Hot Zone (The Zulu Virus Chronicles) (Volume 1)

I was sucked in from the beginning. Living southeast of Indianapolis and having worked EMS in Indy for years when the H1N1 pandemic was a possibility this book really hit home. Looking forward to reading books 2 and 3

Another winner for Konkoly. Spoiler alert.

This one starts with Dr. Lauren Hale a resident physician. A Lauren who has been on duty for the last fifteen hours, seven hours after her shift should have ended.

The ER has been slammed with a steady flow of patients all day. These patients will be the first victims of the Zulu virus. Patients who will turn into killers.

David Olson is camping with his seventeen year old son Josh. Dave is a Marine Vet and Josh has already told him that he's enlisting in the Marines when he graduates. Dave doesn't have a problem with that but he wants to make sure Josh takes time to see all that's available out there before he enlists. Dave is a cop for the Westfield PD and he enjoys his job. Little does he know that he and Josh will be in for the fight of their lives.

Emma and Jack Harper were on vacation when the virus his. They haven't been home long when they see the need to bug out. When they got home they traveled to his parents house to get Rudy their Chocolate Lab. A Rudy who's life would end on a neighbors BBQ grill.

Dr. Eugene Chang is a pilot and a doctor of virology. Chang knows something is up and he also knows anyone, like him, who knows something is up is disappearing. His last conversation with a fellow virology doctor confirmed those facts. That doctor is now with those who will protect him. Chang has flown his plane home from a convention and heads to the house he had built. The house has outdoor sensors, camera's a safe room, and anything else he would need to survive a cataclysmic event.

Eric Larsen is a team leader for The Department of Homeland Security. He and the other teams are a special unit. Its a good paying gig and Eric will have enough money to pay his house off in three years and send his daughter to college when the time comes. Right now his team, along with the other teams are on alert. They get these alerts all the time only this one is real. Larsen is an ex Navy SEAL and one very capable guy. A guy that will need every one of his skills to survive.

So begins one damned fine read.

This one has Dave, Eric, Emma, Jack, Josh, Chang a Chang who supposed to be killed by Eric and his team, an Eric who will never do it, Eric team that dropped by Chang's house, orders that change in the blink of an eye, the other teams that are dropped all over the Indianapolis area, teams that will be trouble for Eric and the rest who become his team, the rest of his team that is killed by a team mate, a team mate that Eric never trusted or liked, Dave and his son who come together with Eric, Emma and Jack, a wild run to the airport to try for Chang's plane to get out of the area, an area that is being hemmed in by National Guard and regular military units, an area being over run with killer, killers suffering from the Zulu Virus, Dr. Hale who joins the party, a Dave who isn't interested in killing police or military, an Eric who does his best to not kill but knows eventually it will be them or he and his new team and that team doing their best to get out of the area, spread what they know

Five Stats

Hot Zone is the first book in the Zulu Chronicles series. I've read other books by this author and was looking forward to reading this book and he did not disappoint me. I found it amazing and complex and the thrills and action keep on coming. Like with his other books, I got caught up in the story and had a hard time putting the book down. This story is violent and not for sensitive readers.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat all of that info here. This was well written and timely, as you can just imagine this happening at anytime without warning. The author did a good job creating multidimensional characters and in describing what is happening around them. I couldn't help but relate to the characters he created. As usual, everything and everyone is not as it seems. Even though this book encompasses a short time span, there is a lot of action, twists and turns, and surprises to keep you riveted.

This book has a cliffhanger ending, and the story will be continued in the next book. I look forward to reading future books in the series.

What a disappointment. This book had a great start, providing multiple characters' perspectives on an outbreak of an illness that initially seemed to be a severe form of influenza but rapidly turned out to be something far more dangerous. The book is a well-written page-turner as each perspective advances the story of what is happening, Unfortunately, the second half of the book, after several characters come together, devolves into a series of increasingly implausible scenarios and gun battles. The last half of the book is largely redundant filler that leaves other characters dangling, has aspects that just wouldn't happen (for example, one guy leaves his ID in a backpack he jettisoned but another person employed by that company but doesn't work at the high-security research campus but in the financial building elsewhere in the area is able to get them in to the main entry and a building in the campus). The story became very tedious as I continued to read only to see if the characters can escape the quarantine zone and it simply stops abruptly. Clearly, the second half of this book is filler and the story will only continue with the sequel, which I suspect probably also has a lot of filler. This would have been a great book if it had been all-in-one, but I won't bother with the second installment.

