Autism War

Those opposed to vaccines will best appreciate Conte's polemical first novel. Capt. Tony Coletti, of the Winston-on-Hudson, N.Y., PD, can only wonder at the soaring autism rates plaguing communities like his. For scientists like Dr. Robert Bangston, director of the Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation, there is no mystery. He knows that the manufacturers of vaccines and their allies in government are determined to keep the truth about the cause of autism from an ignorant population. Those supporting vaccination appear to have all the power, but they've not reckoned with the determination of grieving parents and a single researcher unable to resist his conscience any longer. Readers should be prepared for pro-vaccine characters who are nothing more than preening villains, a lack of tension, and melodramatic prose (e.g., "Portnoy's hands shook. %E2%80%98You think I'm a monster, don't you? I'm not. I'm a diagnostician'"). (May)