Tainted

A Dr. Zol Szabo Medical Mystery, Book 1

By: Ross Pennie

Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan

When incidents of food supply contamination dominate the news media, two investigators - Zol Szabo, a public health doctor, and Hamish Wakefield, a young infectious diseases specialist - come under immense pressure to find the cause of a mysterious epidemic before more victims show up on the autopsy table. In a race against the clock, the two doctors must navigate the treacherous political minefields of the medical community and the media while the disease spreads. The situation soon spins wildly out of control and more lives are threatened after a government-appointed investigator hijacks the investigation and allows his inflated ego to supersede common sense. Speaking to contemporary concerns about food safety, this fast-paced medical thriller illustrates the potential for disastrous consequences when total responsibility for food safety is placed in the hands of manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.

©2009 Ross Pennie (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

The readers accents were perfect

I really enjoyed this book and will download the next in the series. The book was made all the better by the excellent job of the reader. His mastery of accents is amazing. Certainly recommend.

I was caught up in this plot

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I had to know what was going to happen next. It was hard to quit listening,like I might miss something.

What about P. J. Ochlan’s performance did you like?

I liked how he changed his voice for each character. He was very easy to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt the frustration the characters felt. I strongly disliked the characters who were only interested in the political aspect of the situations with people's lives mostly because I know that is real life.

Any additional comments?

I was happy with the ending

Great story! Great setting

I would have given this story even higher praise but for the jarring mispronunciations of Dundas, Ontario and the word “toque” meaning knitted winter cap in Ontario and Quebec and pronounced “too k”. Otherwise the narrator did a great job with some challenging accents.
I will be searching for more Ross Pennie stories!

Started Better than it Finished

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was OK. The medical mystery aspect of it was interesting - I'm not sure if it's based on fact or even possibility but that didn't really matter to me.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The various pursuits of commonalities among the victims of the disease was intriguing but the characters, for all their quirks, were thin. In general, it read like it was written using a computer program that cues the writer to put in various elements at the right time.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite scene, but the part where the hero and the woman he's in love with are almost killed by a villain was so formulaic. Seems like all the popular writers have to include something like that just before the mystery is solved. I generally skip over those scenes because to me they seem contrived.

Could you see Tainted being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Sure it could be a movie. Matt Damon should definitely star in it.

Any additional comments?

I will say I continued listening to the end.

not a complete waste of time, quite

Far from the worst medical thriller I've read/heard, this also is far from the best. I will say that it's the first time that having migraines for 35 years helped me figure out the culprit in a mystery thriller...not a real bonus, but what the hey. It had fairly good science, the characters were ok.
I wish I could give the reader 2 1/2 stars; he did an okay job on most things, if not inspired, but he made the mistake of trying to give the South African character a South African accent...he fails. The woman sounds like an Aussie with a badly sprained tongue. I worked & socialized with several South Africans for 4 years, so I'm familiar with the accent & know it's one of the more difficult ones to try and imitate, but Ochlan would've been much better off to just not have tried.
Sort of an underwhelming book, i didn't cringe too much listening to it (except when the SA woman was speaking), but it was rather forgettable. I doubt I'll listen to it again, unless I get desperate.

Great book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to just about anyone. The suspense about the source of the outbreak is built skillfully by the author.

Real life combined with extras

I like the real-life or potential real-life "correct" medical plot combined with a little bit of fiction.