One of the best misdirections I’ve ever read from the new master.
5 out of 5 stars
The Cure follows masters/graduate student Erin Palmer who is orphaned after a brutal murder at the hands of a psychopath. Because of this moment, she dedicates her life to studying and hopefully one day “curing” the brains of psychopaths. She has finally done what she set out to do and in doing so opens her life up to an incredibly complex web of lies, deceits, and more.
This was the first audiobook I’ve listened to where Peter Berkrot narrates it, and he does a great job. This could have been narrated by a man or a woman (the way it was written would have lead to one or the other). But Berkrot nails this. Doing a great job showing empathy and her emotions while maintaining a perfect narrating voice throughout. Quality was good, the cover (I have added an alternate cover I mocked up based on the hardcover/kindle editions) from the audiobook company isn’t very good, though.
This book did a few abrupt 180’s. Richards would have you steamrolling to one conclusion and then throw the main characters and reader into the wind with another explanation. There were a few times I was convinced that I had this book figured out, and wow was I totally wrong.
My first and only word of warning is that the intro/prologue has one of the most brutal scenes I’ve read in a long time. Now, I don’t read hacker/slasher novels and I’m sure that there is much, much worse out there. But, I would just warn people with trigger warnings for rape.
With that out of the way, it really did set the rest of the novel up. It was the ultimate character builder. That one specific scene makes Erin into the woman that she is today.
Without giving anything away, this book confused me (in the best sense of the word) numerous times. Richards pulled off misdirection that magicians would envy. His writing style had me totally engulfed in one thought process when he would then reveal what was really going on. Absolutely epic writing leads to a book that you don’t want to miss.
Book Description:
The Cure by Douglas E. Richards
Narrator: Peter Berkrot
Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
Published by Recorded Books on October 8, 2013
Genres: Technothriller
Pages: 319
Format: Audiobook
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The Cure is a genre-bending thriller reminiscent of Michael Crichton or Douglas Preston, about the biological underpinnings of psychopathy. As a child, her family was taken from her by a serial killer. Erin Palmer is left orphaned and forever scarred. She dedicates her life to the study of psychopaths, conducting one-on-one interviews and tests with inmates. When Erin finally finishes years of exhaustive research, she finds herself in possession of the key to ending psychopathic behavior - in the species - forever. That's when they try to kill her.
Also by this author: Split Second, Mind's Eye, Game Changer, BrainWebAbout the Author:
Douglas E. Richards is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of WIRED. In addition to his latest technothriller, SPLIT SECOND, he has also written WIRED, AMPED, MIND’S EYE, BRAINWEB, QUANTUM LENS, and THE CURE, as well as six middle-grade adventures enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
A former biotech executive, Richards earned a BS in microbiology from the Ohio State University, a master’s degree in genetic engineering from the University of Wisconsin (where he engineered mutant viruses now named after him), and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
In recognition of his work, Richards was selected to be a “special guest” at San Diego Comic-Con International, along with such icons as Stan Lee and Ray Bradbury. His essays have been featured in National Geographic KIDS, the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Earth & Sky, Today’s Parent, and many others.
The author currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, two children, and two dogs.
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Oh I think I’ll have to check this out! I love the sound of it 🙂
Just be prepared for a WTF moment or two. They were good, but it was still a big shock