Author:John Case
In the Book of Revelations, the Four Horsemen herald the arrival of the Apocalypse. When the First Horseman thunders forth, pestilence will spread throughout the land. For the First Horseman is Plague... The Spanish Flu killed thirty million people worldwide in 1918. Now, with history threatening to repeat itself, a scientific expedition speeds toward a remote island in the Arctic Sea to recover strains of the lethal virus preserved under layers of ice. For Washington Post reporter Frank Daly, it is the story of a lifetime. But his plan to join the expedition is ruined by a ferocious storm that delays him. And when he meets up with the ship upon its return to port in Norway, it is clear that something has gone terribly wrong. Fear haunts the faces of the crew. No one will talk. And someone wants Daly to stop asking questions. But if there's a wall around the facts, Daly will batter it down. Persistent and resourceful, he knows how to get answers when none are given. Yet the more he uncovers, the more dangerous the stakes become. Until at last he comes face-to-face with a shocking secret, pitching him into a harrowing race to prevent nothing less than... apocalypse.
Expertly researched and chillingly related - terrifying - the sort of thriller which defies you to look away
—— Express on SundaySlick, polished and gut-wrenching stuff
—— Irish TimesReal strength in detailing the nitty-gritty of operations
—— Sunday ExpressThere's a frightening ring of authenticity
—— MirrorGripping and memorable
—— Sunday TimesRendell never fails to come up trumps
—— Irish TimesCompulsively readable
—— ScotsmanWexford is as solid and reliable as ever
—— Birmingham PostAs ever, Rendell writes both literately and perceptively about her characters and the world they live in
—— SpectatorProbably the greatest living crime writer in the world
—— Ian Rankin