The Void by Mark Mynheir

Lifetex, led by Dr. Silverstein, have been working painstakingly for years on the Genesis Project, a project dedicated to cloning the perfect human. Adam is ready to be birthed out his tank, and Dr. Silverstein is ecstatic. Adam is everyone's dream-perfect body structure, perfect DNA sequences, perfect muscle toning. Dr. Silverstein looks forward to what he will be able to do with such cloning technology. He releases Adam but leaves him confined to the Lifetex compound-or so he thinks. What he does not know is that something seriously wrong with his prized project.

Robbie Sanchez is currently working on a case that doesn't really look like anything new-several murders have been being committed around the mysterious Lifetex compound. But things take an uneasy turn when an officer is sent to check out the area and ends up being murdered in cold blood. That's when the case turns very serious. Things are happening that they can't understand-and won't understand until someone stops looking at the cold hard facts and starts looking at the soul.

The Void

is one of the best, if not the best genetic thriller I have ever read. Not only is the idea behind the book very original, but it is also very possible. I like books that are built upon a strong foundation. Many authors write mediocre books because they are built upon weak or overused foundations. The Void has a strong foundational idea, among other pluses.

As usual for Mark, the character department is suffering. Robbie is a good character with a personality and imperfection, but the other police officers are all stereotypical characters, especially an unnecessary perfect male lead. But the best thing about the character department is that Dr. Silverstein is not portrayed as an evil mad scientist, because he is not. He is just a man with a slightly flawed idea. This is the way is should be with all so-called villains.

Besides the perfect male lead, the only problem with The Void is a large amount of sensationalism at end, a cheesy showdown, and lots of perfection. These are things authors need to get away from because they are not realistic. Most authors take a creative license with matters discussed at the end and go wild. Also, these days, showdowns have to end the original way because the other way is very overused. However, the foundational idea is good enough to overcome most of this and put it on the Elite List.

It is time for the Truth Chasers series to come to an end, but it has been a fairly good series. The Void is definitely the best end Mark will ever be able to up with for a series, therefore he needs to stop and fuel his budding talent toward something more productive and fruitful. There are great things down the road for Mark if he does.

4.5 stars