by Bobby Akart
A hundred years later, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the planet destroying lives and the global economy. As of this writing, the death toll is still climbing as a treatment protocol hasn’t been established; there is no vaccine, and testing is in short supply.
Why does the history of these deadly pandemics matter?
Because it has happened before and it will happen again and again—despite the world’s advanced technology, or because of it. People no longer stay in one place; neither do diseases. Unlike the habits of humans during the Black Death and the Spanish flu, an infection in all but the most remote corner of the world can make its way to a major city in a few days. COVID-19 has proven that.
Terrible new outbreaks of infectious disease make headlines, but not at the start. Every pandemic begins small. Early indicators can be subtle and ambiguous. When the next global pandemic begins, it will spread across oceans and continents like the sweep of nightfall, causing illness and fear, killing thousands or maybe millions of people. The next pandemic will be signaled first by quiet, puzzling reports from faraway places—reports to which disease scientists and public health officials, but few of the rest of us, pay close attention.
The purpose of the Virus Hunters series is not to scare the wits out of you, but rather, to scare the wits into you. As one reader said to me after reading the Pandemic series in 2017, “I now realize that humans can become extinct.” Not a comforting thought.
This series is also designed to give you hope. You see, the stories depicted in the Virus Hunters novels are fictional. The events, however, are based upon historical fact. Know this, there are those on the front line of this global war. The burden lies on the CDC and their counterparts around the world who work tirelessly to protect us. This series is dedicated to the Virus Hunters—the disease detectives and shoe-leather epidemiologists of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service who work tirelessly to keep these deadly infectious diseases from killing us all.
If you enjoyed this Virus Hunters novel, I’d be grateful if you’d take a moment to write a short review (just a few words are needed) and post it on Amazon. Amazon uses complicated algorithms to determine what books are recommended to readers. Sales are, of course, a factor, but so are the quantities of reviews my books get. By taking a few seconds to leave a review, you help me out and also help new readers learn about my work.
And before you go …
SIGN UP for my mailing list at BobbyAkart.com to receive a copy of my monthly newsletter, The Epigraph. You’ll also learn about special offers, bonus content, and you’ll be the first to receive news about new releases in the Virus Hunters series.
VISIT my feature page at Amazon.com/BobbyAkart for more information on the Virus Hunters or any of my other bestselling survival thrillers listed below which includes over forty Amazon #1 Bestsellers in forty-plus fiction and nonfiction genres.
Lastly, for many years, I have lived by the following premise:
Because you never know when the day before is the day before, prepare for tomorrow.
My friends, I study and write about the threats we face, not only to both entertain and inform you, but because I am constantly learning how to prepare for the benefit of my family as well. There is nothing more important on this planet than my darling wife Dani and our two princesses, Bullie and Boom. I’ve always said, one day the apocalypse will be upon us. Well, sometimes I hate it when I’m right.
Thank you for supporting my work and I hope you enjoy the next installment in the Virus Hunters series.
Acknowledgments
Creating a novel that is both informative and entertaining requires a tremendous team effort. Writing is the easy part.
For their efforts in making the Virus Hunters a reality, I would like to thank Hristo Argirov Kovatliev for his incredible artistic talents in creating my cover art. He and Dani collaborate (and conspire) to create the most incredible cover art in the business. A huge hug of appreciation goes out to Pauline Nolet, the Professor, for her editorial prowess and patience in correcting the same writer’s tics after forty-plus novels. We have a new member of the team, Drew Avera, who has brought his talented formatting skills from a writer’s perspective, creating multiple formats for reading my novels. I was pleased to introduce Stacey Glemboski, another new member of our team of professionals, for her memorable performance in narrating the Virus Hunters. I may have written the dialogue, but Stacey has created the voice of Dr. Harper Randolph.
A special thank you goes out to Christie Garness, a long-time reader, who provided valuable insight into the current state of affairs in Las Vegas as well as its emergency operations. Lastly, there’s the Team—Denise, Joe, Jim, Shirley, and Aunt Sissy, whose advice, friendship and attention to detail is priceless.
Characters come and go, but lifelong friendships do not. Everybody needs that set of friends. You know, the ones that you can call on in a time of emergency, that without a doubt, will be there for you. We have Mark and Kathie Becker. The story of how we met can only be attributed to fate. In early 2017, I posted a photo of my vintage Land Rover, affectionately known as Red Rover, in The Epigraph. I received an email shortly thereafter from a reader that recognized Red Rover as belonging to his new neighbors. We may no longer be neighbors, but we will forever be friends with Mark and Kathie Becker. As you come to love the character of Dr. Elizabeth Becker, eighty-eight percent of what you read in the novels, is the real Kathie. Another eleven percent is Lizzie, a mix between Kathie and her three-year-old niece. And one percent is Boom-Boom Becker. I hope you love the character as much as we love the genuine article.
Now, for the serious stuff. The Virus Hunters series required countless hours of never-ending research. Without the background material and direction from those individuals who provided me a portal into their observations and data, I would’ve been drowning in long Latin words.
Once again, as I immersed myself in the science, source material and research flooded my inbox from scientists, epidemiologists, and geneticists from around the globe. I am so very thankful to everyone who not only took the time to discuss this material with me, but also gave me suggestions for future novels. Without their efforts, this story could not be told. Please allow me to acknowledge a few of those individuals whom, without their tireless efforts, the Virus Hunters series could not have been written.
