A mad scientist has created a deadly virus that will wipe out half the population if psychologist and empath Dr. Persephone Smith can't track him down and stop him. That is the premise of J.L. Delozier's debut novel, Type & Cross. The book opens with the world facing an epidemic of global proportion that threatens to kill everyone with blood type O. Dr. Persephone Smith, or Seph to her friends, is called in to provide a profile of the mastermind behind the outbreak, a scientist with visions of grandeur named Baine. From the CDC in Atlanta to Bermuda to the World Health Organization in Geneva, Seph races around the globe, tracking Baine in hopes of capturing him and forcing him to surrender the antidote for the virus.
Delozier drops the reader into the middle of the story on page one. The infection has already taken hold and is spreading. There is no slow build up in Type & Cross, just "press the accelerator and race forward." This medical thriller is intermixed just enough medical terminology to make the premise sound plausible without losing the reader. Delozier's writing isn't overburdened by over-embellished description or unwieldy dialog which makes the book a pleasure to read. Yet, she provides enough detail to let the reader's imagination go wild with imagery and scenery.
In Persephone Smith, Delozier has created a likeable character with her own set of unique fallacies. It is these fallacies that make the character all the more believable. Delozier also puts the same level of energy into creating her minor characters as she does with the major ones. It is that attention to detail that brings life to Seph and her counterparts throughout the book. I think, if I had one complaint, it would be the fact the Seph, who is a true badass, gets overwhelmed with emotion a tad much. But, I can overlook that minor point in such a fast-paced, exciting book.
Type & Cross is the first in the Dr. Persephone Smith series and leaves a couple threads hanging at the end, which I hope are tied up in Delozier's upcoming book, Blood Type X. If you are looking for a exciting medical thriller for your summer read, take a look at Type & Cross.
Find out more about J.L. Delozier on her website at: www.jldelozier.com.
Read my interview with J.L. Delozier here.