Canadian detective goes to Amazon to help friend and wakes up two years later from a coma. Then the story takes off. I enjoyed the book. The plot was well developed and the story flowed easy. Looking forward to next in series.

"The Immortal Gene" by author Jonas Saul comes across as more sci-fi than suspense. What starts off as two seemingly different stories, does ultimately meld together by the story’s end, but since sci-fi is not one of my preferred reading genres, I was more engaged with the crime thriller portion of the story than I was with the portion devoted to the genetic transformation of the book’s protagonist.

Essentially, this is the bizarre tale of two very different men--Detective Jake Wood and serial killer Jeffrey Harris. Guided by the hand of fate, the journey each man travels is suddenly disrupted and diverted, causing their individual paths to eventually converge. Unfortunately, the two individual storylines were too dissimilar and disconnected for my personal liking. I truly felt as though I were alternating between reading two entirely different books.

Then there is the awkward, stilted dialogue, which only serves to detract from the overall story itself. I hate to be super-critical, but there were moments where I literally found myself cringing. Most notably, I found the sexual banter between Jake and his fiancé’ to be more uncomfortable than sensual. And the verbal exchange between Jake and his partner is, at times, bordering on cheesy.

Ironically, it is serial killer Jeffrey Harris that I found to be the more interesting of the two men. By far, his character is more intriguing and offers up more depth than that of the one-dimensional Jake Wood. Hence, I loved the portion of this book that is devoted to Jeffrey’s psychotic murdering spree.

Needless to say, I feel a bit conflicted as I write this review. Can a person love one half of a book and feel let down by the other? Because, dare I say, that’s exactly how I feel! Perhaps if I were more of a sci-fi lover, I could forgive the lack of character development and give the unnatural, affected dialogue a free pass. But, unfortunately, I am not. So, while “The Immortal Gene” boasts a unique and compelling premise, ultimately, the execution falls a bit flat.

Part detective procedural, part sci-fi/adventure, part horror story channeling Koontz and King; fully delightful opening narrative arc of a new series.

The initial depravity is disturbing, but it acts as a crucial backdrop to set up the backstory for a thoroughly enjoyable character development and potential superhero / villain storyline.

Looking forward to the next installment

"Witness the results of insanity enough and a sane mind could slip to the other side.”

I liked the premise of this book but it definitely lacked in execution. The storyline was scattered and it seemed the author changed direction midstream without shoring up the new ideas.

The dialogue throughout was terrible - stilted and wooden. I found it hard to believe that the author has written a number of books previously. There were many aspects that seemed like freshman efforts.

The characters are one-dimensional and stereotypical. The main character is Ontario Provincial Police Detective Jake Wood. Well, I did a simple bit of internet research and that's not even a rank in the OPP. They have constables and even sergeant constables (and other quasi-military ranks) but I found nothing about detectives. How hard is it to do some simple research or even make a phone call to the OPP to discuss rank structure?

So I was not impressed. At all. Oh, and there was one laughable sex scene that should have just not been included.

I received this book from Vesuvian Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

An excellent mix of science fiction, police procedures and serial murder. The characters were very well developed, and the plot moved quickly from Canada to Brazil and back again. The parallel stories of a demented serial killer and a genetically-modified detective are woven together quite well and leaves open the possibility of a sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and Vesuvius Books for the ARC.
This book is one of the best I have read in a while. Canadian detective begins investigating a serial killer. His friend asks him to go to the Amazon with him, where he is attacked by a pit viper after spilling an unknown serum. He wakes up 18 months later to find his life completely changed. His fiance, who assumed he was dead as the hospital had no idea of his identity, has married someone else. His partner has been reassigned to lead the task force looking for the serial killer.
This book had enough twists and turns to keep anyone happy!! Can't wait to read the rest of the series, assuming this is the first for a new character!

I really enjoyed The Immortal Gene by Jonas Saul. Suspenseful, page turning intrigue. Two stories blended into one great book. I can't wait for the sequel.

Thank you netgalley and Vesuvian Books for allowing me to read this in exchange for my review.

This story takes off describing a dark family mass murder from a serial killer who keeps getting away with it. We quickly learn about Jake Wood, who is a cop in the same town as these murders. He hears about the latest family and wants in on the case. Instead, his best friend contacts him and begs him to travel to Brazil to help save his life. He's about to get married and wants a break on the case, but he has to go save his friend. While he travels, he gets caught up in his best friend's science experiment. As he's reading about their studies, he gets bit by a snake and almost dies. Months later, he wakes up in a hospital a different person. What happened to him? Are they going to catch the serial killer? Are these two things linked?

WOW! This blew my mind! This is incredibly dark and twisted, but fast-paced and oh so captivating. I read the entire book in one sitting. I will say it was a little too dark for my liking, but I could NOT put it down. The chapters are short and to-the-point. Saul never pulls your attention away for one minute. I got a pretty nice Stephen King vibe from it, but loved this even better. I am a biology teacher by trade, so I appreciated the science technology behind the book. Dang, this was a good one. Science-fiction meets horror meets mystery/thriller/suspense. Nicely done! It's not for the faint of heart, but I'm ready to read the next book ASAP!

I will be putting this review on my blog (livereadandprosper.wordpress.com) on August 1st as I am hosting this book as a TLC book tour.

4.5/5 Stars

I had never heard of Jonas Saul before reading “The Immortal Gene,” but after slogging my way through until the end, I investigated the author’s previous works. It was not surprising to find other reviews reflecting the same faults that I found with Mr. Saul’s most recent book.

