If you want an edge of your seat science thriller then you seriously need to try Whiteout by Ken Follett. When a canister of a potentially deadly virus turns up missing from Oxenford Medical days before Christmas, the head of security Toni Gallo does everything she can to find out what happened. Discovering a lab technician smuggled a rabbit out of the lab and became infected is not on her holiday list that is for sure. Recovering the virus she works on recovering her holiday plans all the while not realizing that things are far from finished. Kit Oxenford, son of Stanley Oxenford who is head of Oxenford Medical, has been blackmailed into stealing the same virus from the lab facilities. Armed with a stolen ID badge and a group of thugs he makes his move even as a blizzard rages in the background and moves in. Slowly things start to converge, not at the lab but at the Oxenford family home where everyone has come to spend the holiday. Toni ends up following the thieves, not realizing that she will be intruding on the family holiday of her boss and the man she has secretly spent the last two years falling for.
I just want to state that this book was awesome and a pretty incredible read. It also went by incredibly quickly, even for me. I felt like I was just drawn right in and had to struggle to put it down at times. Mind you I was not terribly surprised by that as I have long been a fan of Ken Follett but still. This was just as great as everything else I have read by him. I was mildly surprised to find this was a medical or science thriller instead of a historical or spy thriller like so many of his other works. That being said, you can tell he still did his research on what was needed to make the story feel realistic both in terms of the science but also in terms of the type of security needed for the lab. It was so realistic I could actually picture it happening to tell the truth, though I will also admit that if it did happen then it probably would be hushed up pretty good. The story itself did a great job of slowly building up the tension through the competing viewpoints as we see Kit’s plan start to unfold while Toni is completely unaware of what is actually going on. The buildup and reveal was perfectly executed and greatly enjoyed watching it unfold. It perfectly balanced the tension surrounding the theft and the interpersonal tension between the characters to create this awesome story. I am definitely keeping a copy of this book and am planning to probably reread it in the future. It gets a full five stars from me.
This is an adult science or medical thriller, depending on how you classify it, so it would probably hold the most appeal to readers who already tend to enjoy that type of work though it would also probably appeal to readers who enjoy thrillers in general as well. I highly doubt it would hold appeal for readers who don’t at least somewhat enjoy that genre though. In terms of intended age range the book is undoubtedly aimed at adults and it does contain decent levels of violence and numerous adult references though nothing overly explicit from my recollection. I would still be uncomfortable recommending it to readers younger than about fifteen or sixteen though because of that. It is a great read and definitely worth trying if it sounds appealing. If you do decide to try it, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.