Upon A Pale Horse

I love medical thrillers. The premise of this book is so troubling, especially since we have such little belief in our government and the media in all its forms. I was a student nurse back in 1977. As part of my clinical training in neuro, I cared for a person who was dying from a "simian virus". I did a paper on this patient, but the information regarding this diagnosis wasn't there. I thought no more about until now. In 1981, while working as nurse in orthopedic surgery, I cared for many elderly women with broken hips. One patient, who had received multiple blood transfusions during and after surgery, became ill. She never had a reaction to the blood transfusions, but she just faded away after several months of repeated hospitalizations. I often wondered if the blood she received was "dirty". AIDS was hitting the press just about then. I think our author has raised multiple issues in his book. Who, what, when, where and how do we find the truth and people to trust.

From the reviews description of this book I really looked forward to reading it. But it was predictable and slow and everything got wrapped up very quickly and unexcitedly at the end. I try to finish all books but this was a hard one. I just wanted to get it over with.

Looking for the next read you can't put down? Pick this one up. Great characters, a fast plot, and a premise that's scary as hell - all guaranteed to hold your attention. This is not your standard medical thriller. If you're looking for a read that'll leave you feeling warm and fuzzy about the world and those with the money and power to control it, move along. If, on the other hand, you love a plausible tale about a few greedy individuals who risk billions of human lives and justify their actions as being `for the greater good', this is the book for you.

Read UPON A PALE HORSE for its lightning pace, its surprising twists and turns, and Blake's devious imagination. Enjoy the shiver at the thought that there might be a shred of truth in the stunning horror he weaves. Then read the Afterword where Blake shares his research and be chilled at the pure possibility that the fiction might already be reality.

Nobody writes a conspiracy thriller like Russell Blake. If you haven't read one of his books yet, UPON A PALE HORSE is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended.

This was a two star for me. The first 20, (although, short) chapters were sleep inducing. When you finally got into the meat of the plot it was implausible and I will admit I skimmed more than I read. There were pages and pages on AIDS history yet very little time devoted to the killer flu which was the actual "antagonist" of the story. Then a whole lot of time devoted to the investigation of a girlfriend that did very little to move the story forward. Our superhero does in 72 hours what pioneering researchers couldn't do in decades AND the bad guys well, let's just say I have absolutely no idea what happens to the bad guys.
Mr. Blake has a pleasant voice and writes in a way that's easy to read but needs a little more depth to keep me interested in his work.

I enjoyed Upon a Pale Horse. Blake can definitely write and I think he did a good job of character building with Jeff. The strongest part of the book is the build up. To me, though, the bad guys were too easily defeated and there was not enough tension between the protagonist and antagonist, at least not directly. This is a good not great book.

Sleep much? Not after reading Blake's latest pulse-pounder. Upon A Pale Horse is a ride that takes the reader through a fun house of horrors too scary to be called entertainment. Though somehow he manages to get you interested in the characters even while you're tearing through the pages in hopes of discovering that his premise is nothing but a practical joke - you know, a note from the author that says, "Ha! Had you, didn't I? Don't worry, this is just fiction, go back to your lolly pops and rainbows." I warn you, reader, there is a note from the author...but it pretty much says the exact opposite. Many will read this, or start to read this, and fall into some preset scoff mode. I've heard such a reaction to this topic before. You know, all the typical responses - name calling, fingers in the ear, the mature stuff. As if calling someone a name is the trump card to the information presented. There's a proverb that says, He who answers a matter before hearing it is a fool. I think we would all be wise to hear Blake's message, consider his research, put aside the world we wish we lived in, and look at the evidence objectively. It's too scary not to. Is this a fun read? No, because we live in a world that not so long ago was putting people in ovens. If something like that was allowed to happen, anything is possible. Especially if those behind such experiments were later given jobs by other governments to continue their research. Oh, but I'm getting into the story now, and I don't want to give anything away. Will our refusal to believe that something like this could ever happen be the very thing that ensures that it will? Check out Blake's cautionary and exposing tale of a future we all hope never to see.

