Interference

 Book 22 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Interference

by Brad Parks

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

Quantum physicist Matt Bronik is suffering from strange, violent seizures that medical science seems powerless to explain—much to the consternation of his wife, Brigid.

Matt doesn’t think these fits could be related to his research, which he has always described as benign and esoteric. That, it turns out, is not quite true: Matt has been prodding the mysteries of the quantum universe, with terrible repercussions for his health. And perhaps even for humanity as a whole.

Then, in the midst of another seizure, Matt disappears. When foul play is feared, there is no shortage of suspects. Matt’s research had gained the attention of Chinese competitors, an unscrupulous billionaire, and the Department of Defense, among others.

With Matt’s life in clear danger, Brigid sets out to find him. Will Matt be killed before she reaches him, or could the physics that endangered him actually be used to save his life?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I picked this book out from the options in the Amazon First Reads monthly freebies.  The description sounded interesting and I have found that reading mysteries/thrillers on an e-reader makes me less tempted to flip ahead and spoil the ending.

Since it's an e-version I only have the cover to judge from the book itself.  The cover art conveys the genre well and the contrasting colors would've caught my eye if I'd seen it on a shelf.

My Opinion

5 stars

This was a thriller that kept me guessing but also moved the story along with excellent pacing.  Reading it on an e-reader definitely changed the experience because it's easier not to "accidentally" flip a few pages ahead and skim a little relief.  I also continually checked the "percentage complete" because I wanted to know when the answers would begin.

Although there were some perfect timing/straining reality moments, the majority of the book was grounded in reality.  I think it helps that quantum physics is such a mysterious topic for most so anything mentioned with the research/virus seemed at least plausible.  The author really played the long game with some of the bread crumbs dropped throughout the book.  I can't give examples without spoiling but it reminded me of the movie "Signs" - there were seemingly inconsequential things being emphasized that didn't make sense until the end.  These things really helped keep things realistic as well; nobody magically appeared with the exact set of skills needed for the moment. 

On a personal note, both the length of time it took Matt to make the potential connection between his health and his work and the fact that his wife knew nothing about it may seem outlandish to someone who isn't married to a scientist.  My husband is an engineer, lovingly called "Robot" in my phone, and I can completely picture the incredulity of the conversation where she realizes he was doing something so major and didn't think it was worth mentioning.