James LillieforsKirja-arvosteluja

Charles and Jon are very different at the beginning of the book. Charles is a former CIA operative and is used to living looking over his shoulder. Jon is an average journalist who leads a normal and quiet life until his brother sends him information and the task to write an article about what he (Charles) is working on.

Throughout the book we see how Jon changes from a person with a normal life to somebody who impresses Charles and his team.

This is a great thriller, one of the best I’ve read recently; slow at first, but with lots of action and explosions in the end.

Sometimes it may be a bit difficult to understand if you are not familiar with genetics or molecular biology. This knowledge is not really necessary to follow the story, as terms like plasmids are explained in a basic way, but it helps a lot if you want to fully understand all the problems.

You have to pay attention while you read, because there are many characters and all are important. If you don’t know who they are, you might miss something. I didn’t think it was difficult to remember all the characters. All have a story and are not just some names in a small scene.

You can also learn things that might be useful (or just funny). Charlie uses several ways to code messages, so that the bad guys don’t know what he’s telling his brother. If you ever want to code a message like Charlie and Jon do, all the information is within the pages of this book. The methods are explained in a way everybody can understand and the messages Jon gets are used as examples: you see all the steps to decode the secret mail.

All in all, a great thriller I recommend to everybody who likes conspiracies about biological weapons.

Weak with No Ending

If this the introduction to a series, I would caution you to skip the entire series. Unfortunately, I have to agree with many previous reviewers, I found the book to be tedious, dull, and worst of all to have no ending. What? What a rotten subterfuge to pull on your readers! Plus this detective does no detecting! She complains a lot and reiterates and speaks to a very dull Pastor who seems to have come to be a Pastor by a throw at a dart board. The characters are two dimensional and lifeless save for the four-legged one. Really not worth the effort to plow through- especially when you are not even rewarded for your effort with a satisfactory end to the most basic answer to the most basic question...do they get the bad guy? Skip it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review and rated it 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

A fan of crime stories solved by partners, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read and review The Tempest by James Lilliefores. I had planned to read the first book in the series, The Psalmist, however I ran out of time and decided to just dive into The Tempest. Fortunately for me, this story stood well enough on its own and I was able to enjoy the story, and the characters, as the story developed. If you’re a fan of book series, movies or t.v. shows featuring crime solving duos, such as Rizzoli and Isles or Major Crimes, this is a book you’ll definitely want to check out.

Mr. Lilliefores does a good job introducing us the to the central crime figure behind the mystery from the very first page and then slowly introduces us to the victim, and the crime solvers Methodist Pastor Luke Bowers, and Amy Hunter, Tidewater County's chief homicide investigator. While it’s not normal to pair a religious leader and a cop as crime solvers, I found this duo very interesting and enjoyed getting to know their characters both individually and as a duo. When a summer tourist visiting the area, and temporarily attending Luke’s church, approaches him about her fear her that her husband is going to harm her, the first person he naturally thinks of involving is Amy because of their past association solving a crime. When the woman turns up dead, Luke and Amy find themselves being drawn into another murder mystery, and one that involves organized crime and stolen art masterpieces.

The secondary characters, from Susan Champlain, the murder victim, to the members of Luke’s church, the people in town and the criminals involved are all well developed and I enjoyed watching them interact with Luke and Amy as they investigate. While we do get to know what is going on in both character’s personal lives at the same time, the story’s main focus is on the crime solving and not on their personal drama and angst, something which often derails so many stories lately. .

The mystery was well developed and well-paced. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested and clues and revelations were shared at just the right time. The story was filled with plenty of suspense and with the characters determination to see justice prevail. I especially liked how both Luke and Amy’s sense of justice felt natural and how neither character used the events taking place as an opportunity to “preach” at the reader and instead let the reader reach their own conclusions on how justice would best be served.

Will Luke and Amy discover who is behind the murder and why Susan was killed? Will they be able to bring the criminals to justice or will the stolen masterpieces remain hidden from the rightful owners? You’ll have to read The Tempest to find out. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading the next installment in this series.½

Great read if you like disaster movies or books. This would be a great movie. Although if you want a read with in depth character development and history this isn't the book for you.

There is deception, intrigue and murders occurring. Someone is controlling the weather and using it against the President of the United States.

Like I said a great disaster story and a fast moving story!

