Child Zero by Chris Holm
Also by this author: The Killing Kind, Red Right Hand
Published by Little, Brown on May 10, 2022
Genres: Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Fiction, Hard Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 320
Format: ARC

Four years ago, bacterial infections around the world increased quickly to outbreak status.  Though they were found to be impervious to standard treatment, the world's public officials found them to be unrelated. Soon, this resistance to antibiotics intensified.  Diseases once thought to be dormant returned.  Illnesses or injuries that were once considered minor instead bore a death sentence.

In New York City, a horrific act of bioterrorism decimates the city's already waning population.  Led by a new extremist group that aimed to rid the planet of humanity, the already weakened city becomes a shell of what it once was.  Curfews,  sick camps, and mandated reporting of any instance of fever takes its place.

NYPD Detective Jacob Gibson knows first hand how horrific this crisis is; his wife was a victim of the bioterrorism attack.  His daughter, still suffering from the loss of her mother, has fallen ill.  Knowing what happens to those who are reported to the Department of Biological Security, he must keep her status a secret.

Gibson is called to Central Park to investigate a potential massacre.  Though the victims were "residents" shantytown meant to quarantine the sick, every single one of them died in perfect health. Gibson finds himself perilously close to those who played a role in the attack that killed his wife and many, many others.  When all the layers of secrets and lies are removed, what remains is absolutely terrifying.

I’m not going to sugar coat it; Holms’ latest novel is terrifying.  As I closed the book, the first word I uttered had four letters.

The cause of this exclamation was two fold: First, this novel is absolutely brilliant.  Holm uses his own background in molecular biology to pen a thriller like no other.  I’m going to resist from adding all the clichés one utters after reading such a tremendous book because it deserves so much more than that.  My lack of words to describe it should be more than enough.  Stunned silence seems to be a mediocre yet accurate way to describe it. Second, because the scenario Holm has created is completely plausible.   You can say it’s shocking and unbelievable, but given the state of our society lately, is it really?

I know there are many that are avoiding books, movies, television shows involving a plague due to what we’ve gone through the last two years.  Doing so, in this case, is a disservice.  This book should serve as a wake-up call for all of us to examine the state of our society’s health care and how we react when hit but such a big and brute force.  Would we have been able to stand up to an attack say, for instance, during the peak of COVID? I don’t think so.

Read this thriller because it’s brilliant.  Read this thriller because it will open a door in your mind that has been closed off due to the trauma of the last few years, but desperately needs to get that jolt and reawaken. If anything, we should know by now we can’t hide from what terrifies us; we must meet it with full force.  It doesn’t have to be a plague, or an attack, but anything that threatens our safety and security. It’s time to get our boots on the ground and fight. Highly, highly recommended.