This one really made me think about the government and what seems like a really plausible scenario. It made me want to research more of what Blake mentioned at the end of the book, (which I won't give away) and how the timelines and reasons just don't add up. It makes it even more worrisome, that no one ever questioned it.

I've really enjoyed all of Russell Blake's books and appreciate the quick timing of his new releases. Seems like he's releasing a book every couple of months, which is great for the readers. Now, I'm eagerly awaiting Jet VI. Bring it on!!!

Upon a Pale Horse is a story that could happen with the science available to us today. Our hero Jeffrey is an unlikely hero. A lawyer thrust into the shadow world of high stakes world domination. Yet he comes through with ingenuity and courage. An eidetic memory is a great tool especially when the bad guys don't know you have it. Solid writing again from Russell Blake. I liked the setup was done in the first 10% of the story so there was room for subplots and action scenes. Not as violent as Jet but enough to keep my action genes happy. Just wish more of Blake's books were in the Unlimited program

It's been awhile since I've read this type of book. Since I like Russel Blake's books, I thought I would try it, being able to borrow it was an added bonus. I found this to be a great bio-thriller. The main character is believable, interesting, likeable, and well developed. While dealing with the death of his brother, he is enticed into moving across the country for a one of a lifetime job offer. Little does he know then, that his every move is being watched. It is very interesting to see him slowly come to realize the magnitude of biological disaster that is about to occur. He uses his wits, his abilities, and available resources to defeat the bad guys. As the reader, I was anxious that he would be overcome by the bad guys at any moment. And he could have been, had he not been lucky and resourceful. There are several characters that help him along the way. All these characters are well developed, as is the plot, and the plot is very well paced. Though the bad guys were not well developed, I didn't find that a bad thing. The nebulous cabal lurking to reset humanity was enough for me. I was thoroughly entertained and somewhat horrified by the premise of this book. And the facts offered about the origins of HIV are stunning. The most horrifying thing is how probable it could be. I highly recommend this book and am thankful that Mr. Blake reconsidered his thoughts about not publishing it.

Russell Blake has written a compelling and chilling bio-thriller about a plot for biological Armageddon. (Revelation 6: "behold a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death and Hades followed him.") Biological warfare has always worried me more than nuclear warfare because with bio-warfare there may be no winners.

While working with the CIA, Keith Rutherford had a record for seeing things that others missed. One day, when hacking into forbidden areas of the Agency's database, he stumbles across scary information about the development of biological agents and plans to use them. Because he was frightened that he knew too much, his immediate reaction was to fly to safety under an assumed name and try to verify and prevent the plans being implemented. His plane to Rome disappears off the radar without reason.

After Keith's death, his brother, Jeffrey, an attorney in San Francisco, moves to Washington DC when he gets a once in a lifetime job offer. Before his death Keith gave his girl friend a pawnshop ticket and asked her to give it to his brother. Jeffrey redeems the item and finds a hidden note from Keith with the key to his alarming discoveries - and a warning "Don't trust anyone".

This starts Jeffrey along the same dangerous path of discovery, around the country and across the world. He soon finds that he also can't trust anyone and that Keith's worst fears are true. How can he prevent a catastrophe that will change mankind forever?

While Russell Blake is better known for his action/adventure/suspense stories he has written a couple of stand-alone financial conspiracy stories which I really liked. This time he has written a well researched bio-thriller with a conspiracy background with implications that are as scary as hell. I truly hope that this is fictional escapism because if there are people and organisations who will go to any length to possess power and change the world then the pale horse could ride by at any time.

This is one of Blake's best books I have read for some time and shows the extent of his imaginative skills in a somewhat different genre. It certainly meets his aim of writing a "frightening bio-thriller that breaks the mold".

