Resumo de The Devil''s Cure

Laura
Donaldson is a prominent physician specializing in cancer research. She''s
married to her work, pushing herself to the brink in the quest for a cure.

David Haines
is a death-row inmate who leads a small cult from his cell. For his role as the Doctor Killer, he shall be put to death in a matter of days.

Kevin
Sheldrake is the FBI agent who brought Haines down. He was rewarded for his
efforts, but the accomplishment ultimately destroyed his marriage.

They are three
people with very different lives. A simple twist of fate brings them together.

Through
routine blood testing, doctors find that David Haines''s body is able to attack
and destroy cancer cells.

Laura learns
about the discovery and tries to get more blood from the inmate. Haines
refuses, stating the action is against his religious beliefs.

When the
courts try to force Haines to give blood, he stages a break from prison.

There is a
nationwide manhunt for the escapee. Kevin wants Haines stopped, by any means
necessary, before he can kill again. Laura wants to find him alive because his
blood may unlock the cure for cancer.

The
cross-country search is the subject of Kenneth Oppel''s first novel: The
Devil''s Cure.

It takes a
while to set up the three players, but the author creates an interesting path.
Suspense is present from the first chapter to the last. Readers will not bored
at all.

The subjects
of cancer research and medical ethics provide an interesting plot. Oppel
explains the complex scientific terminology in a manner that is easy for a
novice to understand.

The story flows nicely despite some convenience
issues that help the plot along. Readers must accept that the FBI would hire a
former cult member to be an agent (Sheldrake). It is also quite helpful that
David Haines has a medical background. I was also quite thankful that two of
the characters were able to travel on an airplane with $25,000 and a gun
respectively. If they had to stop at

security
checkpoints like the rest of us, who knows how long the story would have been
stalled?

Ok, enough
of my petty complaints. The Devil''s Cure is a well-written story. If the
book jacket didn''t disclose the fact, it would be impossible to tell that this
is Oppel''s first adult suspense novel. He is known for his best-selling
children''s work.

Readers
should be satisfied with this tale. There is page-turning suspense to the very
end. Some of the side plots are left unfinished. That may bother some
bookworms. However, I felt the ending was nicely written, suggesting hope and
encouragement.

Best-selling
authors T. Jefferson Parker, Phillip Margolin and Ridley Pearson leave positive
quotes on the book jacket. If you enjoy those authors, I suggest you add
Kenneth Oppel to your reading list. The Devil''s Cure is exciting proof
that this award-winning children''s author can write suspense with the big boys.

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