Annotation
"A mass grave in Russia that conceals the mummified remains of two women, both with child - and the conspiracy to keep it secret ... a major discovery high in the Alps: the preserved bodies of a prehistoric family - the newborn infant possessing disturbing characteristics ... a mysterious disease that strikes only pregnant women, resulting in miscarriage. Three disparate facts that will converge into one science-shattering truth." "Molecular biologist Kaye Lang, a specialist in retroviruses, believes that ancient diseases encoded in the DNA of humans can again come to life. But her theory soon becomes chilling reality. For Christopher Dicken - a "virus hunter" at the Epidemic Intelligence Service - has pursued an elusive flu-like disease that strikes down expectant mothers and their offspring. The shocking link: something that has slept in our genes for millions of years is waking up." "Now, as the outbreak of this terrifying disease threatens to become a deadly epidemic, Dicken and Lan, along with anthropologist Mitch Rafelson, must race against time to assemble the pieces of a puzzle only they are equipped to solve. An evolutionary puzzle that will determine the future of the human race ... if a future exists at all."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Awards
1999 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
2000 Nebula Awards
2000 Endeavour Award
Characters
| Name | Rafelson, Mitch |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
| Name | Lang, Kaye |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Microbiologist |
| Name | Dicken, Christopher |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Virologist |
| Genre | Thriller --Bio-thriller Science fiction Fiction |
| Topics | Epidemics Government cover-ups Mass murder Evolution Viruses |
| Setting | International Centers for Disease Control |