The Culling by Robert Johnson

by:  Robert Johnson
published by:  The Permanent Press
publish date:  January 24, 2014

Carl Sims, a young virologist, discovers a plot hatched by a group of international scientists to cull, in a matter of weeks, two-thirds of the world's population - some 4.5 billion people, by releasing a deadly virus that kills two thirds of those it infects. Their goal is to reduce Earth's population from an unsustainable seven billion to two billion. What is he to do? Try to stop the conspiracy, or join it?

Carl, somewhat unwillingly, goes off to China with the super hot, rock-star virologist Dr. Jenna Williams to track the progress of a flu strain.  When they get there all hell has broken loose and it's basically the worst possible scenario in terms of a flu outbreak and the tiny village is exterminate and firebombed and Carl and Jenna barely escape with their lives.  Carl finds out that this is just a test run for what is about to happen with the rest of the world and he's been part of the conspiracy all along.  

I listened to the audiobook for this one and  I thought it was pretty good.  Had I read the actual book, I'm not sure that I would have been able to deal with all the medical terminology, which is saying something considering I'm heading to nursing school.  It seemed like the author knew what he was talking about, I never had any of those moments like OMG that would never happen!  I imagine there are people out there that would want to exterminate most of the people on earth.  Where they get the idea that the earth can only handle a certain number of people is interesting to me, I'm curious as to how they arrive at that number.

Anyway...if the medical thriller stuff is your scene, I would recommend this one.  If the Hot Zone grossed you out, I'd stay away from this book.  It had pretty graphic descriptions of what the flu can do to the human body.  It made me glad I got my flu shot this year.