Magic Bullets: The Perfect Medicine by Keith Jahans

8/4/2018

Multi-volume, multi-genre author Keith Jahans introduces us to his thoughtful crime thriller Magic Bullets:
Can there be a magic bullet?

The quest for a magic bullet is to find a drug which can cure disease and do no harm. Microbiologist Adam Knight finds that the new antibiotic, Floracillin, he has discovered can cause cancer. He falls in love with a young talented singer, the daughter of the head of a pharmaceutical company who wants to acquire the commercial rights to Floracillin.

But he becomes responsible for other bullets. Those that come from Kalashnikov automatic rifles and can shatter lives.

Keith has taken a rather cerebral approach to the average crime thriller and made something quite special. Providing very detailed scene-setting, the pace of the story is not very frenetic. The dialog is plentiful, and actions are described in detail. The plot keeps twisting and turning, the protagonist, Adam Knight, is not the only one trying to figure out who is messing with his life. Adam does a fair amount of traveling and those scenes are captured very nicely as well.
Amazon has it listed as a medical mystery, but that is really a minor thread in the overall fabric of the story. Adam appears to be surrounded by conspiracy of unknown dimensions and spends much of his time unraveling the many mysteries holding him back. It becomes very difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe.
I enjoyed this story but was interrupted by dozens of spelling errors. They should all be fixed now, providing a smoother read for you, the next reader. I give Magic Bullets 3.7 stars.

Make no mistake, this is a good story!

You can buy this book:
http://peatmore.com/magicbullets.htm
https://www.amazon.com/magic-bullets
https://www.goodreads.com/book/magic-bullets
https://www.amazon.co.uk/magic-bullets

You can follow Keith Jahans:
http://twitter.com/keithjahans
http://peatmore.com
Tags: thriller, mystery, England, Spain, murder, biology, medical research, medicine
Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction

33 Comments

Keith Jahans link

8/7/2018 04:08:25 am

This is an unbiased and thoughtful review for which I am grateful. As the review states this is not a straight forward thriller. The "bad guys" are not easily identified and many of the characters are not as they first seem.

I have tried to contrast the search for a perfect drug (magic bullet) with the bullets that come from automatic rifles. Both can destroy lives. Drugs have side effects which can cause harm and the addictive properties of some of these side effects can be exploited for profit in much the same way that small arms are sold without caring how their indiscriminate use can have on people's lives. How well I have succeeded in this is up to the reader to decide.

I am sorry about any spelling and grammatical mistakes that have occurred. The manuscript has been through many drafts and read by several people in an effort to stamp them out. The text will continue to be reviewed and revised throughout the life of the book in an effort to identify and correct any other errors that might come to light. I hope that any that I have missed will not spoil the reader's enjoyment of the story. But by the time it reaches you most should have gone.

Keith Jahans
Author of Magic Bullets

Mark

8/7/2018 10:10:34 am

I enjoyed your story, Keith, I think many others will also. What gave you the inspiration for this story?
How much research did you need to do for this book?
You have a degree in science, don't you?

Keith jahans link

8/8/2018 03:41:45 am

Thank you for these questions. I was a working microbiologist for nearly forty years and have a number of qualifications in Biology, including a Masters degree in Immunology.

I started writing Magic Bullets to entertain myself a few years after I began my scientific career. At the end of this period of my life as a working scientist, I took my writing more seriously and self published three novels, several short stories and some travel writing. But I steered clear of publishing any fiction about science as anything I was involved with up to then had been published in peer reviewed scientific journals and I certainly did not want it to be regarded as fiction. Then my fiction readers asked me why I did not write anything that utilised my scientific knowledge? So, as my last science writing was at least ten years behind me, I dusted off Magic Bullets and reworked it to bring it up to date.

My research about the drug industry relied on my scientific knowledge which meant looking through old notebooks, and online scientific publications to check facts. I have worked with a number of different bacteria and antibiotics and this helped a lot. Then, when I decided to introduce Kalashnikov rifles, wind turbines and engineering into the story I did further background reading, mostly online. It is difficult to quantify how much I did or how long it took. But I can safely say that most of the facts that have gone into the book are research based.