Having followed Steve Konkoly's for several years I can truthful say this is one of his best books, yet. Being that I'm very partial to Steve's Black Flagged Series I was very surprised to find this book meeting all my expectations of what this author has to offer. I'm surprisingly pleased to find Konkoly's has combined his skills in each genre, thriller/dystopian/black ops, into one apocalyptic story that has it all in one. At one point he brings the story full circle as the character, Doctor Chang, mentions a viral outbreak in a Russian city that was part of one of Konkoly's Black Flagged volumes.
I recommend this book for the joy of reading a well planned, plotted, and written book. You, the reader, will be glad you chose this one.
As always, happy reading. Do something unusual today.

What a disappointment. This book had a great start, providing multiple characters' perspectives on an outbreak of an illness that initially seemed to be a severe form of influenza but rapidly turned out to be something far more dangerous. The book is a well-written page-turner as each perspective advances the story of what is happening, Unfortunately, the second half of the book, after several characters come together, devolves into a series of increasingly implausible scenarios and gun battles. The last half of the book is largely redundant filler that leaves other characters dangling, has aspects that just wouldn't happen (for example, one guy leaves his ID in a backpack he jettisoned but another person employed by that company but doesn't work at the high-security research campus but in the financial building elsewhere in the area is able to get them in to the main entry and a building in the campus). The story became very tedious as I continued to read only to see if the characters can escape the quarantine zone and it simply stops abruptly. Clearly, the second half of this book is filler and the story will only continue with the sequel, which I suspect probably also has a lot of filler. This would have been a great book if it had been all-in-one, but I won't bother with the second installment.

Having followed Steve Konkoly's for several years I can truthful say this is one of his best books, yet. Being that I'm very partial to Steve's Black Flagged Series I was very surprised to find this book meeting all my expectations of what this author has to offer. I'm surprisingly pleased to find Konkoly's has combined his skills in each genre, thriller/dystopian/black ops, into one apocalyptic story that has it all in one. At one point he brings the story full circle as the character, Doctor Chang, mentions a viral outbreak in a Russian city that was part of one of Konkoly's Black Flagged volumes.
I recommend this book for the joy of reading a well planned, plotted, and written book. You, the reader, will be glad you chose this one.
As always, happy reading. Do something unusual today.

Outstanding story concept! Well written story from multiple characters points of view. The transition from character to character is smooth and only adds to the reality of the story. It is evident that the author did a great deal of research and it is reflected throughout the book.

I have been reading post-apocolyptic and science fiction for over 63 years and I found this story to be very frightening because it is so real and so plausible. It has been a very long time since I rated a book at 5, but this book deserves it! I have already pre-ordered the second book and can hardly wait. Thank you Steven!!!!!

Steven Konkoly delivers a compelling, fast-paced thriller with HOT ZONE. From the opening scene, I was pulled into the story, which doesn't let go! The plot is told from multiple points of view, brilliantly unfolding until it consumes the characters in a thrill-a-minute ride filled with twists and turns. HOT ZONE redefines the genre, bringing a mainstream thriller to the post-apocalyptic/dystopian book world. I've read several medical thrillers in this genre so far this year, and HOT ZONE is easily the best from one of the best authors of the genre.

Having read many of Mr. Konkolys' books, I was expecting a good story. This is a great start to a new series, and will definitely order the upcoming installment. Thanks for the work put into an effort like this and doing the research needed to create a believable premise.

It kept me turning pages.......with a nice plot twist not found in the usual zombie scream/run/shoot/scream/run/shoot survivalist book. I bought the next book. Listened to the author on “in the rabbit hole” podcast and I am glad I learned of the series.

Action, and then more action. Not just fast paced but frenetic! Read this story as a backdrop for tomorrow. And . . . Wait for the movie version. The plot line is perfect and dodges the societally induced demands that ruin many a great story. Bravo!

Another 5 star read. I remember waiting to read Pandemic lol so been reading Mr Konkoly's stories a long time and this one was just as good as the first one was...I knew you would be a famous writer some day LOL.

This was a very well written and suspenseful book, the only problem is that it’s only half a story. No part of the story line is complete at the end of this book. I have read numerous book series, most of which had individual, complete stories. This book left me completely hanging.