Dead On Arrival
Dead On Arrival book cover

Dead On Arrival

Mass Market Paperback – November 20, 2018

Price
$7.99
Publisher
William Morrow
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062443281
Dimensions
4.19 x 1.05 x 7.5 inches
Weight
8.8 ounces

Description

“An intellectual thrill ride that tucks searing social critique into the Trojan horse of a save-the-world page-turner…. The solution appears to be only another mastermind who has commandeered technology for personal gain, Richtel leaves us with the more sinister suggestion the true villain is us.” — New York Times Book Review “A high wire act of pure, exhilirating storytelling. From a stunner of an opening to an end I never saw coming, here is a book that will keep you glued to your seat and furiously turning pages. Grab a copy and prepare to lose a day.” — JAMES ROLLINS “Michael Crichton meets Stephen King at their finest: Topical and timely, with the creepiest opening chapters I’ve ever read, Dead on Arrival , Matt Richtel’s gripping and ominous new thriller, explores our fears about technology -- and proves they might be even more justified than we think.” — LISA GARDNER “ Dead on Arrival joins the ranks of classic paranoid thrillers about human achievement run amok, with Stephen King’s The Stand and Michael Crichton’s Terminal Man . It’s hard to imagine a novel more timely.” — JOSEPH FINDER “If you’re looking for a heart-stopping thriller to pack for your summer vacation, look no further. ... Should keep you riveted until the very last page. ... Dead on Arrival is axa0must-read for Michael Crichton fans.” — Dallas Morning News “Is this the next Stephen King? ... Wonderfully confounding. ... Richtel has conjured a fascinating character in Martin... [and] ties it all together in the final pages. So much so, a reader is hopeful Martin will be back again, solving medical mysteries and saving mankind in the process.” — Denver Post “Richtel sets things up beautifully with a terrifying opening chapter. ... Matt Richtel has taken his place as an heir to Michael Crichton. ... Dead on Arrival is great entertainment with a very troubling message buried deep within it.” — Connecticut Post “Similar in atmosphere and style to Michael Crichton and Stephen King. ... A race-against-the-clock thriller. The pacing is excellent. ... An enjoyable and gripping read.” — Booklist “There’s suspense on every page. ... A taut techno-thriller.” — Mercury News “Richtel grabs his audience by the throat from the start of this intelligent nail-biter.” — Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW) “A brilliantly imaginative, intricately plotted thrillerxa0that draws on Matt Richtel’s years of reporting for the New York Times .” — Boulder Daily Camera “Begins with one of the most chilling openings that I have ever read. ... Establishesxa0Richtel as one of the premier thriller writers working today.xa0xa0... Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.” — CriminalElement.com “With this title Mr. Richtel is surely creeping up on King and Koontz when it comes to delivering that awe-inspiring fear-factor. ... You’ll be glued to the pages. ... It’s extremely rare that any writer has the ability to scare you to death, but with this book, Matt Richtel can count himself among those chosen few.” — Suspense Magazine “A book brimming with mystery and suspense. ... Richtel ... knocks it out of the park.” — Steamboat Today “Matt Richtel rivals Michael Crichton.” — Digital Journal “A high concept thriller with the gut-wrenching tension of a doomsday countdown clock.” — Kirkus Reviews FLIGHT 194 LANDED. SOMETHING LETHAL AWAITS OUTSIDE. An airplane touches down at a desolate airport in a remote Colorado ski town. Shortly after landing, Dr. Lyle Martin, a world-class infectious disease specialist, is awakened to shocking news: Everyone not on the plane appears to be dead. The world has gone dark. While they were in the air, a lethal new kind of virus surfaced, threatening mankind’s survival, and now Martin—one of the most sought-after virologists on the planet until his career took a precipitous slide—is at the center of the investigation. Moving at lightning pace from the snowbound Rockies to the secret campus of Google X, Dead on Arrival is a brilliantly imaginative, intricately plotted thriller by Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times journalist Matt Richtel. Matt Richtel is a Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times reporter and bestselling nonfiction and mystery author. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Meredith, a neurologist, and their two children. In his spare time, he plays tennis and piano and writes (not very good) songs. Visit him online at www.mattrichtel.wordpress.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • “MICHAEL CRICHTON meets STEPHEN KING at their finest … with the creepiest opening I’ve ever read.” — Lisa Gardner * “Joins the ranks of classic paranoid thrillers about human achievement run amok, with STEPHEN KING’s
  • The Stand
  • and Michael Crichton’s
  • Terminal Man
  • .” — Joseph Finder * “A heart-stopping thriller. … a must-read for MICHAEL CRICHTON fans.” —
  • Dallas Morning News
  • * “Similar in atmosphere and style to MICHAEL CRICHTON and STEPHEN KING. ... A race-against-the-clock thriller.” —
  • Booklist
  • FLIGHT 194 LANDED.
  • SOMETHING LETHAL AWAITS OUTSIDE.
  • THIS IS
  • DEAD ON ARRIVAL
  • .
  • An airplane touches down at a desolate airport in a remote Colorado ski town. Shortly after landing, Dr. Lyle Martin, a world-class infectious disease specialist, is brusquely awakened to shocking news: Everyone not on the plane appears to be dead. The world has gone dark. While they were in the air, a lethal new kind of virus surfaced, threatening mankind's survival, and now Martin—one of the most sought-after virologists on the planet until his career took a precipitous slide—is at the center of the investigation.
  • Moving at lightning pace from the snowbound Rockies to the secret campus of Google X, where unlimited budgets may be producing wonders beyond our capacity to control,
  • Dead on Arrival
  • is a brilliantly imaginative, intricately plotted thriller that draws on Matt Richtel's years of science and technology reporting for the
  • New York Times
  • , and establishes him as one of the premier thriller writers working today.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(101)
★★★★
20%
(67)
★★★
15%
(50)
★★
7%
(23)
28%
(94)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Super bore

