‘The Immortal Gene’ Delivers Creepy, Scary Thrills [REVIEW]

They wanted to create an immortal gene. Now they must destroy their only mistake. (Photo by Valuecare Pharmacy, Flickr)

A serial killer obsessed with families. A cop with an idyllic life. A pharmaceutical company bent on transforming the future. When all three collide, it can only result in one thing: pure terror. Prepare to burn the midnight oil because Jonas Saul is back with his creepiest thrill ride yet, The Immortal Gene. 

Vesuvian Books

Any time I pick up a suspense novel and meet a character who has everything going for him, I can always be certain of one thing. He’s going to lose it all. Jake Wood is no exception. A tough-as-nails homicide detective who is crazy in love with the perfect woman, he can’t wait to become a married man, no matter how much his partner and best friend tries to warn him about the dangers of matrimony.

Just when Jake’s life is going so well, it is turned on its head when he travels to South America to search for a friend in the Amazon Rainforest, only to suffer a freak accident of his own and wake up 18 months later in the hospital. Now every dream he had is gone. His future bride is wed and pregnant with someone else’s baby. His house has been sold. His job is gone. And his former partner is now working in another city as the lead detective on a serial murder case.

Now at rock bottom, he decides to live off the grid and buys a cabin in the woods. But even his remote existence isn’t safe from danger, for someone still has Jake in their crosshairs, and he has no idea why. When his former partner requests his assistance in finding the Blood Eagle Killer, he vows to help Jake solve the mystery of who is behind Jake’s troubles. Little do they realize the trail will lead to a pharmaceutical company known as Fortech Industries, which is intent on creating an immortal gene. Yet before the corporation can move ahead with its plans, it must clean up a little mistake first—a mistake named Jake Wood—who has become something more than human.

The Immortal Gene is a genre bending novel that melds the best of Robin Cook, James Patterson, and Thomas Harris. First of all, the serial killer is one of the most sinister I’ve come across in recent years, and his deranged mind will chill readers to the bone. He’s the type of individual who would likely enjoy poker night with the likes of Hannibal Lecter, Tom Ripley and Patrick Bateman, for he murders without remorse and feels perfectly entitled to snuff out whoever he wants, confident that he will always get away with it.

Meanwhile, Jake is affable, charming, and shrewd, and for a homicide detective has a uniquely optimistic world view, at least in the beginning. His emotional metamorphosis is fascinating to watch, despite the fact that he is faced with such heartbreak it makes the trials of Job look like child’s play. This is what makes Jake so endearing, though. For even though he must nurse his wounds, he never fully gives up, and readers will find themselves cheering for him as he once again takes up his mantle and bravely confronts the demons that taunt him.

Filled with fascinating characters, tense drama, high adventure, incessant surprises and frightening science, Jonas Saul’s The Immortal Gene reads like the treatment for a feature film and delivers creepy, scary fun. It will by turns have readers holding their breath and biting their nails as Saul ratchets up the suspense before sending us hurtling down the track to the electrifying conclusion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonas Saul is the author of more than 30 novels and has sold more than 2 million books. On multiple occasions, he has outranked Stephen King and Dean Koontz on the Amazon Most Popular Top 100 Authors list. Two of his bestselling series have been optioned for film and television.

He has traveled extensively throughout the world to scout settings for his thrillers, spending several years between Greece, Italy, Denmark, and Hungary. He is also regularly invited to speak at national writing conferences, teaches writing classes, and offers editorial services.

Saul currently makes his home in Canada. Fans may visit him at his home on the Web at JonasSaul.com, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

THE IMMORTAL GENE
By Jonas Saul
334 pgs. Vesuvian Books. $18.99

Purchase The Immortal Gene at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Powell’s.

The Immortal Gene is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.