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This is my first Russell Blake book. I did enjoy his writing style and the pace moved along nicely. BUT there were gaps that I found distracting. First how in the world did the villains expect to have a workable world after klling off 80 to 90% of humanity? Who would provides the services these masters of the universe had become accustomed to? Do they think their expensive baubles just show up in catalogues for them to select? I would have like to know their reasoning better other than they were tired of the undesireables sharing the planet with them. How did all of the governments accept the seemingly limited info which the hero obtained persuade them to go to the brink of a nuclear holocaust in order to put a stop to the macabre machinations of the villains? If all of the loose ends were being carefully tied up by the villains in order to succeed at their armageddon they planed, then why did they leave three scientists alive who could blow the whistle on them, that is if it is believable that only three scientists on the entire planet could follow the science of? And why did they leave Jeffrey alive when they killed his brother's nice girlfriend with no real justification given by the author other than that she was the girlfriend of the brother who seemingly figured out what the villains were up to and might know something? Of course, if they had killed Jeffrey, then there would have been an entirely different story line to create!

I always thought that the rich, in their lofty abodes, were ignoring us mere mortals far below. But apparently not. It seems that they are finding the planet too crowded and have plans to fix that.

Jeff, the hero of the story, is a lawyer in a San Francisco firm, too busy putting in billable hours every day to worry much about what's happening around him. Then his brother dies and he's thrust into a life or death mystery.

As with most thrillers, it's hard to describe too much of the plot without giving away the twists and turns that make it enjoyable. Jeff is off on a thrilling ride, and you'll follow along, wondering if this naïve lawyer has what it takes to save the world. Along the way, you'll gain an education about bioweapons, and have something else to worry about besides global warming.

This is not the type of book I usually review, but I read some blog posts by the author and decided to give one of his books a shot.

It's definitely readable.And he presents an interesting argument about what government leaders are up to, or might be up to. It reminded me a bit of modern day Taylor Caldwell novel. Some of those were definitely depressing, but this one was not. Still, I wouldn't call it a happy ending, or even a happy for now.

The book to me is a bit on the speculative side; but I suppose that's the norm for these types of "thrillers."

I liked the author's use of detail in the book - just enough not to get readers bogged down in them but keep it interesting.

Fairly well edited, except for repeated uses of the word "that" where it should be the word "who," as in "that man that walked down the street."

Russell Blake is a force in fiction; he's doing journalism in fiction form in this book. Not sure if he realizes that or not!

This was a great bio-thriller that was well written and full of twists and turns. I'd like to think this could not happen but logically thinking I know it very well could, especially in this day and age of biological science. I have read other Russell Blake books and this story was a scary, thought provoking first for him in this area. If I could, I'd rate this book a 4.5. It contain short chapters and is not a long drawn out story. You get exactly what is necessary to complete the story and not be led off on a bored tangent. An older teen would probably be able to grasp the concept of creating a biological weapon that could wipe out a large population, although it makes an excellent read for adults in particular. I think you will enjoy it and look for more books written by this author.

I think Russell Blake is one of the great Indie writers. Love his books. But this one was tedious at the outset and lacked the punch and rhythm of his previous works. His Jet and Assassin Series are fantastic. "Upon a Pale Horse" was interesting and provocative but left me wanting more. Let's face it, not every novel is going to be the best ever. Worth the read but prefer his other work.

I found just one typo, which is refreshing for an ebook. I thought this was a good story, and it certainly kept me turning pages. A couple of times it got a little political, basically implying that the main impetus for depopulation is from the right. It seems like that could be left out. It is well documented that uber rich on the left are in favor of depopulation, stating the goals of sustainability and ending climate change as justification for it.

I really enjoy a good bio-thriller. I expect that this scenario is quite possible. However, if I had been in charge, the FBI would have taken a CDC representative to all of the bio centers to check for the virus. I suppose in our society that would be impossible. A really interesting and informative piece of fiction. Mr. Blake has a real handle on the reaction of the world's population - no one would do that/let someone else handle it. A very good read.

