Only One Cure: FBI & CDC Medical Thriller - For Crime Fiction Fans

I somehow missed the first book in this series (Only Wrong Once) and while I am sure it would have provided more of a foundation for the main characters and their relationship to each other, I never felt I was missing anything integral to this story. It can absolutely be read as a standalone (having said that, I have already gone back and purchased the first one because the writing and the characters are so good).This book has something for everyone. It is a well-written and compelling page-turner of a novel that features strong, intelligent female characters who are highly accomplished and very relatable. Also featured are some very convincing and rather loathsome villains, each with their own agendas, who are working together to perpetrate a heinous act of terrorism against the United States. The story is told from the perspective of a CDC epidemiologist, Madeline Hamilton and an FBI counterterrorism agent (and Madeline’s love interest), Quinn Traynor. Both have been called in to combat different aspects of this threat against their country. A neurotoxin has been deployed against a select group of young people (all of whom have wealthy and/or politically prominent parents) and a nerve-racking, tension-filled race is on to find out who is responsible for this toxin and how to combat its effects before the young lives are lost. The plot is intriguing and plausible, the characters are well-developed and believable, and the suspense is unremitting. There is no gratuitous or graphic violence, no unsavory language, and the romance between Madeline and Quinn is devoid of explicit scenes. I applaud the professional presentation of this book – it is well-edited with no typos or grammatical errors to detract from the flow of the narrative. I chose to listen to the audiobook version as I read along with the e-book version and I must comment on the superlative job done by the narrator, Stephanie Dillard. I felt she employed every technique possible (variances in pitch, cadence, tone, and accents) to bring this story and its characters to life for the listener. Without reservation, I recommend this book and audiobook to all.While I did purchase a copy of this book, I was provided with a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this honest and unbiased review.