Virals

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Cristin Milioti

Fourteen-year-old Tory Brennan is as fascinated by bones and dead bodies as her famous aunt, acclaimed forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. However living on a secluded island off Charleston in South Carolina there is not much opportunity to put her knowledge to the test. Until her and her ragbag group of technophile friends stumble across a shallow grave containing the remains of a girl who has been missing for over thirty years.

The question is, did whoever was responsible for the girl's death have anything to do with the sick puppy they rescued from a secret laboratory on the same island? With the cold-case murder suddenly hot, Tory realises that they are involved in something fatally dangerous. But events take a turn for the bizarre when they escape some would-be attackers by using physical powers more akin to a dog than a human... Could the puppy hold the key not only to the murder, but also the strange changes that are taking place in their bodies?

©2010 Brennan NextGen, LLC. (P)2013 Random House AudioGo

Critic reviews

“If you like Bones, you'll love Virals.” (James Patterson)

“Kathy Reichs gets it dead right with sharp writing and a plot that throws a bunch of very real teens into a deadly adult world ... I loved it and I'm sure fans of Alex Rider will love it too” (Anthony Horowitz)

“Mystery ... fantasy ... science ... and heart-stopping action - this book is DANGEROUS. After I read Tory Brennan's first adventure, I wanted more, more, MORE!" (R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps)

Exaggerated cliché writing.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Intelligent writing without relying an exaggerated cliché would help

What was most disappointing about Kathy Reichs’s story?

Anger shot through my veins like the Incredible Hulk, Kathy Reichs wrote—and I gagged turned the uncompleted book off and dumped it in the trash bin.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator did well with the dreadful writing.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I cannot stand cliché writing as bad as this:
Anger shot through my veins like the Incredible Hulka

Any additional comments?

I regret wasting my money on such dreadful writing.