Cold Plague by Daniel Kalla

Title - Cold Plague
Author - Daniel Kalla
Genre - Thriller
ISBN - 978-0-7653-1833-6
Number of pages - 335
Rating 4 out of 5


I enjoy thrillers. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I had not read any thrillers written by Canadians. I decides to remedy that situation and I am very glad that I did. Daniel Kalla's Cold Plague is a fast paced and smartly written thriller that kept me turning the pages to find out how it would end.

Scientists have discovered a way to tap the water from an unspoiled lake miles beneath the ice shelf in Antarctica. These waters are pristine, free from pollution, and filled with healthful minerals. Plans are made to bottle this water and sell it world wide.

Dr. Noah Haldane and his World Health Organization team are sent to examine an outbreak of Mad Cow disease in rural France. This outbreak is different in that rather than taking years to kill, those infected die within a 2-4 weeks. In spite of pressure to declare the outbreak as a rare occurrence, Noah begins to suspect that that there is something else contributing to the outbreak. As he searches for answers, Noah discovers unexplained deaths, disappearances, and finds his own life in danger.

Daniel Kalla has written a fine thriller. The intricate plot moves along quite well with enough clues that the observant reader will make important connections. The main characters are well developed and well rounded out. The medical and scientific aspects of the book are easy to understand and are accurate. The story is quite chilling because it engenders the feeling of "this could really happen." Cold Plague is a recent book by Kalla (2008). I plan to find his back list and read them as well.