Family’s exposure to a rare virus puts them in danger

VIRAL

Robin Cook Loot.co.za (R245) MACMILLAN

IN VIRAL, an electrifying medical thriller from New York Times best seller Robin Cook, a family's exposure to a rare yet deadly virus puts them at the centre of a terrifying new danger to mankind – and pulls back the curtain on a health-care system powered by greed and corruption.

Brian Murphy and his family are enjoying a relaxing summer vacation when his wife, Emma, comes down with mild flu-like symptoms. Their leisurely return home to New York City quickly turns into a race to the ER when her condition deteriorates.

At the hospital, she is diagnosed with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a rare and highly lethal mosquitoborne viral disease caught during one of their evening cook-outs. Worse still, Brian and Emma's young daughter exhibits alarming signs of the same illness. A harrowing hospital stay turns even more fraught when Brian receives a staggering hospital bill that his insurer refuses to pay out on, citing dubious clauses in his policy.

Forced to choose between the health of his family and bills he can't afford, and furious at both an indifferent health-care system and the lack of public awareness about a virus that poses a growing threat, Brian vows to seek justice.

As he uncovers the dark side of a historically ruthless industry that preys on the sick and defenceless, it becomes clear he must take his revenge against those responsible by whatever means necessary.