Status
Available
Collection
Publication
New York : Viking, 2005. First ed.
Description
A thriller that superbly depicts the precarious, volatile area where science and global politics can clash with disastrous results, The Trudeau Vector is reminiscent of the classic suspense of Frederic Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal and the terrifying realism of Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain. Jurjevic's debut will lure those with a taste for deep science, medical intricacies and a plot that twists and shines like the aurora borealis.' - Publisher's Weekly'
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
The Trudeau Vector is an absolutely superb story that I listened to on CD. Never mind that it was 11 cds; I couldn't wait to get into my car and listen to it. I would sit in my driveway even late at night just to finish the chapter I was listening to. I think I'll buy the book as well; then I may
I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery that rides way above the mainstream would like this one; anyone interested in the Arctic would also like this book. Highly recommended.
a brief look:
At an international science research station out in the middle of nowhere in the Canadian Arctic (Trudeau Station) four scientists who are outside the station are found dead in the most horrible way. Of the four, three of them are found in grossly contorted positions, with the irises and pupils of their eyes just gone. The fourth, for some inexplicable reason, did not have the same symptoms, but he was found out on the ice with absolutely no protection against the elements, although he was a specialist in the Arctic environment and therefore must have known what he was doing. Afraid of whatever it was that killed the three, Trudeau station sends for help during the middle of the Arctic night. The best qualified to do the job is Dr. Jessica Hanley (Jessie), a young specialist in disease and epidemics is called on to go to the station and seek out the cause before it can spread any further throughout Trudeau station. Everyone there is on edge, and worried that whatever it was that killed their three colleagues will strike them next.
Meanwhile, a Russian submarine is missing after leaving Trudeau station, its last position being under the sea in a Norwegian fjord. One Admiral Rudenko, who realizes that the glory days of the Russian Navy are gone, is called upon to head the expedition to rescue the sub and its crew without revealing that the sub is even there. The last mission before the sub became lost: to retrieve a Russian scientist from Trudeau station.
The book is also a major treasure trove of info about the Arctic environment, about the nature of post-Cold War Russia, factors in infectious diseases, you name it, even down to a Japanese practice of burying themselves in warm mud. The author has obviously done an incredible amount of research, and believe me, it shows. I was really fascinated by the factual parts of the story and it never got boring.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough; I'm amazed it is not more widely known!
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make the cds available. I'll let you know.I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery that rides way above the mainstream would like this one; anyone interested in the Arctic would also like this book. Highly recommended.
a brief look:
At an international science research station out in the middle of nowhere in the Canadian Arctic (Trudeau Station) four scientists who are outside the station are found dead in the most horrible way. Of the four, three of them are found in grossly contorted positions, with the irises and pupils of their eyes just gone. The fourth, for some inexplicable reason, did not have the same symptoms, but he was found out on the ice with absolutely no protection against the elements, although he was a specialist in the Arctic environment and therefore must have known what he was doing. Afraid of whatever it was that killed the three, Trudeau station sends for help during the middle of the Arctic night. The best qualified to do the job is Dr. Jessica Hanley (Jessie), a young specialist in disease and epidemics is called on to go to the station and seek out the cause before it can spread any further throughout Trudeau station. Everyone there is on edge, and worried that whatever it was that killed their three colleagues will strike them next.
Meanwhile, a Russian submarine is missing after leaving Trudeau station, its last position being under the sea in a Norwegian fjord. One Admiral Rudenko, who realizes that the glory days of the Russian Navy are gone, is called upon to head the expedition to rescue the sub and its crew without revealing that the sub is even there. The last mission before the sub became lost: to retrieve a Russian scientist from Trudeau station.
The book is also a major treasure trove of info about the Arctic environment, about the nature of post-Cold War Russia, factors in infectious diseases, you name it, even down to a Japanese practice of burying themselves in warm mud. The author has obviously done an incredible amount of research, and believe me, it shows. I was really fascinated by the factual parts of the story and it never got boring.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough; I'm amazed it is not more widely known!
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LibraryThing member FicusFan
A wonderful thriller set in the Arctic Circle. A medical/bio hunt for a deadly killer in an enclosed community of research scientists in the Canadian high Arctic. Scientists from many countries are all trapped by the return of winter and the long Arctic night. The must share domes with something
The POV character is a quirky MD who is more fond of the dead than the living. She is a latter day hippie, and irreverent soul known for making intuitive leaps of deduction. Her personal life is in shambles, so she jumps at the chance to go north.
Another thread of the story is set among the remnants of the Russian Navy. Some of the last people in the service who care about duty, honor and their country are sent to first track the missing submarine which picked up a Russian scientist whose time was up at the Arctic station, and then to the Arctic station itself.
All plots are resolved under the stars.
The writing was good, it flowed well. The characters were interesting, and different. While there are many people in the book he focuses on 4-6. The setting is well done, both on the ice, and in Russia and the submarines. The story is pretty gripping, and the mystery is interesting, and not too obvious or too obscure.
