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Ordinary Thunderstorms

by William Boyd

     

Adam Kindred, a climatologist, is in London to apply for a university post. After the interview, he stops for a cup of coffee in a restaurant where he has a casual conversation with a solitary diner, Dr Philip Wang. After Wang leaves, Adam finds an important-looking folder he left behind. When Adam attempts to return the file, he discovers the man dying and foolishly agrees to pull out the knife when the victim asks him to. He hears what he thinks is the killer and flees the scene.

Though he is innocent, he goes underground, hiding out in a secluded patch of ground near Chelsea Bridge where he is accosted by a threatening stranger. The police name him as the murderer of Dr Wang even though all the evidence is circumstantial. Adam finds that not only are the police looking for him but also an unknown who is trying to kill him. He flees his sanctuary to live with a young prostitute and her son.

In an attempt to discover why he has been targeted Adam decides to read Dr Wang's file. In it he finds information about a new antiasthma drug which Wang had been testing. A huge pharmaceutical conglomerate is to market this antiasthma drug even though final testing has not been done. Wang's paper is crucial to its success. Adam must decide how to release the information about its flaws without jeopardizing himself.

This is a suspense-filled tale of what happens to an innocent man caught in circumstances beyond his control. The manner in which Adam has had to change his personality and his life is an intriguing one. The investigation into the pharmaceutical industry is a chilling one with its implications of incomplete and possible inaccurate results.

The Book

HarperCollins
January 2010
Hardcover
9780061876745
Psychological mystery
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Barbara Buhrer
Reviewed 2010
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