Targeting the Telomeres

A Thriller

Fiction - Suspense
410 Pages
Reviewed on 06/14/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

R.N. (Rick) Shapiro is a Gold Award winning author, inventor of folding consumer wheeled products, and a practicing trial attorney.
His debut fiction thriller, "Taming the Telomeres" (TTT) captured the top, gold award in the 2015 Readers' Favorite international book award contest for best fiction thriller, and was awarded two silver medals in the FAPA 2016 book contest (mystery, suspense/thriller).
TTT has been called "a spellbinding page turner" by Bloomberg Businessweek, and was a #1 bestselling ebook on Amazon (suspense thriller category).
In 2018, the author released "Targeting the Telomeres," a sequel in the telomere series. Readers' Favorite praised "Targeting the Telomeres" with a 5 star review, adding: "The author is a true master of weaving elements of a suspense novel together and has provided a truly unforgettable story."
Please visit R.N. Shapiro at his author website RNShapiro.com on Facebook at taming the telomeres or on Twitter at: tamingtelomeres
The author was a Capitol Hill staff assistant before law school. Rick resided in the Washington, D.C. area during college and law school, and explored Middleburg, Virginia, Georgetown, and several of the geographical areas that appear in the telomere series novels.
As an inventor, he holds over 20 US and Int'l patents and has designed a number of folding wagons, baby jogging strollers and the like. Rick has travelled to Europe, Japan, Taiwan and China as a product inventor/designer. He licensed a folding wagon patent to Radio Flyer, and co-invented and co-designed a baby stroller marketed in Europe.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Targeting the Telomeres by R.N. Shapiro is the sequel to the author's debut novel in the same series, the acclaimed Taming the Telomeres. In the latest installment, Amanda Michaels is thrust into a dangerous web of intrigue, political artifice, and corporate expropriation when her family is unable to shake the pitfalls of her father's telomere discovery. The possibility of life expansion may not be of any use to Amanda when living under watchful eyes and a looming threat. As Amanda makes bold moves across the globe and dodges a perpetual maze of impasses and obstacles, it feels like only a matter of time before the game of cat and mouse ends with her in an impossibly deep trap.

Targeting the Telomeres is the brilliant follow-up to its predecessor that fans were hoping for. R.N. Shapiro certainly knows how to write suspense, and the thrills and tension charge through every page. The dialogue feels authentic and Amanda is a fabulous heroine, working with and against a whole cast of supporting characters that enhance and drive an already great plot. For some reason I found myself really liking An Ling. It's inexplicable and I have no idea why, but it just lends further credit to the author who is able to draw memorable characters, even if their role is ancillary. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an awesome series that doesn't hold back as a thriller, fueled by an intelligent and articulate plot that feels like it could have been written to play out on the big screen.

Rabia Tanveer

What happens if you are the sole survivor of a plane crash? Targeting the Telomeres: A Thriller by Richard Shapiro is the story of Amanda Michaels, who was the sole survivor of a plane crash. For some time, her life was at a standstill, especially after she found out that she has genetically modified cells called Telomeres in her system. Although these cells might extend her life, she is no different from other college students. Now that the hubbub has died down a little, she is looking forward to a relaxing summer back in her home and enjoying her life. Little does she know that this is not possible!

On returning home, she realizes that nothing is as perfect as she thought this summer would be. There is a conspiracy going on in that some notorious people want to take charge of her father’s research, which can help in increasing the lifespan of humans. While the research done by her father is very valuable for human life and for medical science, the people after his research are targeting her and her family consistently. She has no choice but to take some action and stand up against the attacks. But who can she trust, especially when she is up against some very dangerous and powerful people? Is this the end of the road for Amanda?

This was an intense, dramatic and very entertaining novel. From the very start, the story is packed with action and I really enjoyed it. There is never a dull moment in this novel; every page brought something new, something better and something unexpected that made me want to read on. The character development was really good and helped in building the plot and making it even more interesting. The element of suspense and mystery was kept until the end and I was not able to guess what would happen next - something that I can easily do when reading such novels, so kudos to the writer. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, the writing style and how I could almost feel the characters in the author's words. This is a simply brilliant novel!

