Clinical Trial

by April Christofferson

Book Overview

The deadly hantavirus has killed dozens of Native Americans, so when a reputable pharmaceutical company claims to have developed a vaccine against the deadly disease, it should be good news. But when ImmuVac asks Dr. Isabel McLain to conduct a clinical trial of the vaccine on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana, the proposal gets a distinctly mixed response from both her and the suspicious Blackfeet. Is the new drug truly safe, or are the...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812574680
• ISBN13: 9780812574685
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Mystery that that takes a view from the other side of the tracks.

This is a pretty good medical/mystery/thriller book that takes a look from the other side of the tracks. The main character Isabel is working on the Black Feet reservation when several people are struck by the Hantavirus. Isabel manages to save a few but cannot not save everyone. In response to her helplessness she writes a scathing article in a medical journal blaming the lack of a vaccine on the lack of money to be found in combating the virus. Out of the blue Isabel recevies a offer from Immuvac a drug company that had been working on a vaccine but had abandoned it to move on to "greener fields". With the new attention on the virus Immuvac is looking to earn money and gather some goodwill with drug companys that might invest in the first company to come up with a viable drug. Isabel accepts but the new attention alerts her ex-husband to where she is, and he will use any means neccesary to destroy Isabel as she destroyed his career by exposing his medical mal-practice. Also thrown in to the mix is WRI a desperate mining company that is looking to get mining rights on the reservation, this of course brings out local oppostion led by Monty Four-Bear who soon finds himself falling for the doctor even though he thinks she is out use the Indians for her own needs... This is a pretty good medical thriller. The author does a good job of showing the various sides of people so until the end your never really sure who's good, who's bad and who doesnt matter. Also it is an interesting take on the good and bad with the preservation. Every decison can seems like the Indians are being used or decevied, every choice seems like it can take somthing away. Which makes it easier to see why Monty is so dead set against anything being done on the reservation. All and a good mystery if you like books that take a differnt look at things. m.a.c

Clinical Trial

A great medical thriller that was almost impossible to put down! Action keeps moving, and surprise turns keep it interesting. A great read for those who like medical thrillers with a little romance thrown in - but not enough to distract from the story - just enough to make it believable.

great read

April Christoffersons clinical trial may be her best yet. After reading Edgewater and her last book Protocol which was a wonderful read I was very excited to see her new book out, and she did not disapoint. This was an incredibly well written book by Christofferson, this is a gripping read that is very hard to put down. Christoffesons depiction of the Blackfoot Reservation is very strong, and tribal laywer Montey Four Bear was a great character. It is impossible not to fall in love with Dr. Isabel McLaine who leaves the fast pace and sometimes very sick world of the high tech medicine field to care for teh impovershed Natives on the Blackfoot Reservation. The Protocol is an extremely thrilling read that you won't want to put down, I highly recommend this book.

Complicated medical thriller with a Native American theme.

In her medical thriller, "Clinical Trial," April Christofferson explores the tragic plight of Native Americans who live on reservations. She focuses in particular on the Blackfeet tribe of Montana, who suffer from poverty, substandard medical attention and exploitation by the white man. The heroine is Dr. Isabel McLain, who left the world of high tech medicine to provide medical care for the Blackfeet tribe. She encounters superstition and suspicion from her patients, but she gradually wins them over with her hard work and commitment. Isabel is trying to forget her disastrous marriage to her malicious, soon to be ex-husband, Alistair. The villains of the book are the aforementioned ex-husband, a greedy CEO of a mining company who wants to destroy tribal lands for the sake of profit, and another greedy CEO of a biotech company who also cares for nothing but profit. Added to the mix is a handsome Native American named Monty Four Bear who is a leader and a tribal activist. He is filled with rage at the white man's constant acts of treachery towards Native Americans. "Clinical Trial" held my interest. I loved Isabel, even though her character is somewhat formulaic; she is the typically spunky but vulnerable heroine. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, Christofferson tries to cram too much plot into the novel. Besides the story line with the evil mining company and the biotech company, there is a plot dealing with an FDA investigation involving Isabel and her nasty ex-husband, a tender love affair, a dangerous and disaffected Russian scientist who is also a madman, and a bunch of Native American activists who get involved in a violent confrontation with members of the mining company. The ending is formulaic and more than a little melodramatic. There were a few coincidences that were simply unbelievable. Still, I recommend "Clinical Trial," mostly because of the author's sensitive treatment of the plight of Native Americans and its nicely drawn heroine, Isabel McLain.

Outstanding medical thriller

Dr. Isabel McLain moved onto the Montana Blackfoot reservation seeking purpose after her marriage failed. However, practicing medicine on the Native American reservation is far from perfect as the clinic is run down and lacks funding. The situation turns deadly when the Hantavirus kills some of her patients. ImmuVac claims to have a vaccine that will stop the deadly virus. The company wants to test it on the Blackfoot, but the people are divided. Monty Four Bears believes the biotech company wants to use his tribe as guinea pigs. Isabel thinks otherwise as the Oregon-based company is highly regarded in the field. Money is to be made with a vaccine like this one, but who is right and is the risk of proving so worth taking? April Christofferson, author of the well-received PROTOCOL, provides her audience with an exciting Native American medical thriller. The story line works because the prime cast seems genuine as they debate the issue with both sides having doubts about the merit of their position. The characters propel the story line forward, leaving sub-genre fans with a powerful novel that works on all levels.Harriet Klausner