I went on a reading binge this summer and enjoyed every book I read. Got to this one and I wanted to stick something in my eye. It's not bad - it's horrible. Lyle Martin is a damn drunk, wakes up on a plane, and everyone except a few people are dead. Let's add in Google to add a "tech" aspect to the book that is just plain dumb. The characters are shallow, the storyline is slow, boring, and poor, and the writing reminds me of something a secondary school student put together while high. This book doesn't even belong in the bathroom - it belongs in the trash.
3 people found this helpful
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HORRIBLE WRITING!

This book was written so horribly that I couldn't stomach it. It was a Book Club choice and I stopped reading it after Chapter 3. I picked it up again, determined to get through it, hoping it would get better and it did not! Other reviewers will give you more detail as to how horrible his writing is. So if you want more detail, please read the. I wish that I had.
It's sad, because it could have been a great story.
1 people found this helpful
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choose another book

I doubt that the folks giving this wonderful reviews actually read the book. I read 170 pages before giving up, 150 pages too many.
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It could have been so good, but...

The opening chapters of this book presents a very mysterious situation and quickly pulls you in. Most characters are complex and cerebral (note I said "most"). The character development reminded me a bit of John le Carré and Smiley's People.

After these opening chapters, things slow down greatly and become less interesting and even predictable. The constant undertone of anit-gun soon becomes annoying (and I've never owned a gun in my life). Jerry, the co-pilot of the plane is the most unrealistic, one dimensional character I think I've ever read.

Where the story really turns sour is in the final chapters and climax. Instead of the complex, world wide conspiracy the story developed, it boils down to a single, very disturbed individual (not even a super villain). Then the final climatic scene becomes anything but climatic. Most annoying of all is all the loose ends. The book makes a big deal about a passenger on the plane that has apparently been murdered by blunt instrument impact. Never addressed. And what happened to the villain after the final scene? And what happened to Jerry? Oh, yea. What happened to the Lantern project and all the giant telecom companies involved in this great conspiracy? And on, and on.......

Like I stated, good start and good concept, but the execution fell far short...
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Excited for the idea... but totally disappointed

The description and professional reviews of this book liken the author to Michael Crichton and Stephen King. Not even close. What made Crichton great was his research and knowledge of his subject matter. He could create a story just realistic enough that you could imagine something as far-fetched as a t-rex existing today. I don’t expect fiction authors to be experts but I do expect some research before publishing....
It was painfully obvious that this author has never even met an airline pilot before trying to write the opening chapters. I couldn’t move past the beginning of this book. I left it in a US airport for some poor passenger to pick up and try reading.
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Interesting Premise!

This book gets off to a great start and, at least initially, is hard to put down. Unfortunately, it couldn't sustain its early momentum. It's still better than a lot of books out there...
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Science Writer does fairly well with techno fiction

I read Richtel's nonfiction account of a Utah teen who killed two people while texting and was impressed by his storytelling. Dead on Arrival draws on his science writing background to mostly good effect. Well placed book with provocative twists and turns. Looking forward to his new book on the human immune system.