This book had a lot of potential but kept randomly slamming on the brakes. It felt like the author had some trouble explaining some things through dialogue and unfolding events, and so he decided to occasionally dedicate entire chapters to descriptions of characters' inner monologues. Near the end, we get an entire chapter's worth of explanations of a diabolical plot occurring inside the head of a bad guy. It's bad enough when the bad guys in movies will suddenly explain their entire scheme to the tied-up hero, but when the bad guy is just outside by himself, explaining his own scheme to... himself...?

I don't mind corny or illogical elements on occasion, but these kinds of chapters totally kill the momentum and intrigue that had been building up. What's more is that even though they are dedicated to story explanations, the story would have been fine without them at all.

At the end of the book, all of the extra characters go out the window and the author barely explains what happened, as if the author was himself tired of those characters or couldn't think of a good way to really exit them from the story. So we end up with afterthoughts, and a skip ahead to the next "shiny" thing.

A fair amount or inconsistency is prevalent, but I'll be honest - there was enough good storytelling to keep me reading and pull the focus off of the problems.

I don't think this is anywhere near 4 or 5 stars but 2 stars seemed too low for something I did enjoy by the end of it.

I have read all of Russell Blake's novels to date. To say that I didn't like them, would have to make me crazy to have bought them all - but I have noticed patterns that I'm beginning to find less than ideal, to wit: he develops complicated plots, described in great detail, but then rushes to unfold them in the last 50 pages. The unfolding should be as detailed and complex as the folding. After 200 pages of winding you up, to be untangled in 50 seems quite the let-down.

As always Mr. Blake has written an outstanding novel. His ability to tie real world information to the core of a fiction novel is what keeps me coming back to his books. It is not just entertaining (I have a hard time putting the book down), it is thought provoking and should cause the reader to take a hard look at the real world. Not the one spun by the media pundits or the Corporate Elitist, but the every day world for the normal people.

This is an excellent read and gives some great references from his research of the book.

I always enjoy Russell Blake's books, but this one is just a little bit different - in a good way.

It describes in a thrilling but nevertheless scarily compelling story the strong possibility that a bio-hazard 'accident' is an event just waiting to happen. The plot is intricate, the characters memorable, the subject matter thought-provoking. I don't want to give away the plot, but would certainly recommend this as an excellent read.

Wow! The government strikes again. This book will make you rethink getting vaccines, which is good and bad. A very interesting read. Was the government behind the creation of HIV through the use vaccines? It certainly sounds like it.

There are several links at the end of the book to articles supporting some of the data used in writing this book. I’m off to read those now.

I enjoyed this book. The setup took the lion's share of the book, but it gained steam in the second half. Not a lot of action, but it really gets the "what if" juices flowing. Writing was good, nice flow and vivid imagery. I'll be checking out more from this author in the future.

I gave this book 5 stars mainly for the effort the author made to open people's eyes to the reality of some major bio-weaponry cover-ups in our country. It's scary as hell as fiction and frightening beyond words to be real! It was very well written too and kept me glued throughout. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have "ostrich" mentality!

I usually devour most books by Russell Blake but this was just not my cup of tea. I found ti slow and ponderous and it just didn't keep my attention. I've always found Mr. Blake's detailed descriptions and detail to be excellent but in this book they just didn't hit the mark for me. I'm sorry I just don't like this one at all.

The book started out well enough,but quickly fell into one cliche after another. The evil omnipresent government mutilating cattle, creating and infecting its citizens with HIV/AIDS, and, of course, killing everyone in undetected ways. I was 62% into the kindle book when I just couldn't take any more.

This book is scary as it could happen! Russell Blake quotes things that have happened in the past that I actually looked up on the internet and found were true! So it not to far fetched to believe that something could happen like this in the future. A book I will never forget. Could not put down and when finished left you wondering.

I rarely give 5 star reviews, but Upon A Pale Horse is surely deserving of one in my opinion. Mr. Blake has constructed an extremely enjoyable, fast paced thriller with this book. The plot is clear and the action flows in a most satisfying manner.
I had a difficult time putting it down once I started to read it.
Mr. Blake is also the author of the JET series, most of which are also excellent reads.

