Review of A Day to Die
Posted: 09 Jun 2025, 10:29
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Day to Die" by Steve Sloat.]
I originally thought A Day To Die was going to refer to some particular conditions surrounding a death. However, halfway through the novel, the author, Steve Sloat, reveals the actual meaning of his title. The explanation for how the pictures on the cover are connected is also revealed. This thriller is part of a series named after the protagonist, Trevor J. Parkes.
After a prologue filled with historical information, the first chapter begins in Palacios, Texas. Trevor is participating as a volunteer by retrieving relics from an ancient ship that sank off the shore 300 years earlier. Sloat's skills as a writer describe how a long chain of insignificant events contributes to a worldwide, catastrophic plague. The author drops enough clues and subtle foreshadowing to keep readers engrossed and connected with the characters.
One of my favorite chapters takes place in a bar. The scene develops as the bartender skips health protocols, a customer snags some tainted olives from a container, and a band member empties his spit valve. All those actions help to spread the deadly virus. I appreciate how realistically and likely these events are portrayed in vivid, detailed prose.
Other chapters continue to explain random connections while the virus travels across state lines and even to Guam and Japan. The investigators race against the threat as they search for the original source, which is necessary to develop an antivirus serum.
I found no negatives and only minor errors in this book. There are some lengthy passages filled with technical jargon covering topics such as aeronautics, nuclear power, governmental agencies, and medical procedures. These pages were a bit tedious at times, but it was hard not to be impressed with the amount of research that it took to write the book.
Even though A Day To Die is considered a thriller, there is enough romance to appeal to lovers of that genre, too. I am rating this book five out of five. I look forward to reading other books in this series.
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A Day to Die
View: on Bookshelves
I originally thought A Day To Die was going to refer to some particular conditions surrounding a death. However, halfway through the novel, the author, Steve Sloat, reveals the actual meaning of his title. The explanation for how the pictures on the cover are connected is also revealed. This thriller is part of a series named after the protagonist, Trevor J. Parkes.
After a prologue filled with historical information, the first chapter begins in Palacios, Texas. Trevor is participating as a volunteer by retrieving relics from an ancient ship that sank off the shore 300 years earlier. Sloat's skills as a writer describe how a long chain of insignificant events contributes to a worldwide, catastrophic plague. The author drops enough clues and subtle foreshadowing to keep readers engrossed and connected with the characters.
One of my favorite chapters takes place in a bar. The scene develops as the bartender skips health protocols, a customer snags some tainted olives from a container, and a band member empties his spit valve. All those actions help to spread the deadly virus. I appreciate how realistically and likely these events are portrayed in vivid, detailed prose.
Other chapters continue to explain random connections while the virus travels across state lines and even to Guam and Japan. The investigators race against the threat as they search for the original source, which is necessary to develop an antivirus serum.
I found no negatives and only minor errors in this book. There are some lengthy passages filled with technical jargon covering topics such as aeronautics, nuclear power, governmental agencies, and medical procedures. These pages were a bit tedious at times, but it was hard not to be impressed with the amount of research that it took to write the book.
Even though A Day To Die is considered a thriller, there is enough romance to appeal to lovers of that genre, too. I am rating this book five out of five. I look forward to reading other books in this series.
******
A Day to Die
View: on Bookshelves