Lesley Jones

In Targeting the Telomeres by Richard Shapiro, there has been a plane crash and the only apparent survivor is Amanda Michaels. However, her father, Ron, a research scientist, has also survived and is now in protective custody. His breakthrough studies into telomeres, which can prolong life, have attracted the attention of the Chinese and his life is in mortal danger. Was the plane deliberately tampered with? A series of events throw Amanda and her Uncle Andy's lives into turmoil. A huge cover-up of the reasons for the plane crash is about to go public, unveiling political corruption, unscrupulous attorneys, and child kidnapping. Amanda must travel into Communist China with an unlikely ally to execute a rescue attempt of the missing child. If they succeed, her family will no longer have to live in hiding. If she fails, she will be dead.

There are not many novels where the subplots are as strong and detailed as the main plot. The way the author has woven so much detail into this story is outstanding. Each character has been given a strong role in the story, their dialogue and actions are believable and gripping. The plot is fast moving and the conflict kept me totally engaged. There are no dull moments at all throughout the plot and the tension is superb, especially when Amanda and her ally enter China. I literally have no fingernails left. The ending was explosive and definitely not what I was expecting. The author is a true master of weaving elements of a suspense novel together and has provided a truly unforgettable story. I hope there is a sequel!

Romuald Dzemo

Targeting the Telomeres: A Thriller by Richard Shapiro provides a wonderful entertainment for fans of action-packed, cunningly plotted thrillers with great settings. Amanda Michaels didn’t think her summer vacation would be eventful, but then with her family being targeted by powerful enemies bent on stealing her father’s work, she is pulled into a whirlwind of action, facing espionage of the highest kind. Her father is an expert in cell telomeres and has made breakthroughs that may extend human life. Now, Amanda finds herself on an unprecedented journey to China, accompanied by an unusual ally. With well-equipped enemies everywhere, do they have what it takes to succeed in this rescue mission?

I just became a fan of Richard Shapiro’s writing, thanks to the masterful handling of plot and character in this novel. The characters are just gorgeous and it’s interesting to meet Ron Michaels, the man thought dead by many, but who has been working in the shadows, doing his research. Amanda is a tough character too, and readers will enjoy the way she evolves throughout the story, a young woman who is watched 24/7. She is intelligent and determined. There is a cast of other interesting characters that readers will get excited about. The prose is crisp and it has descriptions of scenes, characters, and places that leave vivid images in the minds of readers and dialogues that help to build plot. The author is a master at creating surprising turns and exciting moments throughout the narrative. Targeting the Telomeres: A Thriller is engaging, a novel with a huge conflict and strong elements of sci-fi. One of those stories I read straight through the night.

Sarah Westmoreland

The sequel to Richard Shapiro’s first novel, Taming the Telomeres, Targeting the Telomeres continues the saga of the renowned biological scientist, Ron Michaels, and his family as Ron makes a groundbreaking scientific discovery that could change the fate of humanity forever. Now, it’s been more than a year since the horrific plane crash that claimed the lives of everyone on board. Everyone, that is, except for Ron’s daughter, Amanda Michaels. Ron was believed to have been on board the plane with his wife and daughter, and was officially counted among the dead, but all is not as it seems, and the brilliant scientist continues to work on his important research with the telomeres, carefully hidden in protective custody. But nowhere is 100% safe, as Ron and Amanda are about to discover in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Targeting the Telomeres by Richard Shapiro is a gripping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover. With a wide cast of characters, double agents, espionage, kidnapping, daring rescues, and a shocking ending, Targeting the Telomeres is anything but boring. Despite the story having an expansive and diverse cast of characters, Richard Shapiro manages to make each individual unique, with a fascinatingly complex personality and backstory to explore. The plot is expansive and well unified, keeping your interest to the very last page. The settings are explored in enough depth to give us a good visual image of where the characters are, without choking out the story. Altogether, Targeting the Telomeres is a gripping story that I highly recommend!