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Interference Kindle Edition
“Readers will fully engage with the well-drawn characters as Parks convincingly reveals the science that buttresses the suspenseful plot. Michael Crichton fans won’t want to miss this one.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From international bestselling author Brad Parks comes an emotional, heart-pounding thriller that explores the scientific unknown—and one woman’s efforts to save her husband from its consequences.
Quantum physicist Matt Bronik is suffering from strange, violent seizures that medical science seems powerless to explain—much to the consternation of his wife, Brigid.
Matt doesn’t think these fits could be related to his research, which he has always described as benign and esoteric. That, it turns out, is not quite true: Matt has been prodding the mysteries of the quantum universe, with terrible repercussions for his health. And perhaps even for humanity as a whole.
Then, in the midst of another seizure, Matt disappears. When foul play is feared, there is no shortage of suspects. Matt’s research had gained the attention of Chinese competitors, an unscrupulous billionaire, and the Department of Defense, among others.
With Matt’s life in clear danger, Brigid sets out to find him. Will Matt be killed before she reaches him, or could the physics that endangered him actually be used to save his life?
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherThomas & Mercer
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2020
- File size1765 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Readers will fully engage with the well-drawn characters as Parks convincingly reveals the science that buttresses the suspenseful plot.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A twisty tale…Parks’ suspenseful novel will beguile, entrance, and fool the sharpest readers.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The mix of science and heart-pounding thrills will have you on the edge of your seat.” —Medium
“Parks is an award-winning novelist with an admitted amateur interest in physics and the talent to craft page-turners. In Interference he takes science out of central casting to fuel an espionage-abduction-virus story that fans of Michael Crichton and Lee Child will ride to the end.” —Mountain Times
“Parks, better known for character-driven mysteries, ventures into Michael Crichton and Blake Crouch territory with a procedural thriller with an SF edge and a ton of heart that leads to an explosive (and emotional) finale.” —Library Journal
“To be pleasurably bamboozled, try this nifty scientific thriller…” —The Washington Post
“Brad Parks has written a mystery, Interference, that is filled with delightful characters and an intriguing plot line that twists and puzzles with rousing energy.” —The Virginia Gazette
“A cutting-edge stunner…that reminded me of Michael Crichton in all the right ways…It’s been awhile since I read a book that checked all the technological boxes, while telling a great story.” —Providence Journal
“Parks shapes the narrative with fast turns and switchbacks that lead readers to second guess what they think they know about the characters…It all leads to a finale that’s both thrilling and heartfelt, and a good reason to trust the science of Parks’ fine storytelling.” —New York Journal of Books
“This is a mystery thriller you won’t want to miss.” —The Virginia Gazette
“A smart, innovative thriller that evokes the best of Michael Crichton and Blake Crouch. Parks proposes the seemingly improbable, makes it plausible, then weaves in twists and turns, taking the reader on a mind-bending ride.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series
“Interference brings all the right ingredients to a novel! Brad Parks has created a story with a fascinating plot line and great characters—an up-all-night page-turner. I loved it!” —Heather Graham, New York Times bestselling author
“Utterly absorbing, relentlessly paced, and cunningly assembled. Brad Parks is the sort of master craftsman who makes everything look easy. I hate him a little bit.” —Marcus Sakey, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Afterlife
From the Publisher
In fact, it’s Brigid’s devotion to Matt and her potential entanglement with him that very well may save his life.
In Matt’s head, his research is benign and esoteric; however, entangled particles could be big money and prestige for businesses, competing universities, and even other governments. So when Matt starts having seizures and is kidnapped, Brigid is sure it’s connected to his work—no matter what Matt and his devoted assistant might have thought. Now, with Matt missing, it’s Brigid’s seemingly otherworldly link with her husband that keeps the investigators hot on his kidnapper’s trail—kidnappers who will stop at nothing to harvest this research, even if it means taking it directly from Matt.
Interference is at once an action thriller, a scientific exploration, and a love story. And it’s proof that while entangled particles might not make scientific sense to the likes of Einstein, it’s our entanglement in each others’ lives that makes them richer.
