The Red Death
By Christopher Nicole
When a deadly disease wipes out an entire island in days, the whole world’s survival is in one woman’s hands…
Peter Canning, junior minister of Health and a rising star in the government, is eager to hear Professor Graham Fitzroy and Dr Meg Calhoun, from the Robert Koch Research Center in California, report on the latest developments in AIDS; but neither he nor they are aware that another disease is developing which is far more dangerous and far more virulent.
Responding to an SOS from the island of Hoste, north-west of Cape Horn, emergency services have found the entire population wiped out in days by an unidentifiable plague. As news of The Red Death – so called because of the terrible nosebleeds that herald it – flashes across the world, Meg is sent to New Zealand to investigate further outbreaks. Peter – desperately worried that Meg will expose herself to danger – joins her on the research ship Ocean Secrets.
While Meg works to discover the vital antidote to the Red Death, Peter is placed in charge of all emergency arrangements in Britain – with direct access to the Prime Minister. Yet how can Meg find, let alone identify, the virus when people ignore all warnings, governments close their ports and all cooperation is feared? And when even she and Peter cannot agree upon the practical necessity of quarantine and isolation camps for anyone who, like Peter’s sister Sarah in New Zealand, is a contact or infected?
Christopher Nicole’s novels have been read by millions all over the world. Born and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, he later attended colleges in Guyana and in Barbados. In his long prolific career, Nicole has published over 200 novels and non-fiction works.
