Rating: 
Summary: Cobra Event isn't a novel; it's a documentary
Review: in what has become the conventional format: narration interspersed with interviews and reenactements.I would have preferred this as nonfiction. The sweep of the research is impressive and the information both fascinating and horrifying. The book is fine as an expose of the international production of biological weapons, tedious as a microbiology texbook, and dismal as a novel. It seems to have been "written by several hands," as the old line goes. The textbook material was written in a patronizing Dick-and-Jane style, with definitions of common words in general use; the reportorial material in what I guess is Preston's usual style, and someone who knows something about writing novels did the more dramatic parts. All the charaters were believable except the protagonist. His editor must have told him that female protagonists, particularly scientists, are hot now; hence, Dr. Alice Austen, robophysician-researcher-commander-all around genius on whatever subject somes along, despite being presented as a passive mid-level grunt in a govt bureaucracy. I laughed out loud when the SAC of the gigantic NY Field Office of the FBI, appointed Austen case agent. Most unbelievable moment in the whole thing.
Rating: 
Summary: scarily engrossing
Review: Made a mistake reading this book at 2am alone in my room coz I couldn't sleep for quite a while after that. Preston's descriptions are scarily graphic and what makes this all the more firghtening is that it actually seems believable. Very interesting, gripping and exciting. Found the ending a little anti-climatic though and the suspense and action were a little lacking.
Rating: 
Summary: Thumbs Up
Review: Lovely ripping read. A frightfully suspenseful page-turner, chaps. Really kept me up on my seat; the best thriller since Craig Furnas's THE SHAPE, and it made me miss a World Cup game I was so absorbed in THE COBRA EVENT. Bloody amazing, that.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down; read it in two days!
Review: One of the best books I've read this year. A thriller from start to finish. Once you read the first chapter, you'll be hooked!
Rating:
Summary: Don't read this while eating breakfast!!
Review: I made the mistake of reading one of the autopsy scenes during breakfast. Not a great idea. His best character in this book is the virus. He describes it lovingly and frighteningly. His research is impeccable and is a perfect extension of his "The Hot Zone" book. However, his characters are quite two dimensional and never really grab my sympathies. The potential love interest is clumsily handled and almost teenager-ish (I just made this word up). I was disappointed in the speed with which the characters tracked down the culprit. Need a wooden box; go to Kenya and there it is!! Need a forsythia bush; wander around New York and there is the exact one!! Need an obscure diagnosis; here are two doctors who have seen it on the same island!! The only really evil character is the virus. The passing mention of the Concern does not really explain why they are doing what they are doing. Or is Mr. Preston getting ready to write a sequel. However, over all a gre! at read with terrifying implications. If someone really wanted to do this, we would not stand a hope in heck.
Rating:
Summary: Worry about the scientific trifles.
Review: It may not be appropriate to expect the author to be knowledgeable as a physician with abundant knowledge on gene technology, experimental medicine, pediatrics, and so forth. He might have assumed that the readers know little about Lesch-Nyhan symdrome, or method of collecting blood from tiny experimental animals, or specimen pretreatment for (electron) microscopes, or clinical biochemistry or whatever. But the assmption is not always true, unfortunately. The readers are always selfish. They always look for perfection even when they are not perfect at all. I cannot recommend "The Cobra Event" as a "medical" thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Good for a Scary Fairy Tale
Review: The book proved to be thought provoking though a bit "Hollywoodish". The plot is a realistic scenario with which "the powers that be" are wrestling... domestic bio-terrorism. This book tends to make the picture out to be much worse than it "really is". Granted, it is more accurate than Hollywood's "The Rock" and its magic chemical agent but it still tends to lean toward the miraculous and overlook a few real world limits. Overall, the plot is one of the more believable that I have read with regards to chemical and bilogical agent warfare. It does, however, have a few issues with which science dweebs such as myself would take issue. In a nutshell, good fiction, bad science text book.
Rating:
Summary: Where fact and fiction mingle, readers are left clueless
Review: With his whopper of a book -- The hot zone, Perston left me disappointed with this next one. He says in the start that some of the things are mentioned are facts, but what is fact and what is fiction is quite a gray area causing me, and probably others to believe things from his fantasy world might be true. Only after I did independent research did I learn that some of the things I was believing were pure fiction. The plot is mediocre with few suspenseful parts. Overall, a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: The most terrifying book I have read in 1998!
Review: Stephen King and Dean Kootz - move over! Never have I been so terrified. I'm hooked on thrillers, but this one was too much. Back to Jonathan Kellerman, Ridley Scott, James Lee Burke and David Morrell for me. At least when I got through the books written by these authors, I didn't feel my life was at risk - like I did with Mr Preston! A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Don't take my word for it-Clinton has read it.
Review: This story in this novel is very absorbing and holds your interest firmly. In addition, the tale is interspersed with non-fiction chapters that provide very disturbing information about the dismal state of affars that currently exists in the biological weapons area. The proliferation of highly contagious weaponized diseases such as smallpox from cash-strapped Russia and elsewhere is a frightening possibility that has been raised not just by Preston. In the last six months, repeated Congressional testimony and network TV news shows have strongly supported Preston's concerns regarding the vulnerability of the U.S. (indeed, the world) to bio-terrorism. Unfortunately, in spite of the President's reported interest in this book, recent White House initiatives in the vaccine area have been judged by some experts as inadequate and far too slow. This engrossing book is an eye-opener - Read it.
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