- Jessica Tribble Wells, Editor
About the Author
International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been published in fifteen languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major prepublication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with the Washington Post and the Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey). He is now a full-time novelist living in Virginia with his wife and two school-age children. A former college a cappella singer and community-theater enthusiast, Brad has been known to burst into song whenever no one was thoughtful enough to muzzle him. His favored writing haunt is a Hardee’s restaurant, where good-natured staff members suffer his presence for many hours a day, and where he can often be found working on his next novel.
Product details
- ASIN : B07Z3NFQPD
- Publisher : Thomas & Mercer (September 1, 2020)
- Publication date : September 1, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 1765 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 401 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1542020379
- Best Sellers Rank: #131,282 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,669 in Kidnapping Thrillers
- #2,477 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #2,844 in Police Procedurals (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been translated into fifteen languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major pre-publication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger. He is now a full-time novelist living in Virginia with his wife and two school-aged children. For more, visit www.BradParksBooks.com.
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Fifty years ago I somehow landed at UC Berkeley as a freshman. It's a long story, but I had successfully completed my first term at Humboldt State and, through a series of circumstances ended up living in Berkeley. After the first few, heady months, I decided school would be good. I applied and was accepted, embarking on several years of taking classes as an undeclared major. I didn't just fiddle around, either; I worked toward fulfilling my general ed requirements as I tried to figure out what to major in. One of those requirements was science. Thank God there were science classes in the '10' category, the one that was for liberal arts majors. Probably because it fit into my work/study/party schedule, I chose Physics 10 for my science requirement. Fortunately, it was graded on a pass/fail basis, and if I tried really hard and did all the work, I was assured I would pass. It was VERY basic, including things like sound and light. I still didn't totally get everything, but I tried, and I completed all the assignments. I passed. Still, one of the things I'm still really proud of is my grade on the book review assignment given to us by the TA. It was to be graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, but I didn't just get an S (indicating satisfactory), I got an S+. That may seem like a small thing, but to me, who struggled with math and science, it was enormous.
What does this have to do with the book * Interference*? Well, the plot centers around physics, quantum physics to be exact. And Brad Parks was good enough to present the science in a way that was both entertaining and pretty much understandable. Although I did zone out once or twice. In fact, I started picturing him as my Physics 10 TA, a young man uncomfortable enough with his stature to wear high heeled boots, and smart enough to be in graduate school at Berkeley studying physics.
Anyway, this is a grand read, keeping me on the elliptical past my allotted time, and taking me down several trails of possible villains. I totally enjoyed it and will have to read more of his books.
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2020
Fifty years ago I somehow landed at UC Berkeley as a freshman. It's a long story, but I had successfully completed my first term at Humboldt State and, through a series of circumstances ended up living in Berkeley. After the first few, heady months, I decided school would be good. I applied and was accepted, embarking on several years of taking classes as an undeclared major. I didn't just fiddle around, either; I worked toward fulfilling my general ed requirements as I tried to figure out what to major in. One of those requirements was science. Thank God there were science classes in the '10' category, the one that was for liberal arts majors. Probably because it fit into my work/study/party schedule, I chose Physics 10 for my science requirement. Fortunately, it was graded on a pass/fail basis, and if I tried really hard and did all the work, I was assured I would pass. It was VERY basic, including things like sound and light. I still didn't totally get everything, but I tried, and I completed all the assignments. I passed. Still, one of the things I'm still really proud of is my grade on the book review assignment given to us by the TA. It was to be graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, but I didn't just get an S (indicating satisfactory), I got an S+. That may seem like a small thing, but to me, who struggled with math and science, it was enormous.
What does this have to do with the book * Interference*? Well, the plot centers around physics, quantum physics to be exact. And Brad Parks was good enough to present the science in a way that was both entertaining and pretty much understandable. Although I did zone out once or twice. In fact, I started picturing him as my Physics 10 TA, a young man uncomfortable enough with his stature to wear high heeled boots, and smart enough to be in graduate school at Berkeley studying physics.
