Either my expectations were way too high, or it is the fact of the corona pandemic, which is part of this book, that was too much reality for me while reading this thriller. In the end, I am disappointed and don´t understand why the author had to break the tension in the middle of the story only to build another one to finish the book.
Probe 12*
by Kathrin Lange, Susanne Thiele Publisher Lübbe on September 30, 2021
Genre Thriller
Pages 493
Format Paperback
Source Lübbe
Goodreads
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When science journalist Nina Falkenberg visits her former mentor Anasias in Georgia, she is caught in the middle of a fatal attack on him. Before that, he can reveal to Nina that he has achieved a medical sensation: the development of a drug against the most dangerous multi-resistant germs in the world. Was that why he had to die? Together with the food hunter Tom Morell, whose daughter is sick with one of these germs, Nina tries to understand the research results. But Nina and Tom aren´t the only ones after Anasias´ research, and their opponents don´t shy away from kidnapping, blackmail, or murder (Personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Tom wants to save his daughters' life. She needs a certain medication and is running out of time. Time, he spends haunting some killers who want him apparently dead, and the medicine for his daughter destroyed. The moment Tom understands why all this is happening, he is in grave danger and with him a room full of people.
Style
The story of Sample 12 takes place in 2022 after the corona pandemic. Wearing a mask is no longer a requirement, even if people are aware that there could be another pandemic at any time. For me, the novel developed almost paranoid treats when the hygiene of toilet paper became a little too detailed in one scene. I found that a bit exaggerated.
In the beginning, I was enthusiastic about the action and the quick reading speed. The tension was built up great and one or the other weak point was made up for. Unfortunately, it did not stop there. After a few chapters, there was a break, the tension was gone and the action continued, which on the one hand brought some answers, but clearly lacked that certain something. The clear word and writing style of the author could not compensate for this, even if it clarified a lot in the story.
Characters
There are some characters here that appear in the books about Faris Iskander, also written by Kathrin Lange. Not exactly good, to be honest. As for the main characters here, I ended up disagreeing with Tom or Max´s behavior. One of them sleeps once across the ranks of women available to him, only to then wind himself indecisively out of the affair. While the other hides the most important moment of two people and instead presents it as a video in front of a hall full of people. All for the money.
But one thing is certain. Kathrin Lange has brought together a wide variety of characters here. And the most inconspicuous figure turns out to be the real villain in the end. And that with the proverbial bang.
Conclusion
I´m disappointed. And sad about it. Because I would have liked to have found the thriller really inspiring and continuously exciting. This book started so well. Only to then dismantle piece by piece. Fine, I was correct in my guess about Prometheus. But I didn´t enjoy that anymore at the end either. It´s a shame, I expected and hoped for far more from this than was ultimately delivered. Unfortunately, no recommendation from my side.
Happy reading
*This book was, at the time this review was published, only available in the German language. The thriller was kindly provided to me by Lübbe in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
Die Geschichte von Probe 12 spielt im Jahr 2022 nach der Corona Pandemie. Das Tragen einer Maske ist keine Vorschrift mehr, auch wenn sich die Menschen darüber im Klaren sind, das es eine nächste Pandemie jederzeit wieder geben kann. Für mich entwickelte der Roman fast schon paranoide Züge, als die Hygiene von Toilettenpapier etwas zu ausführlich in einer Szene zum Thema wurde. Das fand ich dann doch etwas übertrieben.
Zu Beginn war ich von der Action und dem zügigen Lesetempo begeistert. Der Spannungsbogen wurde toll aufgebaut und die eine oder andere Schwachstelle damit wieder wettgemacht. Dabei blieb es jedoch leider nicht. Nach einigen Kapiteln gab es einen Bruch, die Spannung war weg und es ging mit einer Handlung weiter, die einerseits so manche Antwort brachte, aber das gewisse Etwas deutlich vermissen ließ. Das konnte der klare Wort- und Schreibstil der Autorin nicht ausgleichen, auch wenn dieser vieles in der Story verdeutlichte.
Charaktere
Hier gibt es einige Figuren, die auch schon in den Büchern um Faris Iskander, ebenfalls von Kathrin Lange geschrieben, erscheinen. Nicht unbedingt gut, um ehrlich zu sein. Was die Hauptfiguren hier betrifft, da bin ich am Ende mit dem Verhalten von Tom oder Max nicht einverstanden gewesen. Der eine schläft sich einmal quer durch die ihm zur Verfügung stehende Frauenriege, nur um sich dann unentschlossen aus der Affäre zu winden. Während der andere den wohl wichtigsten Moment zweier Menschen verschweigt und stattdessen als Video dann vor einem Saal voller Menschen präsentiert. Alles nur des Geldes wegen.
Eins ist aber sicher. Kathrin Lange hat hier die unterschiedlichsten Charaktere zusammengebracht. Und die unscheinbarste Figur stellt sich am Ende als der eigentliche Bösewicht heraus. Und das mit dem sprichwörtlichen Knall.
Resultat
Ich bin enttäuscht. Und traurig darüber. Denn ich hätte den Thriller gerne wirklich als begeisternd und durchgehend spannend empfunden. Dieses Buch fing so gut an. Nur um dann Stück für Stück abzubauen. Schön, ich lag mit meiner Vermutung, was Prometheus angeht, richtig. Aber das hat mir bei dem Ende auch keinen Spaß mehr gemacht. Schade, hiervon habe ich mir weit mehr erwartet und erhofft als letztlich geliefert wurde. Leider keine Empfehlung von meiner Seite aus.
Kathrin Lange
Kathrin Lange was born in Goslar in 1969. Although she initially had plans to join the police dog squad, her love for books then won the day and she first became a bookseller and then a writer. Today she is a member of the International Thriller Writers and writes bestselling novels for adults and teenagers. She lives with her husband and two sons in a small village near Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Susanne Thiele
Susanne Thiele - born 1970, head of the press and communications office at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig. The trained microbiologist and biochemist has written for various daily newspapers and journals. She moderates expert discussions and is highly networked in the media scene. Ask your doorknob about risks and side effects - How microbes determine our everyday life (2019 at HEYNE) was her first non-fiction book on the trending topic of the microbiome and good and harmful germs in our everyday life.
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