Mount Dragon

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

GeneDyne is a genetic research company. It had been founded on the profits from early genetic engineering on corn, X-Rust, which has significantly increased the production of corn around the world. They are about to release PurBlood, an artificial blood replacement that will be used in blood transfusions, eliminating the need for donated blood.

Guy Carson is working in their New Jersey plant when Brent Scopes, the genius head of GeneDyne, sends him to New Mexico to work at their top secret plant, Mount Dragon. Guy doesn't know what he is supposed to do there, yet, but he is pleased to get away from the mundane tasks in New Jersey and work once again with genetic engineering, his passion. When he arrives at Mount Dragon, he is assigned to work in the biochemically secure Fever Tank. He and his new assistant, Susana Cabeza de Vaca, are continuing the work on creating a human gene that will render a person immune to all flu viruses. Plus, the gene is one that will be passed on to their children, thus eliminating flu completely. The previous scientist had gone mad while trying to work through the process.

But this is a Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child novel. That means we're talking major problems that could be lethal if not handled in time. That means suspense and action. That means hold your breath. That means something is going to go spectacularly wrong.

Mount Dragon has a great build up. Then it levels out. It doesn't go flat It also doesn't maintain the momentum. The Guy Carson story is predictable and formulaic the whole way through. Now the Brent Scopes/Charles Levine story line still has its unforeseen twists and turns. It wasn't built up as much as it could have been, but was interesting by the end.

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