Keizer,
Gregg. Midnight Plague. G. P. Putnam's Sons. August 2005. c.
352p. ISBN 0-399-15319-5. $24.95. Fiction.
Keizer's (The Longest Night) second thriller
deals with the threat of biological warfare on the eve of the
Allied invasion of Normandy. Frank Brink, an American doctor
in the British service, has been involved in the production
of anthrax bacteria. When a female colleague dies as a result
of their work, he dedicates himself to finding an antibiotic
that will stop not only the spread of anthrax but also a deadly
pneumonic plague that the Germans are developing. This dual
threat becomes even more real when a boatload of dying Jews
washes up on the English coast. The sole survivor leads Brink
and his Special Ops watchdog, Juniper Wickens, to France in
search of the lab where the Jews were infected and where an
SS doctor has both perfected a method to disperse plague bacilli
and discovered an antidote to protect German troops. With the
imminent invasion in peril and plenty of obstacles in his way,
Brink must find and destroy the lab. Dense with incident and
sprinkled with authentic historical details, the tightly entwined
plot requires attentive reading, particularly during the action-packed
conclusion. Forgiving readers will overlook occasionally disjointed
prose, stilted language in the midst of action (fingers choking
a doctor are bent back "against the metacarpophalangeal
joints"), and moments that stretch believability. A discretionary
purchase for larger collections where World War II thrillers
are in demand.