Luke and Amy are very different but they work together so well. These two are the most enjoyable characters! Pastor Luke finds a dead body in his church and the state investigator assigned to the case is Amy Hunter. The local law enforcement are not happy the investigator is a woman and they do give Amy a hard time. Luke is helpful and together they unearth something really BIG!

A great mystery with the right amount of suspense, written well, fast paced. This is an author I'm going to keep reading!

I received an ecopy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was sent to me as a winner on Goodreads. This is the author's second book, so I went to the library to read his first one, Viral, before getting to this. I actually liked this book a little better than the first, so I was pleasantly surprised. The premise was really good and I like the science aspect. It brings up a lot of questions. Since this is an advanced copy, I'm not sure if the author would be adding any info if this weather stuff is really being studied by our government or other private research. I would be curious to find out. The story is well-written, very thrilling. The ending is a little ambiguous, there may be more in-store.

First Line: Dr. Atul Pradhan had just poured himself a cup of black tea when he heard what he thought was distant thunder.


If you're in the mood for a fast-paced tale of science running amok, consider picking up a copy of The Leviathan Effect, the second thriller from author James Lilliefors.

Catherine Blaine, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, receives communication from a hacker named Janus that throws her right into the depths of a nightmare. This message is the latest in a series that has been correctly predicting natural disasters around the world. Janus claims that these disasters are not natural but manmade, and if the United States doesn't follow Janus's instructions, a Category 5 hurricane will hit the East Coast and destroy the lives of millions of people.

Off in his own little world, investigative journalist Jon Mallory has been given a list of seven prominent scientists who have disappeared over the past decade. When the person who gave him the list disappears herself, Jon brings his brother Charles-- a private intelligence contractor-- up to speed on the story, which makes Charles a very sought-after man indeed, since Catherine Blaine also wants his help in uncovering this threatening new weather technology.

For the most part I prefer mysteries with rich characterization and plots that unfold gradually, but now and then I just can't resist a fast-moving story loaded with lots of action and technology. The Leviathan Effect delivers. Weather has always fascinated me, and Lilliefors's description of the technology developed to control it was not only plausible but downright chilling. Even more chilling was the person holding the purse strings and his motivations for wanting this sort of capability.

Just when everything seems to be wrapped and tied up with a big pretty bow at story's end, the author throws in a nice cliffhanger, promising more action to come. This made me smile, and I doubt that I'm the only reader to do so. It may not be wise to fool (with) Mother Nature, but it's also not wise to gloss over the warnings given by a villain who's proved he can more than carry out his threats. I look forward to the next appearance of Charles Mallory with eager anticipation.½

The Leviathan Effect is a very interesting type of thriller. It has computer hacking, shadowy foreign agents, and weather control. The use of weather as a weapon is a truly frightening yet very believable concept. Mother nature as an implacable and capricious villain who may or may not be controllable by terrorists manages to keep the suspense ramping up throughout the novel.

The characters of Homeland Security Secretary Catherine Blaine and ex-CIA agent Charles Mallory are exceptionally well-written. From the beginning, it is clear that James Lilliefors is a very good writer who knows how to write characters. Their actions feel realistic. At times it was almost maddening how slow they were to take action, yet at the same time, it was probably a more realistic portrayal of how someone would really act in those situations.

Lilliefors also skillfully mixes a mystery of murdered scientists and journalists with a clear and growing threat to the United States in the form of a hurricane of unprecedented proportions. The merging of these storylines feels organic and well-plotted.

The Leviathan Effect is a highly intelligent thriller with great plot, great characters and plenty of suspense. Lilliefors is a writer to watch and I look forward to his next book. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.½

Good writing, nonsensical plot.

Lilliefors' debut thriller doesn't slow down until the last page.... This one will keep you up at night. This elegantly complex thriller is devastating in its premise and astonishing in its meticulous plotting.

Today’s generic thriller is best known for its nonstop action, a characteristic of the genre that is often emphasized by the book’s extremely short chapters and cardboard characters. Thrillers are not usually literary in nature but, because readers of the genre do not expect literary masterpieces, they do not have to be. When a thriller writer does get a little more ambitious by offering fully-fleshed characters, a subplot or two, and a well researched main plot, readers have hit the jackpot. But this is an easy line for an author to cross – as happens when an overabundance of exotically-named minor characters makes the plot almost impossible to follow.

