Vector

The pseudonymous Abel’s feverish fourth Joe Rush biothriller (after 2016’s Cold Silence) takes the former Marine medical officer and Eddie Nakamura, his partner and best friend since college, to Brazil, where they investigate resistant strains of malaria and, at the behest of the FBI, look for signs of bioterrorist activity in the Amazonian jungle. Unfortunately, Eddie contracts a virulent strain of the disease and is kidnapped by the mysterious Dr. Cardozo. With the aid of Capt. Izabel Santo of the Brazilian Federal Police, who’s working undercover as a freelance photographer, Rush rescues his friend and discovers that Cardozo has delivered specially bred mosquitos infected with a new deadly malarial parasite to Tom Fargo in the United States. A homegrown terrorist, Fargo starts dispersing the deadly insects in New York City, spreading disease and panic. Abel imbues Fargo with just enough humanity to make his fanaticism all the more chilling. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (July)