The opening chapter introduced the serial killer, Jeffrey Harris. His modus operandi was explained, setting up the book. While what we learned was mostly in outline form and very basic with few details, I was drawn into the tale. Unfortunately, chapter two introduced Detectives Jake Wood and Kirk Aiken, two men who engaged in such weak and unrealistic banter that I was tempted to stop reading. I hoped that the writing would get better and continued, though the further I read the more disappointed I became.

In the parts of the book that should be exciting, the dialogue was melodramatic. Descriptions didn’t always match the action (for instance, a person walking away had “pep in his step,” while Jake conjectured if the person was walking away fearful; another character “slammed” her car door which evokes emotion, but the author talked of sunshine and how pretty she looked).

The serial killer (Jeffrey) and his initial MO were some of the better story aspects, until near the end when Jeffrey decided to change his MO drastically to confuse the police. This might seem like a good twist, but it contradicts what happens in real life. Changing a psychopathic killer into a reasoning, thinking criminal damages the character by creating what the author wants a serial killer to be simply because it suits the plot.

The story was predictable, and the author telegraphed much of the plot ahead of the time, leaving the reader nothing to do but wait for the inevitable to happen. If this was a pulp fiction novel from years ago, perhaps all the negatives could be excused. In its current form and direction, this present-day horror story falls flat, although knowing there will be a sequel could be the scariest part of this novel.

I seldom bash a book this strongly, and usually can find something about a book and the author to provide balance to a review. I think the author had a solid idea that could be built into a book. However, the writing (especially the dialogue) is not what I expect from someone who has published multiple books, the characters are mostly one-dimensional and hard to identify with, and there are plot and character aspects that are unbelievable. Mr. Saul has garnered steadfast fans over the years, and if his previous works are similar to “The Immortal Gene,” they will probably love this book. I am unable to give it more than two-and-a-half stars.

As I read this, the first of a new series, I couldn't help but feel I was channeling medical thriller-writer Dr. Robin Cook. While the sci-fi aspect here may be a little harder to swallow than in those books (pun intended, and if you've read it, you'll know what I'm talking about), that doesn't make it any less exciting.

The book begins with two separate stories, the first of which is a look into the life of Jeffrey Harris, a serial killer dubbed the "Blood Eagle Killer" because of what he does to the husband/father of the families he murders. The second focuses on Ontario Police Department Detective Jake Wood, a.k.a. new series hero), who's called in when the killer takes down a family in his jurisdiction. Just as he and partner and friend Kirk are getting into the nitty gritty, though, Jake has an unexpected allergy attack and lands in the hospital. While he's there, old friend and scientist Luke Mercer begs Jake to follow him to remote Brazil. Jake declines - at least until he gets a message from Luke saying it's a life-or-death situation.

From that point on, chapters shift between progress in the two plots. We see the serial killer making plans for his next big thrill. And after some serious action in Brazil, we learn that Jake has been sidelined in a hospital for 18 months; he wakes up to learn he's been gone so long that he's lost both his fiance and his dog (yee-haw, cue in the country song). His doctor, though, lets him in on a more astounding tidbit: After a freak ingestion of snake venom out in the wilds, Jake has somehow acquired reptilian characteristics. Say what?

If that's a bit of a stretch for readers, imagine how tough it is for Jake. He comes home to find that some nasty folks want a piece of his hide, but that just gives him a reason to put his newfound powers to the test. As he deals with the bad guys, he tries to balance what he's feeling inside and out with what he felt before - hoping to maintain some semblence of a human relationship with Kirk (just as Kirk struggles to understand the ramifications of the "new" Jake, such as his rather unusual taste in food). Then lo and behold, they agree to once again tackle the serial killer case - bringing the whole thing full circle. There's a cliffhanger ending, but I suppose that's intended to whet readers' appetites for what's to come. The only way that works for me, though, is if the author will be releasing that next one within a month or two; a year and another 100 books later, I'll have totally forgotten the details of everything I wrote about here.

If I have an issue, it's that the concurrent plots are wildly different; and with the exception of one barely noticeable clue fairly early on, it was impossible for me to envision them connected in any way (even though common sense and reading enough novels that use this approach told me they must somehow converge). And converge they do - but not till after the halfway point. For me, that was frustrating; the connection - or at least a few other breadcrumbs - should have come sooner (boo, hisssssss). Other than that, though, this series is off to a fine start with an intriguing character. Count me in!

This was a wild ride. 4 1/2 stars

There is two stories that end up woven together reminiscent of a crime drama.

The first is from the perspective of the Blood Eagle Killer,a serial killer named for his marking of his victims with the symbol,and it is a chilling perspective. His methodologies,inner life and background are put on full display but some how it doesn't turn completely gratuitous.

The second involves police detective Jake Woods and his hunt for the killer, travel to Brazil to meet his friend Luke and subsequent transformation and fallout form the trip .

Jake was a great and sympathetic protagonist.The almost superhero aspect to him is intriguing and something that will be fun to explore in future novels.

This does end on a more traditional cliffhanger.Most of the conflicts are solved but the last scene is the beginning of a conversation.

I look forward to more from this series.

I've long been a fan of Mr. Saul, and read all his books. This one was a great addition to his library of hits, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Immortality has always been a theme of interest to me, and I wasn't disappointed. Plenty of thought-provoking subplots and character development was great. It'll definitely keep you guessing, and it culminates with a satisfying end. Highly recommended.

The first part of this book seems to be two different stories, but eventually things all come together. The book shows a great deal of imagination in the characters, and suggests the possibility of a human morphing into a reptile. The personal relationships are depicted very well as the interactions continue between Jake and his doggerel-producing partner. The violence is handled very well, with much left to the reader's imagination. The style of writing makes for easy reading, as much of the environment is left up to the reader. The end suggests there may be more coming, and I will happily read the next books in this series.