I really liked the concept of this book. However, it fell horribly flat. There were lots of plot holes and I just didn't connect to the story or character(s).

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the scifi elements. I hope there is more in the series.

This book was a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed the idea of the book but execution was slightly lacking. It was somewhat short so I definitely able to forge through it.

A well know reporter has been asked to cover the story of a lifetime. A plague has hit and disappeared almost as fast. This reporter is on a mission to discover the truth without being destroyed in the meantime. Lots of good exciting parts. The reporter does uncover the truth, but being able to get his story out is another adventure in itself.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book!

Had been looking forward to reading this book. With everything we are going through I thought I could relate to. But sadly it just wasn’t for me. I really couldn’t get into it. I felt it really wasn’t enjoyable. Hard to read.

Great story! I was engaged the entire time. A real page turner. Looking forward to reading more books from this author! Highly recommend!

While the premise of the book is interesting (though not very original), I didn't particularly enjoy the delivery of the story. It was fast-paced (which I liked), but lacked worldbuilding and character development.

The Final Contagion is set in the fictional country of Menaguay where a mysterious plague wiped out a large population in a matter of minutes. Tasked with reporting the incident, American news reporter Piers Shatner visits the scene and starts digging deeper in an effort to uncover the terrible truth behind the sudden outbreak.

This book is set in a fictional country (Menaguay) with fictional all-powerful political entities (the Council) and confusing terms like "Industrial Nations" and "Industrializing World." The lack of worldbuilding and thorough explanation of these terms made it really hard for me to suspend disbelief.

Furthermore, the main character was unlikeable and emotionless. There is a lot of emphasis on the protagonist's ability to stay calm and emotionally disconnected from the job but some more character development and a bit more emotion would have been nice.... I also did not like the way women (or woman since there was really only one female character) was portrayed in this novel.

This would have been a much better book if it wasn't set in a fictional setting (or if worldbuilding was improved). Otherwise, it wasn't too terrible...

After reading an agonizing four paragraphs of this book, I could not read anymore of this book. I would very well give the author a second chance in the future but the book take’s too long to get to any type of story line or plot, at this current moment it’s not worth reading.

Piers Shatner is a reporter after the story of a lifetime. There is a plague, but it seems to have ended as quickly as it began. This book had intrigue and drama and twists. There were some developments that surprised me, which is always a good thing in a book. No one wants to read a predictable story. I did enjoy this story, but could only give it a three star because I found more then thirty grammar and spelling errors in this book. I think with those things corrected I would have rated it higher. I have always enjoyed a good medical thriller, and I think that anyone who loves a good medical thriller, or even a political thriller, as this also involved politics, will enjoy this book. I would caution you though, this book had a couple of sex scenes, so if that isn't your thing you might not care for this book. In all fairness, the scenes were brief and they didn't distract from the story itself. All in all, the premise was interesting, it was fast paced, and the science involved was real.

This book is another example of the 'good idea but bad execution' trope. This book could be so much better, but it just was not. I did not care about the characters. I forgot that I had this book, and stopped reading this. I wanted to read something else the whole time. The plot was interesting enough that I kept returning to the book though. In the end, I just had higher expectations and this book fell flat.

This is OK not great. It has a mostly interesting plot and decent characters but is a little uneven and it takes a while to get going. Decent ending however.

Baffling choices - the story is seemingly set in the near future so I can't understand why the authur would decide to create new terms such as Industrialized vs Industrializing countries, a made-up South Amercian country (Menaguay) and an evil Council for the Ecomonic Stabilization of Industrialized Nations.

Piers, the main character is an unlikable journalist - it's easy to imagine him eagerly chasing down Princess Di and then taken the most lurid photos possible of the body. We get to read Pier's broadcasts as he's recording them in a sort of wierd italicized voice-over. The prose is cloying and not worthy of a vetern international journalist.

Two manufactured contagions, one deadly one just immoral are discovered by Piers and (as we can guess) he decides to reveal all in a covert broadcast. The dead / not dead characters are predictable plot points and even the sleeper agent is obvious. We're left with a little cliff-hanger at the end but by that time I didn't care at all.

PS - NO man is "impeccably dressed" in a fawn suit.

The Final Contagion is a thriller which could be all too possible.
An unknown plague devastates the country of Menaguay and Shatner is sent to report on it. While there, he discovers there is more to this story and and that the evidence he had uncovered could bring about the collapse of the known world.
He is the only one who knows the truth and to reveal it he must run for his life.
I found that at first I struggled to get into this story as it flitted from Shatner's perspective and the politicians involved in this outbreak, but the further I read, the more engrossed I became. The second half of The Final Contagion greatly improved my enjoyment with a twist I never expected. As Shatner runs for his life, I found myself rooting for him in an almost breathless chase to escape the people who are hunting him down.
The ending of the book was unexpected and completed this thriller in a way which satisfied my questions of how and why.

Thank you to Tim, Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for a full and honest review.

3.5 stars

I didn't hate this book at all. It was very well written, strong characterisation and plausible plot. The beginning, set in South America, was very interesting because of the resemblance to the right-wing government's human right's atrocities of Argentina, Chile et all of the late '70s and '80s.

The writing was a bit treacle-like at times, just through the middle, it seemed to slow somewhat but sped up again. And the subject matter, a plague, is very relevant to what the world is suffering now. Good job. Would recommend.

A thrilling read and definite page turner that's perfect for fans of Matthew Reilly.
I enjoyed this book immensely as I love nothing more than a good plague thriller. The book was well written and the overall plot captivating and at times heart stopping. Whilst there is nothing wholly unique within the plot, it has definite appeal to those who enjoy the genre.

A fatal virus has killed millions in South America. An intrepid American reporter tries to uncover the hidden information that the politicians and military heads wish to keep private. The virus takes a back seat to the politics in this confusing and surprisingly lackluster story. I found it difficult to keep the characters clear in my mind, and ended up not caring about any of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Brought back from 'oblivion' after 40 years, for real?

Just like Koontz's 'dark eyes' prove something old can be new again

To think in 1978 the author envisioned the end on tape and now it is simply on our cell phones.

I was pleasantly surprised

Murari has written an interesting tale that follows journalistic reported Piers Shatner as he follows the pandemic outbreak in Menaguay.
The story flits between telling it from Shatner's perspective and that of the political opposition, as well as those at home. As a result it took me a while to engage with the characters. The story really picks up halfway through and I really enjoyed the second half of the novel with the added intrigue, suspicion and interception. I never guessed the ending, which is something that I always enjoy in a novel.

When a plague hits South America killing more than 15 million people, martial law is declared.

Is the plague a result of nature? Or something more sinister like a man-made virus? US Journalist Piers Shatner is driven to find the truth in any story, but what he uncovers here, just might kill him.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review

A horrific plague that paralyses and kills its victims within minutes is unleashed in a small South American state. Millions die and martial law is imposed. The infection is unknown, and no-one knows where it will strike next.

Piers Shatner, American TV reporter, discovers the terrifying truth behind the virus, a bizarre political plot that could shatter the world. He is the one man who can reveal the truth, and save civilization from oblivion. And he is running for his life…