Lockdown

Peter May is one of my favorite authors. He wrote this book fifteen years ago and couldn't get it published. Publishers told him the idea of a worldwide lockdown due to a pandemic was unrealistic. I will bet that they regret their decision today. Lockdown was recently published by Quercus on June 13, 2020.

The story opens with Detective Inspector Jack MacNeil investigating the discovery of human bones in Lambeth, approximately five months after a flu pandemic hits London killing 80% of the infected. A thumbprint found on a public transportation ticket near the bones gives the first clues.  MacNeil's girlfriend, forensic scientist Dr. Amy Wu, determines that the bones belonged to a ten year old asian female. Wu begins to build a facial reconstruction of the female from her skull and later believes that she could be the source of the pandemic. MacNeil is followed throughout his investigation by a killer named Pinkie. Pinkie has been hired by a Mr. Smith to watch the police investigation unfold and ensure that the bones don't lead the police anywhere.  

The Lockdown plot was not what I expected.  It was mainly about the relationship between MacNeil and Wu instead of about the pandemic.  Since we are currently in a coronavirus pandemic, following the story's pandemic seemed to me to be more significant than MacNeil and Wu's relationship. It may be that a pacing problem resulted in the plot becoming more about the relationship than the action needed to resolve the pandemic.  Did the author spend too much time with character interaction, thereby slowing down the action?

Lockdown was not Peter May's best work nor was it his worst. The characters marginally kept me interested in continuing to read. The main reason that I kept reading was the fact that Peter May was the author. When he is at his best, his books are a dream to read. 

This suspense thriller had no suspense or thrills. 3 out of 5 stars.