Chris's Reviews > The Demon in the Freezer

I have previously read Preston's nonfiction [The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus|16213] and was fascinated by the previously unknown to me Ebola virus and then his novel [The Cobra Event|376613] a bioterrorism thriller, another great read. This 2002 nonfiction is another true-life exposition of potential bioterrorism organisms: Anthrax and Smallpox. And the information within is scary to say the least.

Preston starts out with the Anthrax attacks of 2001 and a graphic autopsy is up front, reminiscent of how The Hot Zone starts out and grabs you. However, the Demon in the freezer is Smallpox and after two chapters, Preston pivots to that potentially lethal virus discussing efforts at the eradication, the agreement made between world powers on whom, where & what could be done with the virus, and the problems with the Smallpox vaccine. We meet the myriad of people involved in research, prevention & treatment of the virus, along with those who research, monitor & plan for bioterrorism attacks.
Preston moves back & forth between the Anthrax attacks investigation and the efforts surrounding the eradication of Smallpox. He reveals many errors made along the way and it is all frightening. As this was written in 2002, Preston could not know where the investigation into who may have sent out the Anthrax to various news personalities and Senators. I did a Google search and in 2008, they did zero in on a suspect, and it isn't the person that is implicated in this book. There is still controversy about the final outcome to the investigation.

Why didn't I give this book 5 stars? The writing was pedantic at times especially when describing the players. Irrelevant details that interrupted the flow, and explanation of things that in my mind are known to most people. He does get into a lot of technical descriptions surrounding working in level 4 & 5 containment labs and the virology in general. Having a medical science background, I wasn't put off by that at all and it just enhanced my knowledge.

One final comment. Since this involves medical research there is the use of animals in the study of smallpox. If you are sensitive to that reality (and I am), there may be parts of the book that may be hard to read.