The Alaskan setting is truly a major character in this thriller. The author knows the region--finally, a more complex view of the companies and people that operate there instead of stick figures. The energy company is not the standard sloppily-written villain and the Native Americans are portrayed with a judiciousness and thoughtfulness that is realistic Well worth reading--my only complaint is that the author chose not to use his real name.17 s J276 3

James Abel's follow up to White Plague, which was a decent thriller, has sophomore slump syndrome. There are times when the plot stops while Joe Rush, our supposed intrepid hero/bio investigator, does little more than repeat the things we do and don't know that have already happened. Then the credibility goes from almost plausible to shark jumping. Rush goes as the plot goes, too. I was bored most of the time with this latest Joe Rush novel. I felt White Plague at least had the biological scare factor of a decent thriller. Protocol Zero doesn't even have that. It's just predictable most of the time and implausible the rest. Skip it.

Note: ARC received via Amazon Vine in exchange for review.amvi arc thriller4 s Ray Palen1,675 48

James Abel's previous Joe Rush novel was a decent thriller --- trying hard to be Brad Thor, Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy (among others). His most recent effort, entitled PROTOCL ZERO, provided nearly zero thrills and a writing style that I found amateurish and often inaccessible.

This was disappointing as I had high hopes and really enjoy these type of novels. It was well over 100 pages before anything of substance happens. The rest of those pages were filled with weak characters and a very one-dimensional Joe Rush who came across more a male chauvinist dolt than a Marine doctor and bioterror expert.

The plot, involving an apocalyptic plague from the Arctic, was interesting and I wish more time was spent building that up than seeing it mired down by poorly sketched out characters and bad dialogue. Better luck next time!3 s Judy1,770 26

Well, I made it through to the end of this one. I tried reading the first of this series, but couldn’t stay with it. This one grabbed my attention more. There were parts that were really interesting. But I don’t plan on reading any more of the series. 2 s Dindy255 4

This could have been a good book and concept but the author, James Abel, had problems with follow through on plot lines he set up. Actually, he had problems with the set up on some things. There were far too many characters to keep track of and who just didn't seem to contribute anything. Abel tried to set them up as red herrings, but there were too many, and he didn't develop them enough to do so. The main protagonist, Joe Rush, has a best friend and partner, Eddie, who despite being Joe's partner only plays one significant part in the book. He is present at other times but doesn't really contribute anything. And there is the death of a major character for no apparent reason other than to try to develop Joe's character some. If that was the case, it didn't work. To me it made Joe even more one dimensional than he already was.

Then add in some political shuffling of people in high places, the bringing in of a commander who does not Joe and is suspicious that Joe has for some reason initiated an outbreak of rabies, and the whole book dissolves into a gelatinous mess. There's some cliche' grandstanding by the new commander and lots of blustering, but other than scaring the heck out of a relatively low level flunkie, it really doesn't accomplish much.

And finally, there's this secret plan between Joe and the new commander-- so secret that the new commander forgets to let his adjutant know that if Jose gets in touch with him on his private phone line, he's to be put through immediately. I'm really not sure what the rationale was for this secret plan as it didn't accomplish anything until the very end when it (SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!) causes Joe to nearly die out on the ice because the admiral wouldn't take his phone calls.

The Aslaskan setting was interesting, particularly the details about living in Barrow, Alaska, and the premise-- an outbreak of rabies near Barrow, is an interesting one. The execution of this plot, however, left a lot to be desired. And let me just say that I found the very end of the book to be extremely unbelievable and his actions at the end made Joe a very unlikable character for me. I hadn't particularly d him during the book, but at the end, my feelings turned to active dis. I won't be reading more books about him.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.mystery vine2 s Stephanie Williams76 3

Not as good as the first book. It was slow starting, and there were a few glaring mistakes and typos.
I understand it's fiction, but basics time zones (the east coast is not behind Alaska) should be correct.2 s Leah297

An arctic thriller with elements of espionage, environmental issues, native life, military presence, political implications, and threats to human survival. Totally captivating tale.2 s David Dalton2,597

My second Joe Rush thriller. Loved the first one and while I had a chance to read books 2 and 3, I held off. I wanted to read them in order, and my digital library had books 1, 3, and 4. Then just last week they notified me they received the 2nd book and I quickly added it to my queue.

