James C. Hendee

Codon Zero

A millennial thriller about biological terrorism and the quest for peace in the Middle East.
An American James Bond for the 21st century, Jason Stouter slices through conspiracies, double crosses and even a few femme fatales in this continent-hopping technological thriller inspired as much by Ian Fleming’s flair for the tongue in cheek and dramatic as by the precision of detail and exciting speculation mastered by Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton. The narrative wastes little time establishing Stouter as a strong, uncompromising former intelligence officer with nary a chink in his armor, save for one thing—his son. The brilliant, shrewd Dr. Chance Bonnard, who has a suspicious passion for counterterrorism and devious quid pro quos, offers Stouter a chance to save his ill son’s life, but only if he’ll do Bonnard a whopping geopolitical favor and return to the shadow world of international espionage. Stouter is no spring chicken and does his research using old friends and ex-contacts, but he’s made a Faustian bargain; Bonnard and his group want to use the threat of a decimating virus to scare the Middle East into peaceful submission, but Kahlil Zufar, an old thorn in Stouter’s side, has other plans for the virus and Stouter must thwart them while still finding a way to save his son. Many novels crumble under such pressures, but Stouter’s headlong plunge and the story’s sophisticated plotting keeps things just on this side of believability. Many of the novel’s main movements begin with a wire service news flash or a transcript of a cable anchor’s reportage that give the reader the addicting advantage of feeling that they’re in on the real story, the moral conundrums and complexities that constitute the empty distillations of news networks’ headlines. It’s a clever structure for the genre that not only provides a broader political commentary, but legitimizes the more whimsical aspects of Stouter’s adventures as they build to a near pitch-perfect ending.
A book tailor-made for fans of high-tech, high-stakes intrigue.

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Codon Zero

“If you agree, you’ll be happy you did. I promise.”
In today’s world, most people are familiar with the terms “terrorism” and “terrorist,” and because of the omnipresence of the media, many people are aware of bioterrorism, but only as a concept. Fortunately, very few people have come into contact with bioterrorism. Yet bioterrorism is real and it’s scary.
In his bio-thriller, author Jim Hendee brings the reader face to face with bioterrorism and its lethal consequences. As the story opens, retired U.S. intelligence officer Jason Stouter is approached by Dr. Chance Bonnard, a biochemical engineer. Dr. Bonnard informs Jason Stouter that he has formulated a cure for the rare disease that afflicts Jason’s son. If Jason will do Dr. Bonnard a favor, the doctor will cure his son. After agreeing, Jason discovers that Dr. Bonnard and his co-conspirators have concocted a plan to blackmail Israel and the PLO. The conspirators infect high-ranking officials with a genetically engineered virus specific to Jewish and Arab genomes. The price for the antidote is a permanent peace agreement.
However, Kahlil Zufar, a psychotic terrorist, has his own plans for the virus. Zufar plans on murdering millions of Arabs and Jews, thus altering the face of the Middle East, while at the same time enriching himself. Jason’s attempt to thwart Zufar is complicated by the fact that Zufar has kidnapped Jason’s son. Jason and two femme fatales–who may or may not be trustworthy–work feverishly to perform the impossible: foil Zufar’s evil machinations, save Jason’s son, and usher in a lasting peace in the Middle East.
Like a roller coaster, Codon Zero provides a thrill-a-minute ride. When the non-stop action threatens to stall, Hendee shoves the throttle forward to achieve maximum velocity. The dialogue resonates with realism. The characters are believable. The emotional pulse is dramatic. Codon Zero is a combination of Ian Fleming’s James Bond and Stephen Coonts’ Jake Grafton.

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Codon Zero

Four Stars (out of Five)
An international terrorist, a young son with a rare blood disease, and a deadly virus that could potentially wipe out the Middle East are just a few of the crises ex-intelligence officer Jason Stouter has to deal with in Codon Zero.
Jim Hendee’s action-packed thriller has all the makings of a Robert Ludlum saga: sensual, female intelligence agents; continent hopping; deadly missions; shootouts; and a variety of weapons at the hero’s disposal.
Lured by the possibility of curing his son’s disease, newly divorced Jason agrees to join forces with a group of underground genetic engineers who are seeking to end the conflict between Israel and the Arab nations. The engineers, led by Dr. Chance Bonnard, coerce Jason into abandoning his corporate counterintelligence firm located in Florida to spread a virus called Codon Zero. “What we have done,” explains Dr. Bonnard, “is to find a way to make those who receive the gene temporarily sick until they agree to stop fighting. If they stop, we tell them how to cure the disease, if they start up again, we infect others with a modified form of the disease which requires a different cure.”
Unfortunately, after Jason sprays the virus on the Israeli and Arabian heads of state, it falls into the wrong hands: Khalil Zufar. Jason enlists the help of his chainsmoking best friend, Agent Sali Bryant, and his recently hired secretary, Celine Venturi, to stop Zufar from using the virus to kill all Arabs and Jews. During the mission, Jason encounters an old acquaintance, the sexy Mossad agent Roxanne Allon. The four travel to Israel, where they fight to prevent World War III and to ensure the antidote to Codon Zero gets into the capable hands of Arab and Israeli doctors before Zufar can release more of the virus into the population.
While Hendee’s characters are thriller stereotypes, his flair for action-driven storytelling is considerable. Pitting good guy against bad guy, his story recalls the pulp fiction of yesteryear. The author’s narrative is not always logical, but he can be forgiven his lapses because the book is so much fun to read.
Codon Zero is a well-researched and imaginative foray into the world of bioterrorism. It is perfect for those who like a story that moves at a swift clip.

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Codon Zero

4.0 out of 5 stars
Intense Thriller about the Dangers of Genetic Engineering
This was an intense story primarily because of the science aspect. I liked all the spy stuff and it was interesting to see the interactions between various intelligence agencies. I loved the relationship between Jason and Sali. They were both intelligent, experienced, and had complete trust in each other.

Codon Zero

5.0 out of 5 stars
Bigger than Bond
If you are old enough to remember James Bond novels you will love this one. If you are too young to remember Bond you are bound to love Codon Zero. This one out does Bond.