The Judas Strain (Sigma Force #4)

ju?údas strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction
A master at combining historical and scientific intrigue with cutting-edge adventure,?ÿNew York Times?ÿbestselling author of?ÿMap of Bones?ÿand?ÿBlack Order?ÿJames Rollins returns with his most relentless, high-octane thriller to dateƒ??a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable:?ÿwithin the language of angels.
From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankindƒ??a disease thats unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.
Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalisƒ??operatives of the shadowy covert organization SIGMA Forceƒ??search for answers to the bizarre affliction that has inexplicably washed ashore. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.
At a Fourth of July celebration a world away, SIGMAs commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful assassinƒ??a would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. With the fate of every man, woman, and child on Earth hanging in the balance, Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing questƒ??one that winds through Venetian tombs, Byzantine cathedrals, and jungle-encrusted ruinsƒ??following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history:?ÿMarco Polo.
But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. And as a relentless madman dogs their every step, Pierce and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanitys genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Pierce will realize he can truly trust no oneƒ??not the bewitching enigma who runs at his side or even those who are closest to himƒ??for any one of them could be . . .?ÿa Judas.