Rush is not a Dirk Pitt or James Bond wanna-be. But a smart Doctor/Marine that seems to gravitate towards mysteries dealing with virus and epidemics. A little action, but always a good plot. I certainly will not move on to the 3rd and 4th books in this well written medical/action series.action isolated-location suspense ...more1 Glen5,400 63

Joe Rush is getting ready to leave Alaska, when there's an outbreak. Native Alaskan whalers are getting sick and behaving erratically. Plus there's a storm coming.

It's okay, but really nothing new.medical-thriller1 Linda Munro1,909 26

I received this book via a goodreads.com give-away.

Colonel Joe Rush is a Marine and bio-terrorist specialist. His new job takes him to the arctic, where he is sent to review the possibility that bio-weapons once made/or used in the area some 70 years prior have not been reactivated by warming temperatures. Looking forward to his upcoming nuptials, Rush instead finds himself in the middle of a mystery when local law enforcement receive a disturbing call from a teenaged girl who is working with her parents taking samples from a variety of area lakes. Without the aforethought of the girl, to dictate a diary; the incident would have been marked down as a vicious murder/suicide; but Joe knows there is something more to the eerie scene.

Although it first appears that the two man bio-terrorist team will be forced to mark the incident as the authorities had; he finally realizes what had been the missing link; revealing a 100% fatal disease, normally not contagious, but having affected each of the members of the research team and their guide – rabies!

As the team begins its detailed investigation into the newly emerging disaster, the Army is sent to quarantine the small community, while investigating Joe as the dual-agent who released the deadly disease. There is more than the obvious happening here, and Joe must find out what before he is jailed and the true terrorist escapes!

This is one of the best books that I have read in a long, long time. I am looking forward to reading more of James Abel (Bob Reiss’) work.
1 Tony BlenmanAuthor 1 book2

Joe Rush, marine doctor and bio-terror expert, is called to investigate what appears to be a murder/suicide of a research family and their guide in an Alaskan community. Joe and his colleague/friend, Eddie, discovered more than a cut and dry murder/suicide. An infectious disease threatened the entire community, which once contracted, and symptoms appear, death is inevitable. Joe identifies the disease, gets General Homza to quarantine the community, but Joe is suspected of causing the disease. In clearing his name and finding the source of the disease, Joe's fiancee is murdered, he is later shot, and after a snowmobile chase, is left to freeze to death in the frigid cold.
The novel is in the first person POV. Joe realistically describes the cold in the arctic community in ways such as skin sticking to metal on contact, flimsy jackets becoming stiff in the cold, and seeing one's breath vaporizing.
Many characters are in the story, which could be somewhat difficult to remember. I wondered why his fiancee, Karen, who was a very intelligent woman had to be murdered, if only for Joe to enhance his own character and seek revenge. I think he went on a killing spree and took the law into his own hands.
I that the book covered relevant issues such as progress, the environment, and greed. 1 John WiltshireAuthor 21 books768

This is an excellent story, a great follow-up to the first in the series. Set in an isolated Arctic settlement in Alaska, a strange and terrifying series of deaths set Protocol Four in motion: the military quarantine of the town. Colonel Joe Rush, doctor and marine, is in the town with his fiancee Karen, a few months away from early retirement and marriage. Knowing all the players, he's co opted by the local police to help investigate the deaths. Anyone could be a suspect or a victim.
This is a densely plotted novel with a lot of gripping action. Anyone who loves books about the Arctic (as I do) or the military (ditto) and pandemics (yup) would enjoy this. If I have one criticism, it's a little lacking on emotion, or rather the emotion is there it just didn't convince me. The author does technical really well. He does action. He does detail. Human feeling? Not so much. I really didn't feel for any of these characters, so their deaths or otherwise didn't engage me. But this is still a really good read and highly recommended for the reasons outlined above.1 RJ2,044 10

