Review: Worldwide Pandemic
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2012
Dr. Ludmilla Toropov, a champion advocate for President Emile Sakovich, along with her doctor friend, Elena Ragula, were trapped in the midst of a new viral pandemic, which was killing people all over the world by the thousands.  There was no valuable information on the virus other than its symptoms and that it might be airborne so everyone wore medical face masks.  Ludmilla's father had died when she was a youngster and she had high marks as a student and so was awarded a gold medal from Sakovich, the President and dictator of a country governed much like Russia under Stalin.  The country was isolated and under sanctions of the United States.  Ludmilla was a good citizen, a follower and obeyed the laws, as did Elena, but Ludmilla had a daughter, Olga, and Elena's son, Uri, who were both dissidents along with other students, resisting their government in every manner.  As a result, Ludmilla and Olga were always in conflict, much to Ludmilla's sorrow.The doctors of the country were notified by the Ministry of Health that a vaccine had been made to resist the virus, but that it was in short supply and accordingly with each supply of vaccine would be a list of which patients were to be inoculated first.  Curiously, Ludmilla was not included nor any member of her clinic.  Soon the information got out first in the country and then worldwide that Ludmilla's country had developed a vaccine.  People were storming the clinic attempting to get inoculated, but the dictator's men kept tight watch on the population, even using the army.  Ludmilla was contacted by Dr. Kathy Barclay of the United States, whom she had met twenty years prior as exchange students.  All doctors in Sakovich's country were forbidden to discuss the vaccine with anyone and especially outsiders.  But Ludmilla felt that if she could get a sample of the vaccine to Kathy, the U.S. would have the resources to manufacture large doses of it for worldwide distribution.  She arranged to meet Kathy in Berlin, which is a close as Kathy could get, where Ludmilla gave her a sample of the vaccine.  After working with it, Kathy notified her by email that there was something wrong.  The vaccine was older than the beginning of the pandemic and it seemed to seek out certain gene configurations.The story continues with intrigue, murder, torture, death, and action of one nature or another at every turn.  It is an interesting plot, well written, good character development and entertaining.  I recommend it.