Russell Blake actually has a great vocabulary and a gift for descriptive analogies~~ a gold nugget among the many rocks offered on Kindle Unlimited. I look forward to reading more of his works. This particular book is both entertaining and believable, which is not always the case with bioterrorism genre. Good read from a talented author.

*A few minor spoilers*
I really wanted to like this book. When I was a teenager, I tore through just about every techno-thriller and piece of spy or conspiracy fiction I could get my hands on. I read everything by Crichton, Clancy, and Brown--and many more by other authors. A few days ago I had the urge to read something like that again, and stumbled on Russell Blake and Upon A Pale Horse. The other reviews are pretty glowing, and I'm a sucker for a good pandemic story so I plunged in. It was a quick read--but I came away completely unsatisfied.

Good:

*Doesn't feel like a thriller. There's a lot of space for introspection by Jeffery,and we get to see him plan out his steps before he makes them. This is refreshing and uncommon for the genre. The prose itself is competent and even sometimes a little artistic. The reader is pulled along powerfully without it feeling as contrived and trite as Patterson or Dan Brown.

*Jeffery has a distinct and believable voice, and is responds reasonably to the situations he is forced into. This is not a story that relies on everyone being an idiot.

*There is a beautifully paced build-up of tension in the first half of the book. Some might find it slow, but it keeps you guessing when everything will finally explode into motion.

Bad:

*Every female character--and to a lesser extent every character but Jeffery--is flat and cliched. Of the two women who get significant page time, one is a beaming and moral Madonna, and the other is literally a treacherous whore. Not one woman mentioned is described as looking like something other than a swimsuit model. The only woman who seemed like she might end up being interesting is killed off right away. I know this stuff is a problem for thrillers in general, but this book tries to be ambitious and groundbreaking. Plenty of other authors are staring to manage this. I expected better.

*The latter half of the book devolves into HIV origins crankery. This seems to be a pet cause of the author. A lot of oft refuted "evidence" straight off the dark places on the internet gets pushed into multi-page monologues by stock "Distinguished Doctor" types. There's even an appendix with citations to "real world" work. All of this stuff is a jarring shift in tone from the rest of the work.

*There's almost no time to actually develop the main plot of the book. After the deliberate, almost plodding build-up, we learn about a global conspiracy, and then it's defeated all in the space of a dozen pages. It's like the whole plague-conspiracy plot was an afterthought. Then we have a long coda to a disappointing wish-fulfilment type ending.

I was really hoping that Russell Blake would be a new light in the stale thriller world. The first half of the book was unique enough that despite it flaws I could enjoy it for the novelty. It seemed like a promising start by a rising author that could herald truly transformational books to come. But Pale Horse is fatally weighted down by Blake's conspiracy theory preaching. It eats the entire plot of the book, and leaves only crumbs of a story.

Look, I understand the thriller is an inherently paranoid genre. It's what makes them so captivating and hard to put down. There's nothing wrong with having a huge and implausible conspiracy at the center. Yet like Crichton's State of Fear, Pale Horse is more concerned with getting the author's views out than telling a story. Even if the bizarre HIV crankery had been true, the way the book switches from story to advocacy still would render it dull. Read Upon A Pale Horse only if you want to learn how *not* to take the techno-thriller into the next century.

Russell Blake's book "Upon a Pale Horse" (2013) left me pleasantly entertained and educated about facts I was heretofore unaware of, as Blake wove a tale of mystery and intrigue that started in the U.S. and took me more interesting places than I had ever thought about. All-in-all, another excellent book by this author that proved well worth the time spent reading it!

I Can't say enough about Mr. Blakes adventures. His stories are well researched, developed and written. Definitly better than anything else I have read since I finished reading all of Robert Kennedy books, Daniel Silver and Vince Flynns Books. Please keep them coming.

