The Ovary Wars
Author
Mike Hogan
Publisher
The Peppertree Press
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An intense, gripping, and exhilarating medical thriller, The Ovary Wars is a timely, topical, and all-too-real tale of a sinister type of terrorism more powerful than a suicide bomber—and more deadly than a nuclear bomb. How does a terrorist kill four million people? He stops them from being born.
Kirby Wadsworth, an American population control expert who is obsessed and fearful about the world’s continually increasing population, schemes to change the current ineffectual methods of population control without regard to ethical, religious or societal restrictions. Taking a sabbatical in China, Kirby, together with the Chinese, develops Ovamort, a birth control agent that permanently destroys a woman’s ovaries. But this discovery has the potential to be much more than a simple birth control device: it could be a weapon—a weapon that could stop 4 million Americans from ever being born.
Dr. Steve Rosenbloom’s thriving practice as an obstetrician affords he and his wife Joan, and their teenage son and daughter an enviable lifestyle—a million dollar home, a lake house, private schools, and all of the trappings of wealth and prestige—until Dr. Rosenbloom’s once-booming practice falls victim to a puzzling epidemic of infertility.
But Dr. Rosenbloom is only one of many affected by this bizarre turn of events. For no apparent reason, births in the United States become rare, and American births start to decrease exponentially. With the US economy based on a constantly increasing population, the economy is undermined and the country begins an unstoppable spiral into “The Greatest Depression.”
With the country plunged into chaos, US officials realize the perilous possibilities and launch an intense investigation to find out why—and how—this rampant infertility occurred. Could the nationwide infertility have been caused by a virus, either naturally occurring or purposely spread? Could it have been caused by a secret cult or a radical religious group?
FBI agents Pete Vangard and his partner Emily Chandler, the chief investigators, pursue numerous leads. One of the millions of American women suffering from sudden infertility, Agent Chandler has an emotional interest in getting to the bottom of this mystery. And she won’t stop until she solves the case.
When the trail leads to Kirby Wadsworth, Agents Vangard and Chandler think they’re finally making headway—until Wadsworth’s sudden and mysterious death leads them to a dead end. It’s a race against the clock in this pulse-quickening quest to find answers, because time is running out. Can they stop the mastermind behind this deadly plan before the next attack?
Reviews
Mike Hogan has written a book about issues that could be 21st century headlines: ethical issues of overpopulation and medical breakthroughs to control it; the vulnerability of the US; and economic interdependence and depression.
Should steps be taken to control population growth in a world that has limited resources? Professor Kirby Wadsworth thinks so and encourages his students to think of ways to control it not while not worrying about legal and ethical limitations. His questions cause other professors to think he has gone too far but little do they know that he is already in talks with the Chinese on ways to control population by destroying the ovaries of young women. He is willing to go to any lengths to limit population growth and the Chinese are very willing to listen and try his methods. However, their target is not their own country but the United States. What will happen to the medical field when no new babies are born? What about other industry that caters to children? This plan has a domino effect that drastically effects the entire society has there are repercussions throughout the entire economy.
The Ovary Wars also follows Dr. John Rosenbloom, an obstetrician and the effect no babies being born has on his practice and then his family. It makes you realize how interconnected our economy is and how much families are over extended today. When his income is cut off, it destroys the family little by little until they lose their home and their dreams for the future.
The president has meetings trying to get to the bottom of what is happening and who is responsible but it is two FBI agents, Pete Vanguard and Emily Chandler who start to put the pieces of the puzzle together They find connections to the Chinese and while they don’t know how they did it they know they are involved in this plot to destroy the US.
I had trouble getting into this book at first because the book started with Professor Wadsworth and I did not like him. Then FBI agents were contacted to find the underlying cause of how the young women of America were affected and who was behind the plot and I was caught up in the adventure. I liked seeing a family up close but I thought their hardships were a little too heavy handed. I would like to see more of Agents Pete and Emily in future books.
Reviewed on 12/30/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Janice Hidey
