I love a good dystopian. Always have. This is a pretty unique one; a bit of 28 Days Later with a very distinctly American flavour. I thought the idea was very clever, a virus that simply produces more and more rage until the victim snaps, but a couple of aspects of the writing could have been better, I thought. Spoilers below.

* Early on, one of the researchers finds a gene pattern that seems to control whether or not you go crazy when you catch the illness. Another thinks it can't be the gene on its own and starts looking for other reasons, but we never hear anything more about that - I thought it was heading for 'gene plus epilepsy' at one point, but no. I understand the search for the cure was more important, but then why bring it up at all?
* America responds to the murder plague by - allowing everyone to open carry at all times. Not by, y'know, trying to reduce the number of people carrying weapons, given that anyone might snap at any time with no forewarning and start murdering people. One police lt even notes at one point that things would be much easier without guns everywhere.

I liked the writing, though, and the pace was good; I would have read this in one setting if I hadn't had to go to work in between, and it never really lagged. There could easily be more books in this series, but if it finishes here, it's not so bad a place to end on; not a cliffhanger, exactly, more like a pause, there's still some threads but we can take a breather for now.

A good read all in all and one that I recommend to fans of plague narratives.

This had everything that I was hoping for from a dystopian thriller elements in this book. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed from the world. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this world and thought the genetic engineering worked with the characters. Scott Michael Powers has a great writing style and I enjoyed how everything worked together.

I've read an awful lot of 'pandemic dystopia' novels and The Murder Plague is fairly par for the course. On the pro side, the writing is skillful, there's plenty of tension and the pacing is good. But there's rather too much gun porn for my liking.

What I like about dystopian novels is the social commentary side: how society changes in times of disaster and how individuals develop. I like the ones that focus on the psychological and have a brooding, melancholy vibe. The Murder Plague is more of an action thriller. Hence the rather mean 3 star rating. But if you're looking for a dystopian action thriller, this might be right up your street.

My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC. My reviews are always 100% unbiased and honest, regardless of how I acquire the book.