This was a well done book that was part thriller and part bio-terrism. It was well written and engaging and I enjoyed it. I got a copy of this book from NetGalley to review.

Arthur Lupo at first just seems to be eccentric when he unleashes a genetic virus on the population that turns people a multitude of colors. Then it’s revealed that he has gotten his hands on some of the world’s deadliest viruses and the rainbow virus was just a test. Now two people, Kathleen Shinohara (from the CDC) and Bobby Loudon (a disgraced FBI agent) must race against time to track down Lupo and figure out how to stop the Rainbow Virus along with other potentially more vicious viruses from spreading.

I picked this book up to read for a pretty silly reason…I was participated in a Color-coded reading challenge and needed a book with the word Rainbow in the title. I am glad I read it, although not typically the type of book I read, this was a well done genetic thriller of sorts.

I don’t know a ton about genetics, so I am not sure how accurate some of the scientific terminology was throughout the book. However, none of it sounded all that contrived and it all seemed very plausible and was a very interesting premise. I love the idea of a genetic terrorist who does a “test study” by genetically altering a person’s skin color.

There are some interesting issues brought up around skin color because of all the different skin colors. There is talk of rights for differently colored people and instant rumors of what skin colors make you better at which things. There is also an instant market for makeup and clothing that matches different colors of skins. It is kind of interesting to think about the social implications of a society where everyone is a completely random color.

What really drove the story for me though was the two main characters. Bobby is initially not a very likable characters. He’s a disgraced FBI agent, separated from this wife, and hops from one woman to another. As the story goes on and his past is revealed we found out Bobby has been wronged in a pretty big way. You watch as Bobby tries to solve this case, as he falls in love with Kathleen, and as he struggles to maintain contact with his daughter that he misses horribly.

Kathleen is a very driven woman. She is super smart, works hard, and is absolutely obsessed with infectious disease. Watching her struggle to unravel clues with Bobby at her side, and struggle not to be charmed by Bobby is entertaining. She is an endearing character that I really enjoyed reading about.

There is definitely a thriller element to the book as well. There are a number of very harrowing scenes where people are fighting against the worst enemy of all, a virus. There are also some shootout scenes and the book ends up being fairly action packed.

The book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed how everything was wrapped up. This is definitely a novel for adults. There is a lot of discussion about sex and some sex scenes.

Overall a well done genetic thriller. I enjoyed the story and the characters. If you are interested in reading about bioterrism I would definitely recommend this book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Color Coded Reading Challenge