Borrowed from the store's Kindle Reader's Library,mainly because it was FREE! My favorite word. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so good. My only negative comment is that the romance part was quite predictable.
I'm not a romance reader.

Not bad! Would like to see it filled out a little bit in some places and some loose ends given a little more attention. Things weren't exactly left unfinished, but again, I think there was a missed opportunity for a couple of good scenes

A really over the top read. Timely. Engrossing. Great characters and an edge of your seat from beginning to end. The only thing more chilling than the plot is the facts from research on recent epidemics.

This was a great read. A rare combination of easy reading and a thrilling overturned that kept me up to the wee hours if the morning in more than in night. Be warned before you start thus one...you may not be able to out it down!

And scary. Another well researched and well written novel by Russell Blake. Blake can take a topic you might not think much about and turn it into a page turning novel. Bravo for tackling this topic Mr. Blake!

It was a fun book, exciting but not too outlandish. It does raise some questions about government research and how trustworthy it/they are (not very). Makes you think, especially if you read the epilogue & research notes.

I appreciated the author indicating at the end of the book what research he gathered in an attempt to make it clear which aspects of the book were fictitious and which were based in fact; I wondered about this as I was reading the novel and had my answer at the end. The novel itself is okay, but became much more interesting once the focus shifted to the scientific aspects. It seemed to move very quickly once that shift was made and I wish the ratio were more in favor of the science and history. The personal storyline, while I understand was necessary to a degree, wasn't as good and should have been pared back. Overall a worthwhile read for learning some interesting facts about a disease that doesn't get much attention for this aspect of controversy, but I would prefer to read about it in a more straightforward manner.

I started reading Russell Blake stories about 18 months ago with the JET series. His books are well researched & I think thats where the quality comes from. This particulat novel kept me intrigued the entire time, & the research links at the end are proof.

This fictional story gives one a real sense of potential outbursts of illness the could rock our world. The science nature of the story was also filled will suspense and betrayal. The ending helped the reader connect with the characters that life goes on.

The writing was ponderous, everything recounted & described in minute detail. The mystery wasn't detailed enough at the beginning to pique my interest to get me to wade through the dense writing to get to the end. Quit after chapter 6.

There were some unexpected twists, but it was totally unbelievable. That a government agency would just give up after they had been exposed, too far fetched. Characters were not developed well, too shallow. I got thru it, but wouldn't buy the second book.

I loved this book. It contains enough factual information to make it realistic. I have never had complete faith in our government as they do all sorts of projects in secret. It wouldn't surprise me if something like this is actually happening. A very thought provoking novel.

The first time I've read this author and I was impressed. I loved the storyline, even though it's frightening. This book makes you think and it stays with you long after you finish reading it. I've already downloaded my next read by this author!

I really enjoy anything relating to epidemics and the apocalypse. I really enjoy how this was written and how it really makes you think about the world today and how much we really don't know. Would recommend this to anyone with those same interests!

By chapter nine, nothing of interest has happened and I lost interest in waiting for something..anything! Maybe this is a good book, but you can probably do without the lengthy preamble and start in around the middle of the book. You won' have missed anything important.

Not very well written. Very predictable. It held my interest for a while then became too predictable. The author seemed very antigovernment and injected all kinds of conspiracy theories into the story which seemed contrived. This, of course, is my opinion. I noticed that quite a few people seemed to enjoy the book. Reading is all about enjoyment right?

The plot is based on a concept that is hard to believe. That said, given it is a work of fiction, the book will keep your attention in the opening chapters and is gripping at times. However as the story develops there is a long boring discussion set in Paris with the main character and another which will almost certainly lose many readers. Finally the book ending is somewhat sudden but apparently there will be a sequel.

Nice book,except for one thing.I read it about two years ago.It was called Pestilence and it was written by Randall Wood. I know sometimes there are similar ideas,but this was a little too close to Wood's book,if you ask me.Not good,Mr.Blake