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The subject of bioengineering and the notion of germ warfare are as timely today as they were decades ago. In the 1970s and early 1980s novelists began to write stories with these themes. Their mission has always been, and still is, to inform the public and to expose the kinds of experiments (allegedly) performed by drug companies and the government. In SHOT, Jenny Siler's new suspense novel, she adds her take, telling the story of the humans who are damaged after being subjected to such experiments.
Siler brings seven characters together who, for one reason or another, need to take possession of the information hidden in the files of a company that is doing research on mycoplasma --- "the smallest and simplest subclass of bacteria...capable of replicating itself…mycoplasma has no cell wall, enabling it to invade tissue and even white blood cells" --- which could cause serious immune system illnesses, since mycoplasma does not respond to any known antibiotic.
The "good guys" and the "bad guys" are clearly defined in this made-for-TV style novel. The prose is simple and direct, but the characters are not strong enough to make readers really care about them or their troubles. Instead of exploring in full the reason for her characters' actions (the biochemical/germ warfare programs), Siler chooses to concentrate on just moving the plot along. In taking this route, the writer loses a great opportunity to expose what, in our time, is a threat to the world as we now know it. Thus, the novel has a very low impact, and readers may find it difficult to get angry about the two murders, blackmail, robbery, and cover-up that destroy lives and have an everlasting impact on millions of people through the manufacture and testing of "dirty drugs."
With a plot that is so simply drawn, one-dimensional characters, and action confined to a small and claustrophobic arena, the novel loses its potential for being a real thriller. Some of the events in the book stretch credulity, and readers will find nothing more than an afternoon's escape in SHOT.
--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
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