James Lilliefor’s Viral, an intriguing tale of scientists who succumb to what is possible while ignoring the ultimate consequences of their research, is one of those “literary thrillers” I describe. The book’s main characters, brothers Charles and Jon Mallory, are made believable by the manner in which Lilliefor explores their boyhood relationship to help explain how they have become the men they are. Lilliefor takes it a step farther by revealing the pair’s personal successes and failures to illustrate just how different from one another the brothers are.

Jon has always admired his older brother, the family’s golden boy, even though he could never match Charles’s accomplishments and believes that he was a disappointment to their father. Charles is a former CIA agent who is putting his counterterrorism expertise to good and profitable use as a private contractor with a worldwide reputation for effectiveness. Jon has taken on the rather more mundane role of investigative reporter for a Washington D.C. newspaper. These days the two seldom even speak to each other, but after their father dies unexpectedly, Charles leads Jon along a mysterious trail around the world that will save millions of lives if they can solve the puzzle in time.

Viral did, however, leave me a bit frustrated and mystified at times. Lilliefor populates his book with so many side character villains that I could not keep up with their various relationships to the conspiracy despite trying to track them by handwritten notes to myself. There is just not enough time for Lilliefor to develop all his characters to the point that they become unique and memorable to the reader. Too, after having spent so much time with Lilliefor’s “ticking bomb” kind of a plot, I found myself somewhat disappointed in the book’s climax even though all the loose ends are tied up rather neatly.

That said, Viral is still one of the better thrillers I have read in recent months. It combines the best elements of medical thrillers with those of rogue-government-agent-conspiracy thrillers to tell a plausible tale that encompasses villains worthy of a confrontation with James Bond himself. Just be forewarned that it is best to track very carefully the comings and goings of every character right from the beginning in order to avoid the kind of confusion I experienced.

Rated at: 3.5½

Reviewed at RTE. Strong journalistic writing paired with a rather far-fetched storyline about a plot to release a deadly virus in an African country.

Interesting take on the machinations of corporate and government bodies trying to out maneuver the other, when in actuality it comes down to greed at the expense of those that are unable to fight back.

I found myself interested in the story, but caring little about the characters. Too much like watching a game of chess played out with plastic figurines.½

First Line: Cloud shadows carpeted the African countryside as a privately owned matatu rattled along the dusty lorrie route toward the capital.

In remote, impoverished areas of Africa, a deadly virus is moving through farming villages and shanty towns like a well-honed scythe leaving no survivors. The vaguest of rumors about this swirl through the rest of the world. Only a former CIA operative, Charles Mallory , with the help of his brother, investigative reporter Jon, seem able to put the clues together to learn that someone is putting plans into motion-- plans to create a new, technologically advanced society. Will the brothers be able to stop a bold and terrifying "humane depopulation" before it goes any further?

This book is not your typical thriller; there's a lot to digest in its pages. In a very real way, it's a two-pronged cautionary tale: telling us of what may happen if we keep ignoring the Third World, and of what obscenely wealthy people think they're entitled to do-- all in the name of "good". At its best, this cautionary tale can make your blood run cold.

But as a thriller, it doesn't quite run like a well-tuned machine. The cast of characters is too large, and they're scattered all over the place. It's difficult to get a fix on any of them and care what happens to them.

Of the two main characters, younger brother, Jon, is the more sympathetic. Jon hasn't really had any contact with his brother Charles in years, but Charles suddenly begins sending him riddles obliquely referring to their childhood that Jon is expected to decipher. Since his life depends on his decoding speed, it's good that Jon's up to the task. The scenes with Jon in Africa are particularly chilling and heartbreaking.

On principle, once I knew who the villains were and what their goals were, I detested them, but they were too shadowy for me to make that feeling personal. The villains just weren't "real" enough.

The pace of the book is also glacial at times. The author's story takes so long to put into place and is so detailed that I found myself wanting to put my foot down on the accelerator and speed things up a notch or two.

There are many things to like about Viral; when the scenes are in Africa, it can chill your blood and break your heart, but it never really involved me to the degree that it should have. I always felt removed from what was happening, and I really wanted to feel as though I were right in the middle of it all, fighting the good fight. All this being said, I have to admit that I am curious about any future adventures of the Mallory brothers. James Lilliefors is an author to watch.

3/2/14