The Next World

A 2005 GCLS Debut Author Finalist, Ursula Steck has crafted a sinister medical thriller in the tradition of Robin Cook with The Next World. During the opening pages, security guard Anna Spring finds her co-worker, Jeff Rockwell, dead after a hit and run. After another co-worker disappears, Anna is convinced that Jeff was indeed murdered. The police are unconvinced, so she sets out to collect evidence. Danger is evident at every turn for Anna as the lies and deception mount and more lives are threatened. Steck never detours from the main thrust of this riveting story. From the first pages, the author hooks us by forming an exciting puzzle of clues. Even after we discover what is really going on, we do not know how Steck will resolve it. We are left hanging throughout, and the pages can't turn fast enough. Steck generates multiple sub-plots within the story with an easy and clear writing style and without extraneous details. She expertly ties together everything as the book closes. The author uses medical facts to add a realistic and chilling aspect to The Next World so when we finally get to the shocking truth, we are stunned. The Next World is a disturbing and unsettling book that questions medical ethics within a spine-tingling story. It is a must read for anyone who loves pure mystery.

Not since Smilla's Sense of Snow have i been so taken by a book. part of me wanted to stay up all night to finish it, but the other wanted to savor the way the words were put together. the local atmosphere is so well captured and the characters so lovingly developed i just didn't want to put it down. it's a great read!

A well-written novel that keeps you intrigued and guessing until the final page. A fast-paced mystery novel that keeps you turning the pages and staying up late to finish it. I couldn't wait to get to the end to answer the mystery at hand yet found myself disappointed it was so quickly over because I wanted to know more of Anna. The lesbian lead character is just as interesting personally as the mystery she chases.

This is a thrilling women's crime story with a lesbian touch. Anna, a former geneticist now working as a security guard in San Francisco, discovers her talent as a detective. Her friend and colleague gets killed under mysterious circumstances and a woman she has a crush on is reported missing. This sets Anna on a track which leads her into a maze of seemingly unrelated, threatening incidents. The exciting plot is built around the criminal use of biotechnology and focusses on women being exploited by unscrupulous geneticists. Anna is a strong and courageous woman. She uses her brains and her scientific knowledge to solve the mystery. An excellent read.