Reviews

A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer

owenjetton's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

dianne_aguilera's review

4.0

I listened to this on CD. While there are contrived sequences in this story, there weren't more than necessary to make a readable novel of an appropriate length. There are so many avenues to explore in a story like this and I enjoyed the (just past minimal) depth provided to each piece. Personally, I would have focused on wondering what was going on in the minds and behaviors of the other characters if any one piece had been given more "airtime" to the detriment of the others.
I admit it - I love [FICTIONAL!] viral outbreak stories.

the_lovely_mrs_p's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This was such a quick and dirty read. This is like the guy you meet at the bar; he looks good while drunk but in the morning you realize he is just a gym-bro tool. The concept is cool - a political drama fueled by bioterrorism, but the author is so obviously a man. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but there were so many times when the depiction of women in this book was just cringe beyond belief. The ending was predictable, but in a good way. I went into the book wanting a light and easy read, which is what I got. 

akdorman's review

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

nitar8's review

4.0

This was a good book! It has a good flow. You can pick it up and put it down without losing track of what was read. The only downside is that the ending seemed rushed, almost like the author built up so much suspense and couldn't figure out how to end it. I enjoyed it though, so I'll be looking for more by this author.

eralon's review

3.0

Fun at the beginning but drags in the middle so so much. In the end it's kind of fun again. At the very end, it was so stressful because some days it feels like "the conservatives" might do something like throw out a cure if the cure somehow limited capitalism the least little bit, or cost some huge company a few dollars. I am jaded.