FEAR: Spine-chiller and romance too

I was sent an e-copy of FEAR: Spine-chiller and romance too by author Patrick Mccusker. He didn't actually request a review, but I figured he wouldn't mind too much (especially since I really like the book).

I was immediately surprised by Fear.... You see, Patrick Mccusker resides in Ireland (I almost said Scotland, good thing I rechecked). The book starts out in China (it never does get to Ireland, don't really know why I was expecting it to), and moves to America.

One of our heroes is a half Japanese woman named Pearl, and another Mick (maybe that is the Irish, is that racist? No), doctor and researcher respectively. They are part of a team trying to find the answer to a series of deaths in both China and America. So there is the spine chilling fear. Pearl and Mick constitute the romance as well. The title says it all.

Fear... is a full on epidemic of biblical proportion tale. subtly (very subtly) included are social comments about ecology, racial hatred, gender bias, politics and academic snobbery (really, very, VERY subtle; they may have been a figment of my imagination).

The spine chilling is definitely at the forefront of Fear..., it has one of the most clever and insidious contagions I have ever read about. If it were real we would be in serious trouble. The story does bounce between China and America but not a whole lot. There are twists, turns and surprises along the way.

The romance is more of a minor part of the story which was good for me (remember not a romance fan).

There is plenty of action and suspense to go around. Not over the top violent action, but very good none the less. The story moves along at a pace that keeps the reader hooked. I was so bummed; I had 8% of the book remaining and had to put my e-reader on charge (one of the reasons I will always prefer print books. Personal comment). The scenes depicting the effects of the contagion are very graphic (but shouldn't they be?).

FEAR: Spine-chiller and romance too by author (Irish author) Patrick Mccusker is a great read. So if you want a spine chiller with a little romance as well, this is definitely the book for you. Enjoy!

Mike