Hands down this was one of the best books I have read in a long time. Greg Iles does a brilliant job of writing a book that reads like a movie, the plot and scenery so realistic that I had a hard time tearing myself away from the story, reading it in three sittings despite the 500 plus page span. I would suggest not reading too much of the dust jacket as it tells the reader a lot about the story and I found to be a bit of a spoiler so I waited until the book was over to read it and realized that not knowing some of those facts made the book even better.The main meat of the story is about the wicked way in which people decide to get away from their spouses while keeping all the money without dealing with messy and long divorce procedures. Husbands and wives no longer keen on keeping their marital vows turn to Andrew Rush, a divorce lawyer who for a price gives them eternal piece of mind; he has the answer to a perfect murder that would be their solution if they proved to be capable of paying for and keeping it confidential. Working with a brilliant doctor who induces cancer or deadly diseases in people while they have no idea about it, Andrew seeks out rich and morally corrupt people to make money off the crimes they consent to. All was going well for the evil duo until they decided to kill of a wife whose sister is an FBI agent. Alexandra Morse is the heroine whose sister dies in agony telling her something that is terrifying, the dark truth about her husband and his plot that ultimately ends in her demise.Outraged and lusting for revenge, Alex is on a mission while working on her own to prove that her sister was murdered. Using her FBI contacts and friends who can help her solve her sister's untimely death she seeks out all other victims who have died in a similar way with any connections to Andrew Rush. Along the way she finds the next victim of the lawyer and the scientist through an unfaithful wife who was seen meeting with Rusk. She decides to confront him and hopes that he can help her frame the murderers and saves his life at the same time.There was so much more to this story that kept me at the edge of the seat that I wish I could tell about, but it would simply give away too much. The character development is flawless and so is the dialogue in this non stop ride of a thriller. The science behind cancers and diseases is well presented and very interesting while the main heroine is as real to me as my best friend. True Evil dealt with some really bad people and the quest to catch them while engaging in an iron battle of wits.I can't wait to read more of this author as this was a delectable and engrossing book, something that will haunt my memory for a long time. I promise that the ending will be even better than one can predict and the book will leave a deep hunger for more good reading. This story will leave any bookworm full to the brim and deeply satisfied!
True Evil by Greg Iles is a modern, psychological thriller blending elements of smooth yet relentless FBI detective work with what at least passes for a well researched biological terrorism plot. Iles is also fairly adept at characterization as this Natchez, MS based novel teams with three dimensional, very real protagonists and antagonists. One of the selling points of this book is the great detail to which Iles addresses almost every subplot and character interaction. Also refreshing is not only the very original storyline but also that Iles strays frequently from the beaten path and the novel takes several unexpected, but very amusing twists. Coming to the end, I really was unsure of how it would come out. If this is ever made into a film, I hope that the Coen Brothers direct as they would be uniquely qualified to document the combination of very real terror filled and brutal scenes with what could also be some dark humor. Very entertaining.
a ridiculous amount of research had to have gone into this book because its a topic that not many people would think of right off the top of their head...i guess that's why he's the writer and i'm just in love with his books (because i'm not as creative as he is). a crazy genius and a crazy topic. i read this at work, and because of the title people thought i was crazy and, well..evil. if only they would have opened it to the first page. they never would have given it a second thought...they would have been sucked in just like i was. i would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves suspense!!!
—Lindsay
Dr. Chris Shepard has never seen his new patient before. But the attractive young woman with the scarred face knows him all too well. An FBI agent working undercover, Alex Morse has come to Dr. Shepard's office in Natchez, Mississippi, to unmask a killer. A local divorce attorney has a cluster of clients whose spouses have all died under mysterious circumstances. Agent Morse's own brother-in-law was one of those clients, and now her beloved sister is dead. Then comes Morse's bombshell: Dr. Shepard's own beautiful wife consulted this lawyer one week ago, a visit Shepard knew nothing about. Will he help Alex Morse catch a killer? Or is he the next one to fall victim to a deadly trap of sex, lies, and murder?
—Joy
This is the first book I've read by Greg Iles and it will not be the last. It's exciting, a real page turner and thought provoking. Viruses scare me a lot more than nuclear bombs, snakes, terrorism and just about anything else you can name. I think it far more likely that the world will be brought to its knees by viruses either accidentally or with malice aforethought than any other candidate. Twelve years ago, in the prime of my life, healthy and with good genes, I caught a flu. I had had the flu before and I've had the flu once after this, but nothing comparable to this one. I had gone to see David Bowie with a friend and we had dinner afterwards. I could not stop drinking glasses of water. I can't recall ever being so thirsty. For some reason, this sticks with me in retrospect as the first indication that something was amiss. I got home, went to bed and when I awoke the next day, I was sick, sick, sick with the flu. I was off work for two weeks, did not feel normal for the next three months. There were times during those two weeks that I honestly thought I was going to die. Even though I knew people die from influenza, for the first time I understood why. I am afraid of the flu. I do everything I can to prevent being infected. I get a flu shot, I wear a mask over my mouth and nose in public from November through February, I wash my hands frequently and am cognizant of not touching my face. So, I was totally on board with this terrifying scenario that it would be possible to give people terminal illnesses through the methods described. I don't care if it is fiction and not possible...yet. It could be down the road.One last comment...someone compared Greg Iles to James Patterson. Not true. Greg Iles is Hemmingway compared to Patterson.
—Randee
