After the Cure Book Review

After the Cure by Deirdre Gould

Click here for the Amazon product page.
Click here for the Barnes and Noble product page.
Click here for the Books-a-Million product page.

Blurb:

Eight years ago the December Plague swept through the human population of earth. The Infected were driven mad by the disease, becoming violent and cannibalistic, killing even those closest to them without hesitation. Six years ago, the tiny surviving community of Immune humans found a cure, and the Infected began to wake up and realize what they'd done. Over time, society has begun to rebuild itself. It's now ready to judge those responsible for the Plague. Nella Rider, the court psychologist and Frank Courtlen a defense attorney are trying to establish the truth. But more depends on it than they know. Can they find the answers they need before the fragile remains of humanity vanish for good?

Review by Brittany:

I originally downloaded this book from Amazon because it was on a free promotion and the blurb sounded interesting. Who doesn't love a good zombie story?

This one had a really neat twist of taking place after a Cure was found. What would it be like to have to rebuild the world after 8 years of it falling apart? How would it feel to be Cured and yet remember all the terrible things you did when you were Infected? What lengths would you to go to prevent another Infection if you knew it was coming?

These are some of the questions that Gould explores in this novel. Frank and Nella are given the task of working with the courts to bring those responsible for the Infection to justice. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the scientists who were developing a new medicine did not follow the proper procedures for testing, which led to unexpected mutations and a plague of cannibalism across the world. Through interviews, Nella and Frank find out that there is another strain of the Infection that was created, one that is impervious to any Cure, and it has not been accounted for. Thus begins the search for the strain so that it can be destroyed before another plague destroys the world.

I loved Frank as a character. He is one of the Cured, which means he has insights into the Infection that Nella can't possibly have. This information comes in useful as they start piecing together where the new strain might be. He also reveals through the story that he is representing the man who is charged with starting the Infection to get to the truth of what happened. Frank suffered his own tragedies at the hands of this man, but he is using the court case to seek understanding. His noble intentions give a lot of indication of what type of man that he is.

I also loved that the author did not shy away from sharing gruesome details. Both Frank and Nella reveal some of the more tragic and shameful things that they did during the Infection, and gory details are not spared. I think this added a touch of realism to the novel and satisfied the creeper in me. It was also a great tool to help readers get a gauge on what the Infection was like and the way the world changed almost immediately.

The story itself kept me turning pages. I was always interested to see what was going to happen next and what piece of the puzzle Nella and Frank would find next. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving the reader wondering if the world is truly as safe as the characters believe it to be.

Overall, this was a really good read. I was pleasantly surprised by the character and relationship development throughout the book, and I am interested in reading more by this author.