First published 2011
President James Allaire prepares to deliver his State of the Union address when terrorists calling themselves Genesis release a lethal virus inside the Capitol building. The weapon is WRX3883, a highly infectious pathogen that Allaire himself helped create. With the entire government quarantined inside, Allaire turns to the one person who might stop the outbreak: virologist Griffin Rhodes, locked away in federal prison for allegedly trying to steal the same virus from his former lab. Rhodes has no clue why he was arrested, but he accepts the president's deal for freedom in exchange for his expertise. As the contagion spreads through the building, Rhodes faces an impossible challenge. He must find a way to neutralize WRX3883 without breaking his scientific oath against animal testing. The Director of Homeland Security waits in Minnesota as the designated survivor, ready to assume power if the government falls. Rhodes races against time to solve the puzzle of the bioweapon while enemies work against him from the shadows.
Genres: science-fiction, medical, adventure, thriller, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, race-against-time, reluctant-hero
Setting: Capitol Building, Minnesota
Period: Present Day
404 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, medical-trauma