Our protagonist Joe Rush; the Marines answer to a doctor/bio-weapons specialist/special forces operator all wrapped up in one of the youngest full bird colonels on the planet. He’s also operating in a part of the country that flies by its own guidelines and its people follow their own structured and unique rules. Rush and his partner (Major) Eddie are called to examine the bodies of what looked a murder-suicide, but things are not always as they seem. Further deaths and investigations reveal sinister evidence that Rush is finding near impossible to believe. The investigations continue and the results will shock everyone involved. Excellent story with great characters. I would heartily recommend this series to all that find an interest in the summary.espionage in-itunes mystery-thrillers1 Glen97

This is the first book that I've read from this author. His main character, Joe Rush, is an expert in bioterror and a Marine doctor. Rush is called into to investigate an incident where a family of researchers were the victims of an apparent murder suicide located in a small town in Alaska. What Rush finds is an unleashed form of rabies that can potentially threaten the lives of everyone in the country, if it spreads. The military closes off all access, in and out of the town. Rush's job to find out who is responsible for the lab created rabies and to find a way to stop it before it spreads.
The story was well written and ended with a sense of justice, but the amount of characters involved was a little hard for me to keep up with. Over all, it was an enjoyable read.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Roger Scherping654 7

I enjoyed this book. It had a unique setting and an intriguing plot. The only part I didn't understand was how, after his finance's murder, Joe had almost no reaction other than some initial sadness. Instead he immediately developed a scheme that would allow him to continue to search for the person who was spreading rabies, including playing an obnoxious drunk at a party. 1 BarbaraH614 2

Thrilling book of Alaska
A teen girl calls asking for help as her family is sick out in the middle of nowhere
It soon turns into much more with Government forces trying to hold back a epidemic they need to stop a life or death disaster before it 1 Jessica1,588 27

Interesting book that takes place in Barrow , Alaska. I'd to read the first one because I really d the main character. His fiancee dies in this book. In all, it's a what if there was a plague that spread in the arctic and how unprepared the army is for the cold arctic conditions.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Howard Green32

i found this a great read and will want to read more of Abel's works. The locale of the story was appealing and the culture it encompassed. I was intrigued by the storyline and the ending was satisfying. 1 Gayle277

Scary stuff because of the possibilities.1 Amy314

Solid 3.5 stars. I’m enjoying these Joe Rush books. Recommended series.1 Nolan2,809 28

I’ve been in a ho-hum reading slump the last few weeks that I began to fear could never be broken. This book restored my love of reading, and it did so spectacularly.

Marine Colonel Dr. Joe Rush's superiors have assigned him to a remote place in Alaska to fulfill a Congressional mandate. It’s his job to test water and soil samples to determine whether new diseases are being thawed out as a result of warming conditions. With just days to go before Joe and his team can pack it up and go back to the lower 48, he gets word that an entire family of researchers is dead as a result of something horrific. Maybe it’s just murder suicide; but it doesn’t look that to Joe, and he begins to wonder whether a disease of unknown type and origin could be responsible.

Within days, another member of the community is dead, having first exhibited bizarre behavior. Based on tests he runs at the last minute on the newly dead guy, Joe determines the nature of the disease, but no one in Washington will believe him.

This is a thriller by every possible measure. The author is so talented that he can place Joe in some of the most hopeless situations that you know as a reader he’s never getting out of. And yet, there are still scores of pages to the back cover. So intellectually, you presume things get better, but the writing is so excellent that you can’t figure out how that will happen if it even can.

