April Shadows (Shadows)

Book Description

APRIL HAD ALWAYS FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER.

Her older sister Brenda was tall, athletic, competitive, and sure of herself. But April Taylor was short, sensitive, and overweight -- and she couldn't bounce back from their father's cutting criticisms the way Brenda did. April didn't know why their once-loving dad had become a coldhearted monster, but she was sure it had something to do with her. And she could see how his cruel behavior was tearing away at her gentle mother. But a glimmer of happiness returns when Brenda brings home her college roommate: beautiful, bewitching Celia. And April wonders if she might not be so different from Brenda after all....

Download Description

"APRIL HAD ALWAYS FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER. Her older sister Brenda was tall, athletic, competitive, and sure of herself. But April Taylor was short, sensitive, and overweight -- and she couldn't bounce back from their father's cutting criticisms the way Brenda did. April didn't know why their once-loving dad had become a coldhearted monster, but she was sure it had something to do with her. And she could see how his cruel behavior was tearing away at her gentle mother. But a glimmer of happiness returns when Brenda brings home her college roommate: beautiful, bewitching Celia. And April wonders if she might not be so different from Brenda after all.... "

Customer Reviews:

Change is good!.......2007-04-18

For many moons readers have been complaining about how similar all The VCA books have become.

This one is different. And that is a plus.

The story (by A.N.) offers a change-up to the franchise and is welcomed.

For once we do not have to put up with a raging beauty, but a regular girl who is trying her best to cope. The lesbian theme is different from previous novels.

The characters are written with feeling and depth. Brenda, Celia and April are easy to understand. I've yet to read the sequel, but have found this book to be a breath of fresh air compared to the last few (A.N.) novels.

Note to (A.N.) author: Please feel free to change the formula; it's gotten old and needs to be refreshed. We will still follow you.

Incredibly boring book...and I'm not even finished it yet........2006-06-18

I keep finding myself thinking "who cares?!" This book drags on and on and on. There's no suspense AT ALL. In the first few pages where we hear about Mr. Hyde, I pretty much deduced that Matt Taylor was in fact sick and that's why his behavior changed. No suspense. I knew the sister would end up gay--I don't agree with that lifestyle, but since I enjoy VC books (which occasionally had incest), I knew to expect one of the two. Figured out which it would be once they started pimping the fact that she never went on dates, boys liked her but she didn't give them the time of day, BLAH BLAH BLAH. It's all so very cliche. The story isn't interesting. April is a wimp, and halfway through the book, nothing about her has changed. It's making me feel as if it's not worth finishing. And that's disappointing b/c when I first started reading VCA books in school, I couldn't put them down....loved the Casteels, the Cutlers, the Adares, the Landrys, Logans, and to an extent, the Hudsons. I would search high and low in my county's libraries for an entire series just so I wouldn't have to wait to read the next one. Not soo anymore. I picked up the next in the Shadows series, but it looks like I'll be returning it along with this unfinished one.

I hope one day the ghostwriter wakes up and goes back to VC's glory days.

So many lonely people to write about.......2006-06-16

What I like best about VC Andrews books is that I know they will just keep coming. There are so many lonely people types in the world to base books on. In APRIL SHADOWS, Andrews does it again, taking a person who is not picture perfect in her own mind and suffers many losses to deal with. Voila! Another dysfunctional situation as well as a character many can relate to, to get to know.
Glad to see gay issues out of the closet and onto the page. The Uncle and his big doll make for a wonderful twist(ed) addition, too.
Now, on to book two of the series. Good!

Fat-phobia at its finest. .......2006-03-27

I used to be a VCA fan. I even stuck with the books after Neiderman started writing them, and helped run the biggest (at the time) internet fan club for her. I grew out of her books somewhere after the Melody series, and since then haven't read her books that often. However, this book caught my eye. "Dares to break all the rules"! That's what the cover said! So I picked it up, and hey- April is short, sensitive, and overweight. Well, that does indeed sound different, I think to myself. How nice it'll be to read a book with a chubby protagonist, I wondered how the issue of her size would be dealt with.

