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A Heartbeat Away cover art

A Heartbeat Away

By: Michael Palmer
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Summary

The New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense delivers another novel at the crossroads of politics and medicine in this shocker of a thriller

On the night of the State of the Union address, President James Allaire expects to give the speech of his career. But no one anticipates the terrifying turn of events that forces him to quarantine everyone in the Capitol building. A terrorist group calling itself "Genesis" has unleashed WRX3883, a deadly, highly contagious virus, into the building. No one fully knows the deadly effect of the germ except for the team responsible for its development—a team headed by Allaire, himself. The only one who might be able to help is virologist Griffin Rhodes, currently in solitary confinement in a maximum security federal prison for alleged terrorist acts, including the attempted theft of WRX3883 from the lab where he worked. Rhodes has no idea why he has been arrested, but when Allaire offers to free him in exchange for his help combating the virus, he reluctantly agrees to do what he can to support the government that has imprisoned him without apparent cause.

Meanwhile, every single person in line for presidential succession is trapped inside the Capitol—every person except one: the Director of Homeland Security, who is safely at home in Minnesota, having been selected as the "Designated Survivor" for this event. With enemies both named and unnamed closing in, and the security of the nation at stake, Griff must unravel the mysteries of WRX3883 without violating his pledge as a scientist to use no animal testing in his experiments…and time is running out. 

Tense, thrilling, and entirely plausible, A Heartbeat Away will make you reflect, wonder, and be truly afraid.

©2011 Michael Palmer (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Actor Robert Petkoff delivers a tense, exciting performance. He's especially proficient as the crafty female speaker of the House. Petkoff's virtuosity makes this thriller intense and as close to reality as one dares to think about.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Robert Petkoff is excellent as narrator not only at maintaining the pace but also at providing the voices of the varied accents of men and women. Transitions are seamless and unobtrusive. Palmer's fans will be enthralled.” —Sound Commentary

“Robert Petkoff proves to be the perfect choice to narrate Palmer's latest medical thriller…Petkoff never misses a beat in his reading of this high-octane medical thriller, fully realizing each scene and character with ease. His energetic and skillful performance will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.” —Publishers Weekly

What listeners say about A Heartbeat Away

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Heart skips a bit... and never stops

What did you like most about A Heartbeat Away?

Story is really compicated and absorbing. Michael Palmer creates interesting and expressive characters and they all have their own hidden agenda. But at the and every plot is nicely straighten out and there is nothing left unfinnished.

What other book might you compare A Heartbeat Away to, and why?

I would compare it to another Michale Palmer book Extreme Measures becouse it has same kind of confusion.

Which character – as performed by Robert Petkoff – was your favourite?

Yes he does. He creates coplicated story there is a lot of plots so if you don't listen carefuly you may get confused sometimes. But with time acction is accelerating but you have to be patient becouse you need about three hours of listening to really get into it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nothing I actually really enjoyed it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Michael Palmer does it again

I am a huge Michael Palmer fan, the king of medical thrillers , so I very pleased to see AudibleUK has now got some more of his books.

Although I'm not at all a big fan of political books, I loved this one. As typical with all michael Palmer , it is a fast paced suspence novel that keeps you guessing throughout.

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