Anyway, this is a grand read, keeping me on the elliptical past my allotted time, and taking me down several trails of possible villains. I totally enjoyed it and will have to read more of his books.
The novel opens with Matt Bronik, a quantum mechanical physicist at Dartmouth College, preparing and providing a presentation to Sean Plottner, a rich alumni philanthropist. Sean is so impressed with the presentation on a potential quantum mechanical break through; he offers Matt a job to come work for him. Sean told him that he would think about it. Matt starts suffering fits that leave him unconscious for hours at a time. No medical reason can be found to explain what is happening. He is working with a tobacco virus, but it is not known to infect humans. Matt turns down Sean’s very substantial employment offer. While outwardly accepting Matt’s decision, Sean further actions do not indicate his acceptance of that decision. Matt has a third attack and is rushed off by EMTs. When his wife, Brigid, arrives at the Dartmouth medical center, Matt isn’t there. There is no record of him in any nearby hospital or the only ambulance service in Hanover. At this point the other major character in the novel, Detective Emmett Webster, enters the novel. He was retiring from the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit. His wife died so he decided not to retire but his position at Major Crime already was taken. He is transferred to an unwelcoming Missing Persons Unit. Emmett is not on good terms with his new boss, and just warms his chair all day. His boss gives him this missing person case. The novel proceeds from this start.
The main storyline is quite rich as the possible scenarios for Matt’s disappearance, are abduction by Sean Plottner, by another professor, by his post doc, by the Chinese government, and by Matt himself. While more in the background, as Matt’s research is funded by Department of Defense, his lab is secured for national security so they are a hindrance to solving Matt’s disappearance. The author weaves all these threads where one than another explanation comes to the forefront until displaced with another theory. The author primarily tells this story in three voices, Brigid, Sean and Emmett. The main storyline is presented clearly and does not wash out. It captured my attention quickly and kept a rock-solid grip on it throughout the entire novel. This is a major criterion for a high star rating for me.
The B-storyline also is quite rich and complements the main storyline. Matt and Brigid are well developed. Emmett is well developed. I really felt that I really understood these characters. Sean is just developed by his character is more focused on finding new ways to make money, but this was on purpose, I believe. As with most standalone novels, which this novel appears to be, as part of the main storyline, much is learned about the other characters. That is true here also.
For readers who do not like vulgar language and intimate scenes, you will like this novel. There was only one minor swearword used four times. There are not any intimates scenes but some inferred intimate activity. There are murders but none of the violence is emphasized.
The worst aspect that I can remember is that until the abduction, it seems that the flow was a little slow. After that point, the read for me was quick and compelling. I particularly liked how at several points in the novel when the characters were overwhelmed trying to make sense of all the facts known at that point, discuss the possibilities, I was doing the same. Several times, I wrote notes in my kindle on how I felt about all of the possibilities. I do not do this very often, but this clearly shows how well this novel engaged me.
I can say unequivalently I want to read more novels by this author. I rate this novel with five stars and strongly recommend reading it.
Top reviews from other countries
Quantum mechanics does feature in the story but you don’t need to understand it, being aware it is there and that it is a possible motive is enough. There are red herrings a plenty in this book. I enjoyed the twists and turns. I also really liked the characterization. The characters all had their own flaws and these flaws did impact on how they reacted. This didn’t just apply to the key characters, even minor characters such as Capt Carpenter had very obvious biases which added to the tale.
My favorite character was Emmett, who remained implacable, despite what was happening in his personal life. As a detective I felt he worked very well and his lack of understanding of Quantum Theory reinforces the fact that you really don’t have to buy into this to enjoy the book. After a fairly detailed start, which shows as a loving family at the start of the book, it also puts in place important parts of the story which the author revisits later as part of the plot. As the story picks up so does the pace of the book. Overall, I felt this was one of the best stories I’ve read in a while and I would recommend it.
The physics theme was terrific. Well written, a joy to read.
Brad had an original idea then twisted and turned it into a well turned novel.
A couple of "weaknesses" in my opinion: some of the characters were too "perfect", as was the main relationship; and we were told too much about one of the main characters to make them a suspect. However an enjoyable read to the satisfying finish.