Well, let me say this: poorly. Very, very poorly. Throughout the entire book April does not once ever think anything nice about herself or her body. She's criticized constantly for her size, and she refuses to stand up for herself. It's not at all an exaggeration to say that at least once every five pages there is some mention of her being "overweight", "obese", "20 pounds too much" or some other phrase that points a negative view on herself. There's huge focus on her dieting and on her sister and father being angry with her for doing things like - oh my god - eating a meal! To say that I was disappointed in this book is an understatement. In a world where there are so many young girls with eating disorders and self esteem and self image issues, this book only goes to further perpetuate it all. It's funny, because I always laughed at the typical moaning of VCA's characters over their "bony collarbones", but at least those characters appreciated their bodies for what they were, in spite of their flaws.

There are other issues in this book - yes, there's a homosexual theme. Yes, it's predictable. There are so many stereotypes floating around in this book that it's ridiculous. Brenda, the jock lesbian. Peter, the Native American whose sole purpose in the story is to tell April about native lore and to "follow the wheel." Of course, there's the chubby April, who's fat because she's lazy and eats too much.

I would say that the one and ONLY positive part of this book is in the way that it deals with Brenda and Celia's relationship - very straightforward and without a lot of explaining. Their relationship just is what it is, and there's not a lot of controversy around it. (You may insert your own controversy if you wish..)

I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM IS?.......2005-12-29

Seeing people disgard this book, souly because it has homosexuality contained in it. well, the world also has homosexulity in it and the sooner people realize it and stop thinking as if we all were in the dark ages where people were be-headed for things like that, the better. Anybody who has read flowers in the attic series and liked it and wrote a review saying this book should't heve ever been published is one of the biggest hipictrits i have ever had the misfortune of having my eyes rolled across their reviews for this magnificent and defiant book. and defiance in a book is a rare but key quality in a memorable book that will be remembered for generations to come. such as myself. i read this book and i'm fourteen but i even know more about beautiful literature than some of these pig-headed, hipicrital, old bitties that think back to pilgrim eras and customs when women only wore black and gray and weren't allowed an oponion. and now that i see how some women take their oponion that many women died trying to uphold, and say things like "i threw it away the second i finished it" or "it is soft core porn" or "the homosexuality it disgusting", really makes me sick and sad to know that the women who died for our oponions, would be turning in their graves if they could read the horid way people have dishevled this beautiful and heartfelt book.

The School Skeleton (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Average customer rating:

A to Z Mysteries - The School Skeleton
Mystery lovers here is your book!
That's my Skeleton!
The Mystery of the Skeleton Snatcher!
The Sneaky Peeky Skeleton

The School Skeleton (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Ron Roy
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

School | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0375813683
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Book Description

S is for Skeleton. . . .
It’s a bone-afide mystery at Dink’s school. Some sneaky soul has stolen the skeleton from the nurse’s
office! The principal promises free aquarium tickets to the savvy sleuths who can track down poor Mr. Bones. Soon mysterious clues are showing up all over the school. It’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to follow the clues and put those old bones to rest.

Customer Reviews:

A to Z Mysteries - The School Skeleton.......2004-10-01

I like this book because it was a mystery and it was fun to try to solve it. You would like it if you like mysteries. Have fun reading. I hope you like it.

Mystery lovers here is your book!.......2004-09-29

I really liked this book because it was a scary mystery. You should definetly read this book because you can solve it! It was cool because it was a mystery. You'll like it!

That's my Skeleton!.......2004-09-29

I really liked this book because it was funny and interesting. I really enjoy mysteries. You should definetly read it because it's a mystery and they are nice to read because you get to solve them yourself!

The Mystery of the Skeleton Snatcher!.......2004-09-29

I really liked this book because I like mysteries and you get to solve the mystery by yourself. You should definetly read this book because it's a cool book and I'm a second grader and I enjoyed this book. If you read it I hope you'll enjoy it too!!

The Sneaky Peeky Skeleton.......2004-09-29

I really liked this book because it has lots of clues in it and I liked to find out how they solve the mystery quickly. You should definetly read this book because it is a really cool mystery book and you should even read it again!! You should also stop and think about what person in the school stole the school skeleton. This book is really cool!

