Have you ever felt like just when you think you have everything figured out the rules start changing on you? In Exposure, book four of the Virals series by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs, I am fairly sure that was exactly how Tory Brennan and her friends felt. While dealing with the court trial against the gamemaster after the events of the previous book, Code, the Virals become aware of an investigation into some missing children. The children are actually teenagers who go to Bolton Prep with Tory, Hiram and Shelton so naturally the pack is curious about what is happening. As they start to nose around they discover some interesting clues but things really only start to get weird when Tory’s new friend, Ella, also goes missing. However, this investigation is potentially more difficult than any of their previous ones due to one rather significant reason. Their powers are acting up and badly. What starts out as difficulty flaring or unintentional flaring transitions into difficulty with the pack connection and inability to flare as well, often at times that are rather dangerous already. This leads the pack to continuing their long running investigation into how they acquired their powers from the experimental parvovirus in the first place.
This book adds new layers to the virals story as it explores the idea of their powers not working correctly, or at least not working the way they have come to expect them to work. What was really interesting about that is that the characters weren’t sure about what was causing them to act up in the first place. Tory actually hypothesizes that it could be due to the disunity currently in the virals after her continued distrust of Ben due to him helping the gamemaster. While this makes sense on the surface since they had previously discovered the pack telepathy only works when the pack is together, at the same time it doesn’t make sense since these incidences are so radically different than those ones were. It is not just a refusal to work but often times a malfunction in some way. I was kind of surprised with just how long it took them to dismiss that option. The mystery that was also present and was the primary storyline was just as detailed and fleshed out as the ones in the previous books so I was rather happy that continued. It had just the right blend of mysterious clues, tension, and pacing to create an overall enjoyable read. The characters, particularly Tory Brennan, continues to gain character growth and added depth as the series continues. In this case, we see her having to grapple with the idea that one of her pack may not be trustworthy and the idea of having to forgive them because of what had happened. Something that is rarely actually easy to do and something that she has to consciously work on over the earlier parts of the book. I think the reason that it took her so long to work on that is because she has to deal with the idea of whether or not she wants to forgive Ben, regardless of whether Hi and Shelton have. There are a lot of extra layers being added to the interpersonal relationships between the characters here that are rather fascinating. Overall, a great read and one that earns four out of five stars from me.
This book is a great blend of science-fiction and mystery that is primarily aimed at the young adult or teen age range. If you happen to fall into that age range and enjoy either of those genres then I suggest you consider trying this series out, but make sure to read them in order first to get the whole picture. I am not entirely sure how well it would appeal to readers who don’t enjoy those genres but you can still try it if it sounds good. I know the books are aimed at young adults and teens but I don’t see why it couldn’t appeal to adults as well if they think it sounds interesting. However, I don’t think it would be suitable for younger readers as it does contain some violence and does deal with other semi-mature topics. Like I said it is a good book though and you should consider trying the series. As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.