Lots of Arctic science and Inuit cultural research went into the book. Lots of wonderful details and information worked into the story, without any big indigestible dumps. A smattering of cold war geopolitics, with a touch of environmental concern, and bit of archeology. Very meaty and satisfying.
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that leaves the victims horribly contorted, with serious bodily damage and fatal changes. The POV character is a quirky MD who is more fond of the dead than the living. She is a latter day hippie, and irreverent soul known for making intuitive leaps of deduction. Her personal life is in shambles, so she jumps at the chance to go north.
Another thread of the story is set among the remnants of the Russian Navy. Some of the last people in the service who care about duty, honor and their country are sent to first track the missing submarine which picked up a Russian scientist whose time was up at the Arctic station, and then to the Arctic station itself.
All plots are resolved under the stars.
The writing was good, it flowed well. The characters were interesting, and different. While there are many people in the book he focuses on 4-6. The setting is well done, both on the ice, and in Russia and the submarines. The story is pretty gripping, and the mystery is interesting, and not too obvious or too obscure.
Lots of Arctic science and Inuit cultural research went into the book. Lots of wonderful details and information worked into the story, without any big indigestible dumps. A smattering of cold war geopolitics, with a touch of environmental concern, and bit of archeology. Very meaty and satisfying.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dudara
Trudeau is an advanced Canadian research station situated deep in the Arctic Circle, where an international community of scientists collaborate in harmony. But tradegy strikes, and 4 scientists are killed by an unknown factor. Jessie, a brilliant, unconventional, American epidemiologist is
Deep in the depths of the polar oceans, an experienced, old submariner is asked to lead a Russian team to investigate the disappearance of a Russian submarine. As the book unfolds, their missions converge as they race to solve the scientific and political mysteries that surround them.
I both liked and disliked this book. Jurjevics' grasp of scientific and engineering concepts is impressive, resulting in a book that is rich in information. Initially, the plots builds well, leaving the reader with a nicely tense sense of foreboding. Unfortunately, the book fails to maintain its excellent start and the plot descends into borderline silliness. Still though, it's well worth a read for the interesting scientific concepts raised by the author.
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requested to visit the station to determine the cause of these mysterious deaths.Deep in the depths of the polar oceans, an experienced, old submariner is asked to lead a Russian team to investigate the disappearance of a Russian submarine. As the book unfolds, their missions converge as they race to solve the scientific and political mysteries that surround them.
I both liked and disliked this book. Jurjevics' grasp of scientific and engineering concepts is impressive, resulting in a book that is rich in information. Initially, the plots builds well, leaving the reader with a nicely tense sense of foreboding. Unfortunately, the book fails to maintain its excellent start and the plot descends into borderline silliness. Still though, it's well worth a read for the interesting scientific concepts raised by the author.
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LibraryThing member auntmarge64
A solid thriller which takes place in the high Arctic winter, which in itself is a tense addition to the suspense. At a Canadian research facility, internationally staffed, three scientists die nasty deaths for which no one can find a cause. All died at exactly the same time, out on the ice in the
The science is very interesting, and the cold and dark permeate the story. The tension mounts throughout the book, with only small detours for personal dramas. As is typical in novels in which experts are being portrayed to a general readership, there is a bit too much explaining of details you'd think the characters wouldn't have to spell out for each other, and the fact that a Russian submarine can get to the station but no one seems to think the scientists can get rescued nagged a bit. But overall, this is an delicious way to while away a few hours, especially if you're warm.
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dark, from what appears to have been a new pathogen or chemical. A fourth scientist with them kills himself. The Canadians bring in an American pathologist who is known for luck and intuition, and she is delivered to the facility just before winter closes the facility to normal transportation until spring. Meanwhile the Russians search for a missing sub bringing home a 5th scientist from the lab. The science is very interesting, and the cold and dark permeate the story. The tension mounts throughout the book, with only small detours for personal dramas. As is typical in novels in which experts are being portrayed to a general readership, there is a bit too much explaining of details you'd think the characters wouldn't have to spell out for each other, and the fact that a Russian submarine can get to the station but no one seems to think the scientists can get rescued nagged a bit. But overall, this is an delicious way to while away a few hours, especially if you're warm.
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LibraryThing member wrk1
Enjoyable thriller. A forensic pathologist leaves her fractured family in southern California to save the world from a deadly something, voluntarily committing herself to months of arctic night at an international research station on an island in the polar sea, becoming involved in the politics of
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grief and the remnants of cold war antagonisms. Show Less
LibraryThing member RalphLagana
I'm biased toward books that have a severe environmental setting in the cold. I like the idea of throwing characters into the harsh cold and having them face off against one another or some other danger from outside. Unfortunately, it didn't work in this book. I simply couldn't find interest in a
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story for which the ending was a forgone conclusion. I wasn't surprised at any point and with a book in the thriller/mystery genre, that's a must. Show Less
Language
Local notes
Signed by author.