Average customer rating:

MUST READ THRILLER!!
EXCITING PAGE-TURNER!
Intense YA thriller
Engaging enough
Brandie's Book Report: SHOCK POINT by April Henry

Shock Point
April Henry
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Fiction | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0399243852

Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Cassie's stepfather Rick is about to strike it rich with Socom, a new behavioral drug in which Rick is a big investor. But then Cassie discovers that Rick, a teen psychiatrist, has already been prescribing Socom illegally to his patients—and three teens have died.

Before she can report him, Rick has Cassie committed to Peaceful Cove, a sadistic boot camp for troubled teens in Mexico where the only way out is to graduate at age eighteen. Cassie knows she has to get out now, before more teens die from Socom. But no one has ever escaped from Peaceful Cove alive—and even if Cassie gets over the walls and survives the Mexican desert, will anyone believe her story?

A taut, psychological thriller ripped from today's headlines, Shock Point deftly explores the cutting edge issue of behavioral drugs while taking readers on a roller coaster ride of action and suspense.

Customer Reviews:

MUST READ THRILLER!!.......2007-05-26

Shock Point Review

Cassie a main character of the Shock Point is a troubled teen that is sent a camp in Mexico that doesn't understand why. She is having problems with everyday life and is having troubles getting along with her stepfather who has persuaded her mother that she needed to go to the camp.
Cassie was always told that she was a troubled teen by her stepfather who was a teen counselor sent her without warning to a place that was called Peaceful Cove, which was a boot camp in Mexico for troubled teens. Cassie's father convinced her mom that she needed to go even when he said it was for her own good when he really knew that it was a prison for teens that were sent away because they got into trouble for things in their life.
Cassie knows the real reason why Rick her stepfather wants to get rid of her, he has been prescribing a drug called Socom, an experimental drug that he is giving to his patients. And Cassie knows that he will make a lot of money if the drug is successful to prescribe to teens, but what Cassie knows will ruin his career for the rest of his life. The drug that he prescribed has killed three of his patients have died after taking the pill for depression.
But Cassie has also discovered the truth about Peaceful Cove too. It's really a brutal prison where teens get beaten and made to work in the hot sun all day without water or food all day, which also kills kids without the proper nutrition before doing hard labor. But the only way that you can get out of the prison is if you graduate that is if she can survive the beatings everyday...But if she gets out will anyone believe her?

I thought this book was very good but in some parts of it I felt like I was a little bit rushed...but it was a very interesting book and it was a major page turner. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like life thrillers and are always assumers of what's going to happen next. This book will definitely surprise you in the outcome of the story and it will surprise you when you get to the end.

EXCITING PAGE-TURNER!.......2007-01-04

SHOCK POINT was exciting and hard to put down. I really enjoyed reading this thrilling mystery and will look for future books from April Henry.

Intense YA thriller.......2006-09-06

This is a book that once you start it, you won't put it down until you've reached the last page.

Engaging enough.......2006-09-05

The plot works, and the writing is clear. A great read for the middle grade student.

Brandie's Book Report: SHOCK POINT by April Henry.......2006-07-09

In case you were wondering, there is a modern master of YA suspense. Her name is April Henry, and her book SHOCK POINT will take you to that place where an evil stepparent can ruin your life and being sent away to school can be more dangerous than you ever imagined.

Cassie Streng is your average high school girl living in a new town with a new stepfather, who is a child psychiatrist. But when Cassie discovers that the experimental drug, Socom, he has been prescribing led to the suicide of three teenagers, she becomes his next target. She is abducted from her own driveway and taken across the border to Peaceful Cove, a Mexican boot camp for troubled teens. The rules at Peaceful Cove are only the beginning of the horrors that Cassie faces at this "school." As her stepfather works to put the drug on the market, Cassie must find a way to escape Peaceful Cove and let the public know the truth -- before it's too late to save herself and future Socom patients.

These are my three favorite things about SHOCK POINT:
1. Cassie believes in her own strength as she fights against the injustice around her.
2. Cassie holds friendship and loyalty above her own well-being.
3. This book kept my blood pressure up and my muscles ready to run. I felt Cassie's pain and determination.

This is my favorite quote from SHOCK POINT: "So it's like Ritalin, Prozac, and a mother's prayers combined?"

Sparkle Princess (Picture Me Board Book Series)

Average customer rating:

Great book for little girls

Sparkle Princess (Picture Me Board Book Series)
Cathy Hapka , Heather Hill , and April Roush
Manufacturer: Playhouse Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Board Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Royalty | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1571515607

Customer Reviews:

Great book for little girls.......2003-03-28

I have this book for my daughter (she's a real "girly girl"). She loves anything to do with sparkles and princesses, and then to put her picture in a book that sparkles and makes her the princess is awesome. I'm looking to buy a couple more of these for my nieces. Great fun book

Arthur's April Fool (Arthur Adventure Series)

Average customer rating:

April Fool's Day Prank
arthur's april fool
arthur's april fool
Arthur and D.W. are so much fun!
An ok book with a sense of humor.

Arthur's April Fool (Arthur Adventure Series)
Marc Brown
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Bullies | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0316112348

Customer Reviews:

April Fool's Day Prank.......2006-10-31

This story is about Arthur who is afraid of Binky Barnes.He wants to get stronger so he can beat Binky Barnes! Then, he had nightmares of Binky Barnes chasing him! It was April Fool's Day! I think kids should read this book because it is funny, cute, lovable, and so cheerful. I could laugh forever! My favorite part was when Binky finds out that he has been tricked!

arthur's april fool.......2006-01-14

my son loved this book. he was having a problem with a bully at school and this book really help him see that even big bully's have weaknesses.

arthur's april fool.......2003-12-16

it was an okay book. I think that D.W. and Arthur make the perfect brother and sister because they always disagree. It was a funny book because Arthur does a good trick on Binky.

Arthur and D.W. are so much fun!.......2002-05-11

ARTHUR'S APRIL FOOL is one of the earlier books when the drawings of Arthur still gave him the longer head. And because it's an earlier book, all the characters you know from the wonderful TV series are here, but they look just a bit different than we're used to. It's a great story with a lot of depth and a lot of fun. The illustrations are so funny, with a lot of interesting details for kids to find. My favorite is always D.W., and she doesn't let me down here, either. The Arthur series is simply amazing and wonderful. It brings me great joy. I would get every one of the books in this affordable series of paperbacks.

An ok book with a sense of humor........2002-01-01

It is not the best book in the world, but it is one of the few on April's Fool Day. I think my students will enjoy it's sense of humor.

Average customer rating:

Spicy-Adventure Stories - April 1941
Robert Leslie Bellem , and H. J. Ward
Manufacturer: Adventure House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1597980226
Release Date: 2007-02-05

Product Description

SPICY-ADVENTURE STORIES - 04/41 - features Robert Leslie Bellem's "Sun-Death's Daughter." Bellem is best known for his character Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective. Filled with adventure, sex and science fiction style stories.

Average customer rating:

Saucy Detective - April 1937
Paul Haggard , and Jo Shipman Studios
Manufacturer: Adventure House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Men's Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 159798079X
Release Date: 2007-06-07

Product Description

SAUCY DETECTIVE - 04/37 was published by the same publishing group that also published Saucy Movie Tales. Long on content, little in regards to name authors, Saucy Detective was filled with sex, detectives and action and was sold under the counter.

Average customer rating:

Excellent adventure
What a Waste!
Greed, murder and biopiracy in the Amazon.
fascinating medical thriller

Patent to Kill
April Christofferson
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Medical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Medical | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0812574699
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Book Description

Christofferson's gripping novels of medical suspense have drawn favorable comparisons to the work of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook. Now she returns with a page-turning thriller that explores the cutting edge of medicine--and murder.It is a new crime for a new century. Biopiracy: the theft of the healing secrets of isolated, indigenous peoples. Rapacious pharmaceutical companies swoop down on remote Third World tribes, steal their folk medicine, native cures, and even human blood, then reap tremendous profits from the patents.Dr. Jake Scully doesn't want to think that his employer, Genchrom, is exploiting anyone, let alone killing natives for the unique properties of their DNA, but when he tries to blow the whistle on the company's criminal activities, he places his own life--and his family--in danger.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent adventure.......2005-06-23

I really loved this book and can't wait to read the rest of Christofferson's books. It opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas and really conveyed the atmosphere and ambience of the Amazon rainforest. Terrific story! I could not put it down, literally, and it cost me some bleary mornings.

What a Waste!.......2003-11-03

This has to be one of the worst books I've ever read! I do like medical thrillers and picked up Patent to Kill by April Christofferson. Its jacket indicated that it deals with biopiracy, a "new" crime where pharmaceutical companies go into remote villages where the populations are "pure" to draw blood for DNA research. I'm sure that there will now be lots of other books that come out with the same subject matter.

Anyway, in this one, a woman escapes the slaughter in her village in the Amazon, and, clad in native dress, with no passport, speaking no English, and using uncut diamonds as currency, makes her way to Seattle! As if that is not remarkable enough, she then makes her way back home!

But, even more than that, what I could not believe was that the author had three- count 'em THREE- characters named Michael! I actually finished the book only because I wanted to see if she ever explained why she could not think up a different name! Unbelievable!

Greed, murder and biopiracy in the Amazon........2003-09-21

April Christofferson's new thriller, "Patent to Kill," is about the evils of biopiracy. Ruthless drug and biotechnology companies are sending people deep into the Amazon rain forest to find folk medicines and curative herbs. They even take blood samples of isolated tribes to use their DNA for new therapies. Invariably, the tribes are harmed by this exposure to foreigners, and they are inadequately compensated for this intrusion into their private world.

The beautiful and troubled Asahel Sullivan works for her father, Philip Esser, founder and CEO of Mercy Pharmaceuticals. Asahel hates her father and everything that he stands for. In the past, she was an activist who protested the exploitation of native tribes, and although she works for her father, her heart is not in her job. Asahel is horrified at her father's relentless pursuit of profits.

Jake Skully is a doctor and recent widower who works for a rival biotech company called GenChrom. Jake and Asahel meet in the Amazon, and they join forces to get to the bottom of a terrible conspiracy which threatens the lives of many innocent people.

Through her characters, April Christofferson repeatedly lectures her readers on the evils of exploiting indigenous tribes. The villains in "Patent to Kill" are caricatures whom the author depicts without a hint of subtlety. Jake and Asahel are attractive protagonists, but they cannot save "Patent to Kill" from being a run-of-the-mill thriller about nasty biotechnology executives who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

fascinating medical thriller.......2003-08-04

Once the Scullys were a happy family of four, the parents practicing medicine in Nogales when tragedy struck. The son went blind from what Jake believes is an environmental factor. Subsequently, the police find the dead wife's body and rule it a suicide. Jake believes she was murdered. Jake moves his family to Seattle and goes to work for GenChrom.

Research shows that Jake's son's blindness is caused by damage to the G31 gene but the mutated G32 gene (as proven in experiments with dogs) if injected into damaged DNA material will allow his son to see. The only problem is finding the G32 gene and to do that Jake and his employer must travel to the Amazon rain forest and locate a blue-eyed tribe that might have the gene in their DNA. The trip is an eye opener to Jake as he sees what happens to the native populations when ruthless corporate types who not only bend the laws but also break them, approach them. Jake's ethic's places he and his family in danger from a person who sees people as disposable commodities.

PATENT TO KILL is a fascinating medical thriller on a par with the works of Robin Cook. Readers experience the beauty and danger of the Amazon jungle in counterpoint to corporate America's thirst for money treating bio-piracy as if they were committing a trifling offense, that is when they even care. April Christofferson keeps the reader interested by never letting up on the action but also creating a moral hero, one who is it is easy to care about though he to easily resolves his dilemma of his son's need and the tribal situation.

Book Description

COUNT DOWN

It's 1999.

The overpopulation problem has been solved.

On a planet decimated by a brutal plague. The number one pastime has been staying alive.

The survivors -- teenagers -- thought they were the only people left on earth. But they are about to discover they're not alone.

Something is watching them. Something ancient. Something evil. Something that has waited for centuries for its time to arrive....

The wait is finally over.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book,Great Series.......1999-10-22

I love the countdown books!! April was the last 1 I read and now I'm going on 2 May. I think Harold is such a fake and that George is right about him. My favorite character is George and i hope he convinces people that Harold is running a scam and I cant wiat 2 see what happens with Sarah because she knows who the chosen one is.........

This is the best series of books i've ever read in my life........1999-09-08

I first found this book by mistake. I was looking for another so I thought I might as well get this until the store gets the book I was looking for. so I bought it and went home and read it. Now every month i can't wait until the next one comes out. I took the book to school and I got all my friends reading it now. It's the main topic of conversation every morning in class. " Oh, you have October already?!? Where did you get? What Happened in this book?? Can I borrow it when your done? " are just a few of the questions asked every morning. I would just like to say to Daniel that keep on going with the books even after the end on the year. I don't know what other books to read after the end.

awasome book, mind boggling.. on the edge of your seat.......1999-06-15

extreamly awasome book, Ive bought up to june..and i just finished april today!! incredable series.. KUDOS TO DANIEL!! Im glad im not the only on in the country reader the book. read the book.. awasome series.. un expected things happen.. greta if you love science fiction or judgement day.. great book for teens.. adults persih and gives you and idea of how life would be if they did... makes ya think....

The mystery continues............1999-04-13

This is a well thought out teen book. The characters are like real teenagers, they are all trying to find the Chosen One, she is the only one able to save them al from the terrible plage.

Average customer rating:

Entertaining Read
Clinical Trial
great read
Complicated medical thriller with a Native American theme.
Outstanding medical thriller

Clinical Trial
April Christofferson
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Medical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0812574680

Amazon.com

Dr. Isabel McLain, lately shy of a cushy life and a very bad marriage, has shucked it all and bolted east to the impoverished Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana. It's there, shortly into her doctoring tenure, that young and healthy Joe Winged Foot comes into the clinic with shortness of breath and comes out, shortly thereafter, dead, the first of several Blackfoot to succumb to the rare, contagious, deadly, and nearly untreatable hantavirus.

Coincidentally, Dr. Ken MacStirling's newly developed hantavirus vaccine is only waiting on a clinical trial. Fortunate, yes? Not according to activist tribal lawyer, Monty Four Bear, who states that better circumstances would prevail if a population other than his own were used as guinea pigs.

"I had some of the same thoughts." Before Monty even had time to respond, Isabel McLain continued. "Why not wait, until the vaccine has been tested? But Dr. MacStirling pointed something out to me. We're talking years, years, before this product is on the market. In the meantime, how many more lives will this despicable disease claim? Even if the answer is only one, that's one too many. I will do everything in my power," her voice weakened momentarily, "... everything, to make sure that what happened to Joe and Will and Dolores doesn't happen again. Not here. Not on this reservation."

Isabel is fiery, committed, and gorgeous; ditto Monty; something goes seriously (and intentionally) awry with the vaccine; the two diametrically opposed firebrands join forces; canoodling ensues. Anyone surprised yet? Probably not, but in Clinical Trial, April Christofferson's second medical thriller (see 1999's The Protocol) the author wisely dishes up enough sympathetic good guys and ancillary bad guys--Isabel's crooked and licentious husband, Alistair; nasty players from an even nastier Canadian mining outfit; a furious Soviet scientist working for MacStirling's biotech firm, et al.--to crowd out the lack of depth and to keep us happily wondering for long enough which Reds are herrings and which are not. --Michael Hudson

Book Description

The deadly hantavirus has killed dozens of Native Americans, so when a reputable pharmaceutical company claims to have developed a vaccine against the deadly disease, it should be good news. But when ImmuVac asks Dr. Isabel McLain to conduct a clinical trial of the vaccine on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana, the proposal gets a distinctly mixed response from both her and the suspicious Blackfeet. Is the new drug truly safe, or are the Blackfeet being used as human guinea pigs?

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining Read.......2002-05-07

A clinical trial of a vaccine for hantavirus on a Blackfeet reservation in Montana is the main story in this book. However, there are several other plot lines included. The story jumps from one situation to another quite frequently early on. Some of the connections are pretty unbelievable, but the characters carry the tale and the story begins to come together about halfway through the book. Towards the end, the pace picks up and tension builds to a satisfying conclusion. An entertaining, if not always believable read.

Clinical Trial.......2001-12-15

A great medical thriller that was almost impossible to put down! Action keeps moving, and surprise turns keep it interesting. A great read for those who like medical thrillers with a little romance thrown in - but not enough to distract from the story - just enough to make it believable.

great read.......2001-07-25

April Christoffersons clinical trial may be her best yet. After reading Edgewater and her last book Protocol which was a wonderful read I was very excited to see her new book out, and she did not disapoint. This was an incredibly well written book by Christofferson, this is a gripping read that is very hard to put down. Christoffesons depiction of the Blackfoot Reservation is very strong, and tribal laywer Montey Four Bear was a great character. It is impossible not to fall in love with Dr. Isabel McLaine who leaves the fast pace and sometimes very sick world of the high tech medicine field to care for teh impovershed Natives on the Blackfoot Reservation. The Protocol is an extremely thrilling read that you won't want to put down, I highly recommend this book.

Complicated medical thriller with a Native American theme........2001-01-01

In her medical thriller, "Clinical Trial," April Christofferson explores the tragic plight of Native Americans who live on reservations. She focuses in particular on the Blackfeet tribe of Montana, who suffer from poverty, substandard medical attention and exploitation by the white man. The heroine is Dr. Isabel McLain, who left the world of high tech medicine to provide medical care for the Blackfeet tribe. She encounters superstition and suspicion from her patients, but she gradually wins them over with her hard work and commitment. Isabel is trying to forget her disastrous marriage to her malicious, soon to be ex-husband, Alistair. The villains of the book are the aforementioned ex-husband, a greedy CEO of a mining company who wants to destroy tribal lands for the sake of profit, and another greedy CEO of a biotech company who also cares for nothing but profit. Added to the mix is a handsome Native American named Monty Four Bear who is a leader and a tribal activist. He is filled with rage at the white man's constant acts of treachery towards Native Americans. "Clinical Trial" held my interest. I loved Isabel, even though her character is somewhat formulaic; she is the typically spunky but vulnerable heroine. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, Christofferson tries to cram too much plot into the novel. Besides the story line with the evil mining company and the biotech company, there is a plot dealing with an FDA investigation involving Isabel and her nasty ex-husband, a tender love affair, a dangerous and disaffected Russian scientist who is also a madman, and a bunch of Native American activists who get involved in a violent confrontation with members of the mining company. The ending is formulaic and more than a little melodramatic. There were a few coincidences that were simply unbelievable. Still, I recommend "Clinical Trial," mostly because of the author's sensitive treatment of the plight of Native Americans and its nicely drawn heroine, Isabel McLain.

Outstanding medical thriller.......2000-09-30

Dr. Isabel McLain moved onto the Montana Blackfoot reservation seeking purpose after her marriage failed. However, practicing medicine on the Native American reservation is far from perfect as the clinic is run down and lacks funding. The situation turns deadly when the Hantavirus kills some of her patients.

ImmuVac claims to have a vaccine that will stop the deadly virus. The company wants to test it on the Blackfoot, but the people are divided. Monty Four Bears believes the biotech company wants to use his tribe as guinea pigs. Isabel thinks otherwise as the Oregon-based company is highly regarded in the field. Money is to be made with a vaccine like this one, but who is right and is the risk of proving so worth taking?

April Christofferson, author of the well-received PROTOCOL, provides her audience with an exciting Native American medical thriller. The story line works because the prime cast seems genuine as they debate the issue with both sides having doubts about the merit of their position. The characters propel the story line forward, leaving sub-genre fans with a powerful novel that works on all levels.

Harriet Klausner

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books