https://www.librarything.com/work/13889172/details/174510862 ( )

It started slow, that's a valid gripe - or slow for Douglas E. Richards. He usually starts with something like pulling the rip cord and the parachute lines tangle. The jumper fails to cut away the tangled parachute and in a panic deploys the back up which only tangles things up further. Petty intense.

This one does start with some traumatically cringe-worthy psychopathic brutality and only one surviving child, who is our protagonist. So my slow argument doesn't really hold up very well. But that's just shoving you in the door. Once you're in the book, you're waiting for grandma to make the tea… there's the fuss about Earl Grey or Cinnamon Apple… boring... metaphorically. Then Erin, our traumatic surviving child has grown up. She has overcome the massive trauma and is now studying psychopathy. It's about that time you think you've figured out where Mr. Richards is going with "The Cure".

You'll be wrong. He does some writer "magic tricks."

While you're looking at the "cure psychopathy" presumption, he changes where you're not looking. When you turn the page you're rubbing your chin thinking, well..., ok..., didn't think it would go that way.

So you hope the writer magician will do it again. He uses the deceptive sleight of hand again and "The Cure" story you imagined was happening eludes your anticipation again, making this horror thriller into a medical mystery. Next turn the page you realize you didn't see the "Alien Highway - Entering the Sci Fi Twilight Zone" sign.

Titles often give readers a fair idea what's to come. This one starts with a child traumatized by a psychopath. Then we learn the child has grown into a Ph.D. intern studying prison inmate psychopaths. The title "The Cure" suggests rather clearly what is going on and you have a good idea where the author is going.

If you've committed to believing that presumption, get ready to become a Douglas E. Richards fan. He will pull a rabbit out of the hat, but he hasn't even opened the curtain to the show yet.

If I've whetted your appetite, standby. I'll supply links. The rest is just chatting and some book tech info. My review job is complete.

I liked this book. I've splurged on Mr. Richards books recently. His books remind me a bit of Robert A. Heinlein. RAH would go to some length to explain the idea of Schroedinger's cat as he explored the early ideas about quantum mechanics in a Sci-Fi murder-mystery. Alternately Mr. Richards also reminds me a bit of Isaac Asimov. Isaac explored the ethical dilemma of advances in science, usually with the scientist losing control of the science to powerful politicians who may not be so concerned about some possible, even likely, tragic moral results that may pop up.

Mr. Richards sprinkles similar things into the stories he tells. Some of us old science fiction fans are starving for this type of "what if" story where the author not only explores the extrapolation of some recent science, but also stops to think how it may go terribly wrong instead of becoming a magic happy pill to solve all the ills of humanity.

When younger it seemed to me that it was forever before the next edition of Analog or Asimov's came out. So to fill the eternities between I would devour Science News Weekly to keep my wild imagination fed. That way I might "get it" when Octavia Butler's "Lilith's Brood" (Xenogenesis Series) came out or some newbie like David Brin published some sleeping blockbuster about "Uplift Wars" - a book that seemed to launch Zecharia Sitchin into his avocation with Ancient Sumerian curiosities.

Congratulations to the folks who rated this book miserably. I sometimes look at the reviews before writing mine. Usually, I feel like everyone else but sometimes I apparently read a vastly different book that some reviewers. I get it with the sincere reviews but many times there are clues the reviewer didn't suspend disbelief long enough to actually enjoy the book.

Read in 4 sessions over five days including Friday, October 11, 2019 (15%), Sunday, October 13, 2019 (24%), Wednesday, October 16, 2019 (36%), Thursday, October 17, 2019 (41%), and Friday, October 18, 2019 (100%).

• oclc:892937656


• lccn:2013018442


• goodreads: 18888715


• asin: B00CQY7SBW


• google: lx7f0qfJcjQC


• e-isbn13: 9781466839960


• e-isbn10 :1466839961

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I picked this book up on a whim and was immediately engrossed. When I have some downtime, I like to hang out at the local bricks-and-mortar bookstore, walking through the aisles and finding treasures on the shelves. That is how I found The Cure by Douglas E. Richards. I sat in a cozy, overstuffed chair on the second floor and sipped my first pumpkin spice latte of the season while I was introduced to Erin Palmer. I hadn’t even made it through the first chapter before I knew this was a book I had to finish. The psychological-technological-science-fiction thriller seemed like a niche I hadn’t yet uncovered.

