Containment

A mad scientist threatening the human race by releasing a horrific bioweapon? Check. A plucky, attractive female scientist pressed into field work to thwart him? Check. At least one damsel in distress scenario for her? Check. A budding attraction between the scientist and a hunky, secretive man with whom she’s partnered? Check. Parker leaves few genre clichés unused in his predictable debut, which fails to capitalize on his background as the former acting director of Homeland Security for the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA. A megalomaniac who calls himself Doctor Vector has been breeding ticks to carry the deadly Kandahar virus. When the disease begins to kill off residents of Pennsylvania, veterinary epidemiologist Mariah Rossi and agent Curt Kennedy, of the Bio Investigative Service, join forces to prevent further casualties. The romance that develops between them is, at best, a distraction from the severity of the Kandahar threat. Not naming the secondary characters who fall victim to the virus also creates emotional distance in this disappointing thriller. [em]Agent: Lauren Sharp, Kuhn Projects. (Jan.) [/em]