Many thanks to Laura Edison, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Service, a Career Epidemiology Field Officer, or CEFO, at the CDC in Atlanta. She has stressed the importance of tracking the vast number of travelers during an outbreak. Her creation of an electronic surveillance system called the Ebola Active Monitoring System helped the Georgia Department of Health keep tabs on travelers arriving at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport during that outbreak.
Colonel Mark G. Kortepeter, MD, has held multiple leadership roles in the Operational Medicine Division at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, USAMRIID, the nation’s largest containment laboratory dedicated to biological weapons. His expertise in all related fields of infectious disease study from the battlefield to the BSL-4 and to the coroner’s office was invaluable.
Eric Pevzner, PhD, MPH, a Captain in the USPHS, who is the Branch Chief of the Epidemiology Workforce Branch and Chief of the EIS program at the CDC Atlanta. Years ago, when I was first introduced to Captain Pevzner, he reiterated that the next pandemic was only a plane ride away. Of course, as we know, he was right. In his capacity as the head of the Epidemiology Workforce Branch, he oversees the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Laboratory Leadership Service, Epidemiology Elective Program, and Science Ambassador Fellowship. He works tireless hours to ensure those within our charge have the tools and knowledge necessary to protect us from infectious disease outbreaks.
The Virus Hunters novels could not have been written without the support of the former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Steven Walker; Janet
Waldorf, Deputy Chief of Communications within the DARPA Public Affairs office, and her staff; and the DARPA program managers and contractors who took the time to speak with me by phone or via email.
Finally, as always, a special thank you to the disease detectives, the shoe-leather epidemiologists of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, who work tirelessly to keep these deadly infectious diseases from killing us all. They are selfless, brave warriors, risking their lives and the loss of their families in order to fight an unseen enemy more powerful than any bomb.
This is why I wrote the Virus Hunters.
Because you never know when the day before is the day before, prepare for tomorrow.
Thank you all!
About the Author, Bobby Akart
Author Bobby Akart has been ranked by Amazon as #25 on the Amazon Charts list of most popular, bestselling authors. He has achieved recognition as the #1 bestselling Horror Author, #1 bestselling Science Fiction Author, #5 bestselling Action & Adventure Author, #7 bestselling Historical Author and #10 bestselling Thriller Author.
He has sold over one million books in all formats, which includes over forty international bestsellers, in nearly fifty fiction and nonfiction genres.
His novel Yellowstone: Hellfire reached the Top 25 on the Amazon bestsellers list and earned him multiple Kindle All-Star awards for most pages read in a month and most pages read as an author. The Yellowstone series vaulted him to the #25 bestselling author on Amazon Charts, and the #1 bestselling science fiction author.
Bobby has provided his readers a diverse range of topics that are both informative and entertaining. His attention to detail and impeccable research has allowed him to capture the imagination of his readers through his fictional works and bring them valuable knowledge through his nonfiction books.
SIGN UP for Bobby Akart’s mailing list to receive a copy of his monthly newsletter, The Epigraph, learn of special offers, view bonus content, and be the first to receive news about new releases in the Virus Hunters series. Visit www.BobbyAkart.com for details.
Other Works by Amazon Top 25 Author Bobby Akart
The Virus Hunters
Virus Hunters I
Virus Hunters II
Virus Hunters III
The Geostorm Series
The Shift
The Pulse
The Collapse
The Flood
The Tempest
The Cataclysm
The Pioneers
The Asteroid Series
Discovery
Diversion
Destruction
The Doomsday Series
Apocalypse
Haven
Anarchy
Minutemen
Civil War
The Yellowstone Series
Hellfire
Inferno
Fallout
Survival
The Lone Star Series
Axis of Evil
Beyond Borders
Lines in the Sand
Texas Strong
Fifth Column
Suicide Six
The Pandemic Series
Beginnings
The Innocents
Level 6
Quietus
The Blackout Series
36 Hours
Zero Hour
Turning Point
Shiloh Ranch
Hornet’s Nest
Devil’s Homecoming
The Boston Brahmin Series
The Loyal Nine
Cyber Attack
Martial Law
False Flag
The Mechanics
Choose Freedom
Patriot’s Farewell
Seeds of Liberty (Companion Guide)
The Prepping for Tomorrow Series
Cyber Warfare
EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse
Economic Collapse
Praise for Bobby Akart
PRAISE FOR AUTHOR BOBBY AKART and THE VIRUS HUNTERS
“Only Akart can weave a story that begins so calm, so normal and before you know it, you are at the end of the book with your pulse pounding in your chest and your mind screaming for more! ~ Amazon Hall of Fame, Top 2 Reviewer
“Under MY version of Wikipedia, under ‘Insomnia – Causation’, is a picture of Bobby Akart. I have learned not to pick up one of his books near bedtime as I will be unable to set it aside for hours!”
“Akart is a master of suspense, keeping us on the edge of our seats. But, he does it with fact-based fiction that would scare even the most hardened readers.”
“Mixing science and suspense is something Bobby Akart is a master of—writing character driven stories that will have you on the edge of your seat.”
“I have highly enjoyed Mr. Akart’s literary works because his research is comprehensive and he has an eerie prescience of writing fiction and it becoming reality.”
“Mr. Akart has become one of my favorite authors joining the ranks of fellas named King, Grisham & Clancy.”
“Bobby Akart is one of those very rare authors who makes things so visceral, so real, that you experience what he writes … His research, depth of knowledge, and genuine understanding of people make his works more real than any movie.”
“No one, and I mean NO ONE, does it better!
Copyright Information
© 2020 Crown Publishers Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Crown Publishers Inc.
Formatted by Drew Avera www.drewavera.com/book-formatting