As a child, Erin Palmer witnessed the gruesome deaths of her parents and younger sister at the hands of a psychopath. Now, as a grad student, she has spent years studying variations in the brains of psychopaths. When her research catches the attention of a neuroscientist, Hugh Raborn, they team up to find a cure for psychopathy. ( )

Douglas E. Richards is known for his mind-bending science fiction thrillers that are a touch different from the mainstream variety, not to mention a penchant for throwing in unexpected twists that will leave you reeling. I finally got the chance to experience Richards' work for myself with his newest technothriller The Cure, and it appears that his knack for storytelling has not been exaggerated.

But first, readers should be aware that the prologue contains extremely graphic and brutal violence. I had a very hard time getting through it myself, and was tempted to skip the entire scene all together. However, as abhorrent as it was, this section served its purpose -- we are introduced to the main character Erin Palmer, whose entire life was shaped by a severely traumatic experience with a psychopath when she was just eleven years old.

Now a grad student, Erin has dedicated much of her life to studying and trying to understand psychopathy. When her research attracts the attention of neuroscientist Hugh Raborn who contacts her with a possible treatment and ultimately a cure for the condition, one would think Erin would be over the moon. And yet, she is troubled by the ethical implications of a such a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, not to mention her suspicions that Raborn isn't being completely honest with her.

Then, enter the HUGE twist. Let's just say I spent a lot of time during the first third of this book scratching my head trying to figure out where the "science fiction" aspect comes in with regards to the plot. Granted, the author gets innovative and very high-tech when it comes to the science and medical theory, but up to this point, The Cure came across as more of a suspense-thriller. Suffice to say, everything changed when Richards drops a huge bombshell, at once giving me my sci-fi fix and taking the story in a direction I never would have seen coming in a million years!

For obvious reasons, I can't say much more pertaining to this development without revealing any major spoilers, and really, where would be the fun in that! If the book's plot sounds intriguing to you though, I do encourage you to check it out; albeit I admit I was initially skeptical over this new turn of events, they gradually grew on me. By the end of the revelation I was at least curious enough and willing to go along to see where Richards will take me, and it's a good thing I did because the rest of the book can only be described as one wild ride -- emphasis on wild. If nothing else, this twist has definitely piqued my interest in the author's other books.

When first faced with the driving pace and unique blend of suspense and science in The Cure, one of my earliest thoughts was that Douglas E. Richards' style reminds me very much of the late Michael Crichton's. It also came as no surprise when I finished the book and did some further reading to discover that many others have also made the same comparison. The writing took some time to get used to, since at times it was awkward and seemed almost didactic in nature, but it is clear Richards knows what he's talking about. I am no molecular biologist like the author, nor am I well-versed in fields like quantum physics or psychology, but he took some very complex theories and made it straightforward enough to make the story compelling, and for me to understand that there is a lot at stake.

The book wraps up nicely, which is astounding in light of the widely different subjects involved as well as multiple twists in the plot. The story is suspenseful, audacious and a lot of fun, especially if you're a fan of the kind of science-fiction thrillers by authors like Crichton or Douglas Preston. Once in a while, a book like this comes along and shakes up my reading list, which is something I can appreciate, and on top of that, it gave me plenty to think about. ( )

THE CURE by Douglas E. Richards is an interesting Science Fiction/Fantasy. What would you do if you where psychopathic? Well read "The Cure" to find out what Erin Palmer,Hugh Raborn,a neuroscientist and Kyle Hansen discover,who is evil and who is good? Fast paced, thought-provoking, and one roller-coaster of a ride. Filled with ethical dilemmas,danger,cruelty,and violence. Please be warned: the first chapter is very graphic with savage butchering, torture, and the murder of animals and a family, as well as,the description of sensual acts. While, the first few chapters are a turn off to me, the plot thickens, as you go along with many twists and turns. This is after all, Science Fiction and Fantasy! While, I am not a big fan of the Science Fiction genre,"The Cure" does give the reader something to think on.....

Oh yea, though in an Alien along the way as well as Psychopaths,and Psycho's and you have a romping story! A interesting read! This was an alright story to me, not one of my favorites, but than sometimes, you just are not in the mood for something this graphic or fantastical. That was the case with me and "The Cure"! With this said,however, if you enjoy Science Fiction,Fantasy and a story that can only be described as out of this world, than be sure to pick up "The Cure". Received for an honest review from the author.

RATING: 3

HEAT RATING: Wild Ride

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )