Quincunx I
By
Larry Shackelford
Quincunx I is a fast-paced urban fantasy/science
fiction romance story that takes place in the small town of Neosho in
Southwestern Missouri, where classified military research was conducted on
prisoners of war detainees at nearby Camp Crowder during WWII. Unbeknownst to
the locals, the abandoned military base is home to a subterranean species of
human mutants. When local students suddenly go missing, law enforcement
officials are alerted to the presence of thousands of violent creatures that quickly
manifest to the surface and wreak havoc on the military and the American
Midwest. The terrifying creatures carry a mysterious virus that is highly
contagious and lethal. Scientists and military experts must work furiously
against the clock to unravel government secrets and contain the bloodthirsty
mutants. Dr. Judy Davis is a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at a
University in St. Louis, Missouri. Over fifteen years ago, she was tasked by
the government to complete a top-secret research project at Camp Crowder. Her
findings were alarming and unprecedented; however, her report was never
released to the public and she was led to believe that the human test subjects
did not survive. When the Camp Crowder specimens present an immediate global
threat to human health and safety, she is partnered with a humorless FBI
Special Agent, Max Guthrie, to assist in the investigation. One of the missing
students, Brian, is the teenaged son of a local high school English teacher,
Paul Cameron. Paul is frustrated by the local sheriff's apparent apathy and
goes to search for his son. Meanwhile, Brian escapes with Judy, Max, and a
medical examiner, Dr. Janet Wiggins, after a failed attempt by the U.S.
military and FBI to eliminate the formidable creatures from the area's
underground caves. The survivors take refuge at Paul's great-grandpa Jake's
farm house, located a few miles outside of Neosho, where the family is
reunited. The creatures soon surface. Social media warns the general public
about the pending epidemic and chaos ensues. It is soon discovered that the
virus carried by the creatures is not only transmitted by contact, but after a
brief incubation period, the virus becomes airborne. Troy Miller, another FBI
agent, convinces everyone to travel to the west coast where his brother is
waiting with a boat. They determine they have a better chance of survival if
they flee to the Hawaiian Islands. The government shuts down all media
communication in an attempt to control the flow of information. Paul and the
others embark on a cross-country road trip from Neosho to Los Angeles to meet
up with Troy's brother before it is too late.
What did I make of the book?
Think The Walking Dead but with mutants!
Do not go to Camp
Crowder, strange things have happened there. That is what the teenagers of the
small town of "Neosho" in Southwestern Missouri, have been told. But
hey, that is just a story to frighten little kids from hurting themselves in
the dilapidated buildings…isn’t it?
The local law enforcement is used to prank calls from board teenagers ~ it is a small town, after all, ~ so when they get a call from a young girl, screaming down that phone, and begging them to come to Camp Crowder, they do not take it seriously. They do not send out a patrol. But when worried parents contact them the next day about their missing teenagers, they decided to take a quick look at Camp Crowder. It is then, they realise, their grave mistake.
Dr Judy Davis ~ a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at the University in St. Louis, Missouri ~ hoped never to hear of Camp Crowder again. For she is one of those unlucky few who knows the truth. Judy knows about the secret experiments that took place there. Fast-forward fifteen years ~ Judy mistakenly believes that the past is behind her. Judy had thought that all the test subjects had been destroyed. She realises now that she was wrong.
I have never read a book so fast in my life! The action in Quincunx I was non-stop, and the storyline was gripping. This is a sit-on-the-edge of your seat read that turns Midwest America into a dystopian world of nightmares.
I was a little concerned, initially, about the tense in which this story is told ~ it switches from First to Third Person. This is a difficult thing to pull off without losing the momentum of the story, but Shackleford nailed it, and in this book it totally works.
The characterisation is fantastic. I particularly liked Grandpa Jake ~ he may be in his eighties, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight, and some of the things he came out made me chuckle.
Quincunx I is a great read, and it is definitely on my repeat to read list.
I Highly Recommend.
The local law enforcement is used to prank calls from board teenagers ~ it is a small town, after all, ~ so when they get a call from a young girl, screaming down that phone, and begging them to come to Camp Crowder, they do not take it seriously. They do not send out a patrol. But when worried parents contact them the next day about their missing teenagers, they decided to take a quick look at Camp Crowder. It is then, they realise, their grave mistake.
Dr Judy Davis ~ a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at the University in St. Louis, Missouri ~ hoped never to hear of Camp Crowder again. For she is one of those unlucky few who knows the truth. Judy knows about the secret experiments that took place there. Fast-forward fifteen years ~ Judy mistakenly believes that the past is behind her. Judy had thought that all the test subjects had been destroyed. She realises now that she was wrong.
I have never read a book so fast in my life! The action in Quincunx I was non-stop, and the storyline was gripping. This is a sit-on-the-edge of your seat read that turns Midwest America into a dystopian world of nightmares.
I was a little concerned, initially, about the tense in which this story is told ~ it switches from First to Third Person. This is a difficult thing to pull off without losing the momentum of the story, but Shackleford nailed it, and in this book it totally works.
The characterisation is fantastic. I particularly liked Grandpa Jake ~ he may be in his eighties, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight, and some of the things he came out made me chuckle.
Quincunx I is a great read, and it is definitely on my repeat to read list.
I Highly Recommend.
Links for Purchase
About the author
Larry was raised in southwest Missouri
where he received his college degree, but he received his education after he
graduated and began working in a maximum-security federal prison. After
spending two years behind bars, he continued his law enforcement career as a
criminal investigator, residing and working in eight states and two foreign
countries. Larry retired from law enforcement after twenty-five years of
service and resides in Salt Lake City with his wife and cat.
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