The Gemini Virus

Written by Wil Mara

Narrated by Wil Mara

This science-based thriller from Wil Mara will chill you to your core
Bob Easton thinks he has a cold. Before he dies in agony, four days later, he infects dozens of people. Local health agencies become quickly overwhelmed by the sick and dying and beg the CDC for help. Dr. Michael Beck and Cara Porter, a member of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, race to identify the deadly bug. They can't cure it until they know what it is.

Dennis and Andi Jensen and their children are terrified. Schools and offices close. Fresh food disappears from store shelves. Three of their children's friends die. Their neighbors are dying or running away, fleeing the unstoppable infection. Desperate, the Jensens join the exodus, making a nightmarish journey to their isolated mountain cabin along empty roads, through abandoned towns, past looted shopping malls.

The superbug—and the panic—quickly spreads beyond America's borders. On a packed plane, someone coughs—and at their destination, the pilots are told, "you can't land here." US military bases are quarantined. Yet the virus continues to spread. Some believe the plague is man-made. Others see it as a sign of the end times.

In the lab, Cara Porter makes a potentially fatal mistake. In the mountains, Andi Jensen tells her husband that she doesn't feel well.

The world is running out of time.

"Irwin Allen's disaster films meet Stephen King's The Stand. A scary notion."—Booklist
"A chilling and horrific outbreak story. If you're a fan of Outbreak, The Hot Zone, and Contagion (the movie), you'll love Gemini Virus."—No More Grumpy Bookseller

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Oct 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781427230072

Wil Mara

Wil Mara is the award-winning novelist of the 2005 disaster thriller 'Wave.' His second book in the disaster group, The Gemini Virus,' was released by Macmillan Publishing in October of 2012 to tremendous reviews by consumers and critics alike. In 2013, he released the first book in a new suspense series, 'Frame 232,' which features pivotal character Jason Hammond. 'Frame 232' begins with the discovery of new evidence concerning the Kennedy assassination. Wil has finished the second Jason Hammond novel, 'The Nevada Testament,' and is now developing the next story in the disaster series, 'Fallout.'

Reviews for The Gemini Virus

[Angela Montgomery · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reading this in February,2020, was, to be honest, a little surreal, discomforting...the world is grappling with the new coronavirus, and The Gemini Virus was a harsh reminder of the power of these tiny marauders, especially in our shrinking world.
Great book, loved that the author narrated.
Highly recommended, I finished it over a couple of days.

[john papandrea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have read these apocalyptic type books forever. Usually it’s a calamity followed by a bunch of good guys fighting a bunch of bad guys. This one’s a bit deeper, good character development. The science seems to be pretty accurate and as a physician I appreciate it that.

[selinalynn69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

nice read. I liked the descriptions of the virus and the CDC's handling. I think I may have even learned a few new words.

[alwaysbooktime · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First you sneeze, then you die. It had me at that. I read the first few chapters and was really caught up in the story. I threw the book in my carryon bag to read on my flight to Disneyland. When I left Disneyland I had managed to catch, you got it a cold! First you sneeze, then you die, not good reading material when you feel like that's exactly what's happening to you! First you sneeze then you die keep staring at me from my bedside table daring me to pick it up and finish it. I did finally muster the strength to pick up the book. I did enjoy the story. Sort of part, The Stand which will always be on my top 10 list and also, The Andromedia Strain another 10 List well all of M.C. books really. You will enjoy this book, just don't catch a cold while reading it!!!