I enthusiastically reviewed the first book in this series several months ago, and I was thrilled to have read it; this one is even better. I would recommend starting with the first book in the series, but it isn’t necessary. If you’re looking for a great read about cold places and unforgivingly hostile situations while you’re warm and safe, this is your book. If you need to pull yourself out of a reading slump, this one will do it.
nls-audio Jen1,954 157

I this series and I the character of Joe Rush. But the primary reason I picked up this series was because Ray Porter narrates it. And he makes every single book better.

I DNF'd this at 50% because Abel killed off a main character for virtually no reason. In the short time after this happens, Joe starts into the grief process and beats himself up. It's a lot of male compartmentalizing of emotion offset by guilt and self-recrimination. In other words, a lot of whining. This didn't give me any insight into Joe's character, it just seemed pointless. I don't really care for the mystery portion of the plot - finding a killer isn't something I signed up for. I'm in it for the science and the plague, not politics and the search for a murderer.

I may pick up the successive books here and there but honestly this one I probably should have skipped. The only real thing I got from it was a great insight into the way the Inupiaq people live and how environmental concerns impact their daily lives.adult amazing-narrator audiobook ...more M.J. EdingtonAuthor 2 books1 follower

Stone Cold terrific

This is one of the best novels I've had the pleasure to read in years.
The story is a well written suspense/mystery yarn from an author that knows his craft. I am rarely impresses by a writer's command of language, so reading his skillful descriptions came as a pleasant surprise.
James Abel delivers a cast of characters that are not just relatable, but believable. Set primarily in Barrow Alaska, he details the northern slope with such clarity, I was swept away to the arctic village and felt I'd been transported to that distant frozen land.
If you are looking for a marvelous read, bundle up nice and warm, grab a cup of cocoa, and delve into this chilling tale. Bob Vaughan10

The harsh winter climate of Barrow Alaska is the setting for this taught doomsday type whodunnit thriller. Read as we emerge from a pandemic the use of the virtually 100% fatal rabies vaccine as the linchpin chillingly strikes home. Combine this with the military quarantine (see Outbreak) of a U.S. city and a somewhat left of center jaded hero and you have the makings of a a top notch thriller. Abel doesn’t disappoint and moves us quickly through well drawn action scenes while planting enough “red herrings” to keep us guessing. The ending is a stunner, the kind where you just sit there for a moment. A perfect weekend read. Michael476 14

I have read two other of the Joe Rush stories by James Abel and I know he is quite capable of writing a good, 4-star novel. This one didn't stand up to those other two. It had so much romance in it that it was more a romance novel at times. Fabio would have been more appropriate than a military cargo plane. Much of the action was melodramatic and didn't allow my imagination to come in to play much. The ending was very unbelievable.

As noted, I've read two others; White Plague, Joe Rush #1 and Vector, Joe Rush #2 and enjoyed them. Cold Silence is the third in the series and because the two mentioned were enjoyable, I'll partake of that one and hope it's better. Lynn164

An entertaining thriller despite becoming a bit far-fetched at the end.

My main complaint: The back cover teases readers with a suspenseful medical mystery, but the Acknowledgements just before the first page thanks Dr. So-and-So for providing valuable information on *a total spoiler of the medical mystery*. Readers, beware. Chris618

Decent read for an audiobook. d the remote location and learning more about the Alaskan wilderness way of life. Decent enough story, although maybe not enough action until the end. And then the ending, tracking down Friday to Europe was a little reaching.alaska virus Latoya 133 24

I love the narrator/actor reason I listened as as long as I did.

Pet peeve with this writer too many descriptions of people and l don't picture the main character as a woman magnet.


Felt it should of been more science or more action. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Holly58 1 follower

Great storytelling

This book kept.me guessing from page one. Love the mix of history and science, along with mystery. The author was able to keep the pages turning and guessing until the very end Vince Waechter301

Autor del comentario:
=================================