Reviews for VIRAL
"Impressively intricate plot and non-stop action ... Fans of intelligently written page-turners will be rewarded." - Publishers Weekly
"The outbreak of a mysterious disease in the Third World is the first assault in a deviously stealthy international plot. (VIRAL) maintains suspense with vivid, direct prose and a skillfully developed plot." - Kirkus Reviews
"Solidly plotted and featuring a unique pair of protagonists - you don't often find a team of brothers as action heroes - the book is sure to appeal to fans of thrillers with Big Ideas and capital-V villains. A sequel is in the works, which is a good thing: readers will leave the book wanting to see more of Charles and Jon." - Booklist
"VIRAL is a world-class thriller. It doesn't get any more real than this. Lilliefors has created one of the most compelling novels of international espionage I've come across in a long time." - Vince Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"VIRAL weaves genetics, nanotechnology and robotics into a complex tapestry of international geopolitics and nails the details. Lilliefors' debut is brilliant, with realistic science, tight pacing, and believable characters in a gripping story of the audacity of dehumanized science." - Jeffrey Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., international bestselling author of Sleeper Cell and Implant
"A crackling good story, so realistic that it's scary. Lilliefors is right up there with the best thriller writers." - Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award-winning author of the Grand Tour series
"Following two nonfiction books, James Lilliefors makes a terrifyingly realistic thriller debut with VIRAL. Many nefarious characters populate the pages as the Mallorys jet from Washington, D.C. to Europe, Africa and the Mideast ... Journalist Jon Mallory's POV observation is spot-on for this novel: 'When a good story gathered momentum, it became a kind of living organism' ... Lilliefors' new series is more than a good story - it's a 'New Paradigm' for thrillers ... readers will eagerly look forward to more of the brothers Mallory." - L. Dean Murphy, Bookreporter.com
"VIRAL is a great read that made me wonder if the author has a secret past life in the dark world of intelligence.... Lilliefors' powerful novel could be both a prediction and a warning of tomorrow's headlines." - Wes DeMott, former FBI agent, author of The Fund, Heat Sync, and Walking K
"Lilliefors' debut thriller doesn't slow down until the last page. The villains' horrifying plot is made even more sinister by the fact that they (purportedly) believe that they are acting for altruistic reasons. You are left wondering if the technology, the covert operations, the secret council, the uncontrolled military contractors and the rogue scientists are all really out there someplace. This one will keep you up at night." - RT Book Reviews
"A high-stakes thriller that reads like an expose you never want to find on page one ... This subject, fraught with moral dilemmas, is timely just as our two most prestigious science journals have to weigh an official request to suppress research on genetic mutations of the bird flu virus for fear it could provide terrorists with a recipe for a highly-lethal contagion. Lilliefors leaves us thinking about how easily a biological weapon could get out of hand, and how frequently powerful people are tempted to shape the world to fit their vision." - Barbara Fister, Reviewingtheevidence.com
"James Lilliefors, a brand new thriller writer on the scene, has opened with a bang in VIRAL. With the Mallory brothers, Charles and Jon, the insanity that Jim has brilliantly portrayed becomes all too sharply urgent, and certainly timely. Hats off!" - David Hagberg, New York Times bestelling author of The Expediter
"It combines the best elements of medical thrillers with those of rogue-government-agent-conspiracy thrillers to tell a plausible tale that encompasses villains worthy of a confrontation with James Bond himself." - Book Chase
"An adrenaline-pumping tale of terror that simmers with intrigue and tension. From the very first page, Lilliefors masterfully takes us on a nail-biting journey into the terrifying world of bioterrorism." - Gary Birken, M.D., author of Embolus and Code 15
"This elegantly complex thriller is devastating in its premise and astonishing in its meticulous plotting." - Phil Jason, Florida Weekly
Reviews for THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT
"Scary as heck. And entirely too plausible." - San Jose Mercury News
"Weather geeks, rejoice. This one is for you." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Drawing on actual government experiments and projects, award-winning journalist Lilliefors convincingly sells the tale of natural disaster modification ... [A] suspenseful book with believable action and interesting science that will captivate weather buffs." - Library Journal
"A treat for my fellow weather junkies: a thriller that takes the Day After Tomorrow concept of accelerated weather disasters a bit further. [Lilliefors] gets good marks for an intriguing story." - The Charlotte Observer
"The book reads like a gathering storm - which is, of course, the chief protagonist/ antagonist throughout these pages ... James Lilliefors puts his extensive research to good use without letting climate science smother the plot. He even has a wry sense of humor, to judge by his treatment of one of the key players ... The author is convincing in describing how presidents since John F. Kennedy in the Cuban missile crisis organize ad hoc approaches to a national emergency without alerting a panicky public ... The book's Americanness gives it an immediate visual quality that shouts 'Make a Bruce Willis movie out of me.'" - Andrew Burstein, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
"Ironically, the editors at Soho Press were in the midst of finishing up this thriller when Hurricane Sandy hit New York and forced them out of their office for over a week. This very real natural disaster puts a fine emphasis on just how truly frightening and plausible THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT is ... With THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT, (Lilliefors) has kicked it up several notches and created one of the best thrillers in years. Michael Crichton would be proud of how deftly he mixes science with suspense ... This one is not to be missed!" - Bookreporter.com Full review here
"Gripping.... Plotlines converge intriguingly under Lilliefors' brisk handling ... Readers will be caught up in THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT ... for its conviction and speed - and for its unintended but ungodly timeliness." - Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly
"James Lilliefors succeeded in getting my attention with his first thriller, VIRAL.... His second thriller, THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT, is also grounded in the known, our weather, and uses nature's deadly disasters as a controlled means to terrorize the world." - The Big Thrill