[carolee888 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

was very excited to go back to a genre that I used to love but this one did not hit all the bases. At the beginning of the story the list of symptoms encouraged me to read on. Then I laughed. I wasn’t convinced of the horror. I was hoping that this book would rise to the challenge of breaking the mode of most medical disaster stories. I stopped reading them because so many of them stick to a formula and are so predictable. It is not interesting to read a progression of incidents. I found myself yawning. Just on the symptoms alone, I think the author needed to do more research of some real diseases. I have had one of the symptoms of his 'Gemini Virus, the extreme itchiness in the skin. The Gemini Virus was supposed have a stronger itch than meant poison ivy or poison sumac. This is where I am positive that I could write something more convincing. I have a rare auto-immune disease that can a person to scratch so much that he/she runs the risk of sepsis and sometimes can even need skin transplants. I think there is an important lesson here, do not make up symptoms, look them up, you will find plenty so scary in real life. The characters did not make me fearful for their possible death. They seemed so one dimensional to me. Even bringing the present day government leaders did not wake this novel up. I did not bite my nails as the cover said it would and I often felt like I wanted to get behind the characters and push the story along. Sorry, I cannot recommend this book.

[booktwirps · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like my horror/thriller books. I like zombies and ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but the one thing that scares me more than anything is a viral outbreak. I’m not talking about a zombie virus (though, I must admit, that would be pretty friggin intense), I’m talking the realistic ones (ie: Swine flu, SARS, Bird flu) the kind that if not caught soon enough can spread like wild fire and infect and kill thousands. Now, luckily (or maybe I should say so far), the aforementioned viruses were kind of blown out of proportion by the media because they gave the “worst case scenario”. That’s not to say the potential isn’t there, but for the most part, a major epidemic was controlled. Still, it was scary, and the looming risk of other viruses, ones that could wipe us out quickly, is one of my worst fears.Where am I going with this? To the premise of this book — that’s where.The Gemini Virus was one of those books I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to get when I picked it up. I knew it would either really freak me out, or it would seem implausible. It wasn’t the latter.The first few pages of this book were pretty gross. Like total cringe-worthy, “I’m glad I’m not eating right now” gross. I have a strange aversion to bodily fluids (which is one of the reasons I did not go to medical school) — blood, snot, poop, vomit, infections — yeah. Not for me. So the descriptions of the illness were a little much. Still, they were real. Everything about the book felt very, very real.The premise is very simple on the surface: People get sick. People realize there’s an epidemic. People try to appear calm. Loved ones show symptoms. You get the idea. It’s the execution that drew me in and kept me glued to the pages. I seriously couldn’t stop reading this one, and when I did, it was to research whether or not this could actually happen. (It can. Everything in the book is based on scientific fact.) The characters are relatable, the plot tightly woven and the medical jargon isn’t so heavy that it weighs down the pace.If you are a fan of medical thrillers, or like movies like “Contagion” and “Outbreak”, I would definitely recommend this one. It definitely made me think (and got my slight neurosis all in a twitter).

[frankerrington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Aside from being a pretty good Texas Hold-Em Tournament player, Wil Mara writes an excellent disaster novel.Wil and I met at Bally's poker room a few years ago and wound up splitting the pot that day with a few other players.I found Wil to be an affable guy and I wound up buying a copy of his first disaster novel, Wave, about a tsunami that hits Long Beach Island. That was a great story and I found his writing style to be very readable and compelling.Since then, I've been asking when the next "disaster" novel would be released. Well, that time is finally here and the book is called The Gemini Virus. It all begins in Ramsey, NJ where normally healthy Bob Easton wakes from a deep sleep with a fever, and within 4 days, Bob is no longer among the living.Mara is a fine story-teller with an eye for detail. Simple stuff, like when decribing Bob's wife, "Bernice, in the baby blue nightgown that Easton thought of as part of the Golden Girls collection."Before his death, Bob manages to infect a number of others and the descriptions of the symptoms grow increasing gruesome. You'll definitely need a strong constitution, especially in the early chapters. There's even a scene where the virus is being passed around Bally's in A.C. (An aside to Wil: Suddenly, I'm in no hurry to go back).What started the virus? Where did it come from? With thousands already dead and many more infected the prospect of the CDC and WHO finding a cure or controlling the outbreak are bleak. "It could take millions and developing a vaccine could take years."More than a few cringe-worthy moments. A well researched, yet clean read that will keep you up at night and guessing right till the end. Available from a wide variety of sources as a Hardcover, Digital Audio or e-book. Well worth a read or listen.