In the Space of an Atom, by Bruce Perrin [Book Review]

This delightful romantic sci-fi tale follows Jeremy, who took the wrong temp job. He ends up being shot at by the security muscle hired by the scientist running the experiments for which Jeremy was paid to be a test subject. The scientist doesn’t want anyone who knows about the revolutionary tech to have loose lips. Dead mouths tell no tales. But, when Jeremy escapes, and takes a sample of the tech with him, we’re on a whirlwind chase in which Jeremy is running for his life.

The police are not very interested, since lab where Jeremy was allegedly attacked has been dismantled and nobody can verify the existence of the scientist or his murderous security man. Plus Jeremy’s explanation of the experiment he was involved in is . . . well . . . unbelievable. And so, Jeremy is on his own. Until he seeks out a female researcher he identifies from an internet search, who might be able to help him. When Dr. Diane Stapleton joins Jeremy, there are sparks – and more gunshots, and a lot more excitement and action as they work together to uncover the identity of the evil scientist and try to avoid getting killed.

The set-up here is intriguing and draws you in quickly. Mr. Perrin’s writing is clean and accessible. Things move along quickly, with interruptions only to develop the romance between Jeremy and Diane, who are thrown together by circumstances and find that they have a real connection. After the first third of the book you’re hooked and the pages turn easily through the exciting conclusion.

There are a few places where the reader needs to suspend reality to accept the sci-fi premise of the amazing tech that drives the story forward, but that’s expected. There are a few other places where plot turns include leaps of logic and convenient circumstances, including at the very end. But, the writing is so good and the story and characters are so compelling that these issues are easily put to the side. Don’t analyze too much, just enjoy the ride. Mr. Perrin creates wonderful worlds and this one is well worth the visit.


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