"Enjoyed this first of what is planned to be 3 in this Medical mystery series. It read like an episode of CSI set in southwestern Ontario. The author, Dr. Ross Pennie - a Canadian Infectious Disease specialist from Brantford, Ontario, has developed wonderful characters led by Dr. Zol Szabo. Looking forward to the next one!"

This book turned me from an asleep-by-ten reader to a gotta-finish-this-before-I-go-to-sleep, bleary-eyed wreck. Pennie's Dr. Zol Szabo is an improbable hero, a public health bureaucrat. Ho-hum, I thought, another yuppie doctor story. I'll just read fifty pages or so and toss it. But Zol turned out to be far more than I expected. He's quirky, multi-dimensional, courageous, adventurous, vulnerable and smart. And a single father with a decent kid. The story, a satisfyingly detailed, fast-moving hunt for the sources of a deadly mad-cow variant, takes the investigators from gourmet groceries to a sleazy farm to bureaucratic hideouts, all set in a Canadian landscape.

Some things I liked:
-- The names. No Brads, Haleys, Justins, or Stephanies here. Instead, there are names with heft and texture: Zol and Max Szabo, Dr. Hamish Wakefield, Ermalinda the housekeeper, Zol's assistant Natasha Sharma, and so on.
-- The places, including my all-time favorite place name, Moose's Testicle, the place unsuccessful bureaucrats fear to go. And the grisly farm and meat-processing plant. And Canada in the late fall. I'm an American living in the Midwest, and so, so tired of books set in New York and L.A.

Fast-paced story, interesting settings, complex and interesting cast - what's not to like?

I bought an extra copy for my book club.

"Tainted" is an exciting mystery thriller unlike any I've read before. One of the bad guys is microscopic, and a nasty little bugger it is, too. The detective, a doctor racing against time to solve the mystery of some bizarre and horrible deaths, must do battle with a wonderful rogues' gallery of human bad guys as well. The characters are all fully imagined; there are no prefabricated "types." And the book is full of intellectual treats to tickle the mind, as well as thrills to keep you turning the pages. [5 stars]

A thrilling, intelligent story with interesting and engaging characters. Just the right mix of mystery and science. Looking forward to more adventures with Zol!