Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain
Michael Crichton is a popular writer, best known for the so-called Jurassic Park movies. But, he has also written some other works, worth to be mentioned.
The Andromeda Strain was written in 1969 and is about the outbreak of a strange, infectious disease in a small town of Arizona, where the epidemia causes the strange death of most of its inhabitants. Most, but not all, as an old heavy-drinker man and a small baby count for the unique survivors.
The Health Agencies enlist a group of 5 physicians (Project Wildfire) and enclose them in a secret facility, where all levels of security and prophylaxis are applied to the crue. The mission is to isolate the virus or microorganism responsible for the disease, which seems to come from outer-space, and - of course - a cure or a method to prevent the final outbreak of the disease, with its lethal consequences.
Although i would not be so sure as to ascertain that it is based on real-life facts, the author explains that the case did happen. One of the curious issues of the book is the Theory of the Fifth Man, by which a single man, without family may come to take the right decision (even at the cost of his/her own life) in case of a severe emergency.
During the process to isolate the pathogen, the team is involved in very human situations, where the probability to commit mistakes is increased geometrically, as the time and stress increases.
Short book, thrilling story. Really worth reading.
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