8/8/2018 08:56:46 am

Would you say there is lot of difference between the first Magic Bullets and the one we are reading now? I am asking about the writing, not the research behind the writing. Were there any sections that were removed from the original and not used in the current edition?

8/9/2018 03:29:15 am

The story of how Adam and Sandy sought to find love together essentially remained the same. I did think about changing the ending but decided it was more effective to leave it as it is. Only the manner of it changed (I don't want to go into details as this would lead to a plot spoiler). The role of some the subsidiary characters was altered, but this had no bearing on the outcome of this part of the story.

The inclusion of the episodes with Kalashnikov rifles was new and was heavily influenced by the reported mass shootings of unarmed civilians in France, Norway and the USA. These were added because I wanted to contrast the use of drug "magic bullets" with those that come from modern automatic weapons.

8/9/2018 10:20:20 am

The ending was amazing. I didn't see that coming. The rifles gave the story a very timely feel. Was it difficult to add that plot thread? The trip of self-discovery that Adam took seemed like a very big change in the story. Was that part of the new material to bring the rifles into the plot or was that already in the story?

Keith link

8/9/2018 12:57:05 pm

I am glad you liked the ending and so glad I did not change it. The piece about the rifles seemed to fit seamlessly into the plot when I wrote it and I hope it appears like that to the reader. It was almost all of the new material that I added to the story.

8/9/2018 01:01:09 pm

Are you working on a new book now? Can you tell me anything about it?
Do you like to read books for fun, what is your favorite genre?
Have you ever read a book that changed the way you look at writing?

8/9/2018 01:30:12 pm

I am always writing something and working out story ideas, but I am not working on anything specific at the moment. I read books all the time.

At the moment I am concentrating on reading little known writers that I have met or come across online. I think that a lot of their stories are better than the "celebrity" writers. I like to review what I have read and in this way help the writer. If I think the review will rate less than 3 stars. I will not post it and if I know the writer I will contact him or her directly with my comments instead of posting the review. Writing is a lonely business and quite hard. Anyone who finishes writing a novel should be congratulated and deserves all the help they can get to gain a wider readership.
I read all genres but don't like gratuitous sex or violence. I do like crime or mystery novels. If any book has changed the way I look at writing it is probably two works by John Fowels, The French Lieutenant's Woman or The Magus. I am not sure I am able to choose between the two.

8/9/2018 01:47:07 pm

You and I are a lot alike in many ways in terms of reading, reviewing, and helping authors.
I very much agree that writing is such a lonely business.
New questions.
Do you think that a writer needs to read books, why or why not?
Do you ever connect with other writers in the real world?
Do you prefer to bounce ideas off of writer friends or non-writing friends?

8/9/2018 02:02:20 pm

A writer must always read. It helps his or her writing. I am a compulsive reader and I will never be able to stop. I meet other writers all the time at conferences and book festivals. I have been involved with a writing group where I live in Woking near Surrey, UK and where I am currently staying in Watford which is just north of London. We read part of each others work at meetings and listen to visiting writers speak. It is a perfect way of bouncing around ideas.

8/9/2018 02:14:55 pm

Me too, I will read until I die. Do you use beta readers and critique partners when you are making a book better?
When did you first realize that you wanted or needed to write?

8/9/2018 02:35:26 pm

I do get at least two people I know who are not worried about hurting my feelings to read a finished manuscript. Then I will tweak it prior to publication. I have not used a beta reader but it is something I might consider in the future.

I was always making up stories and telling them to friends when I was quite young. Then in my early teens I started writing them down in exercise books. I found some I had forgotten I still had not long ago when I was clearing out a room. They were so awful I threw them out.

8/9/2018 03:29:04 pm

Do you also use an editor or proofreader?
What is your favorite genre to read for fun?
Is there a book you have read that changed your mind about a genre either for good or bad, and why?

8/9/2018 04:01:49 pm

I use editors and proof readers, and I have paid for editing services. But none have really produced results I can rely on. As a self publisher I find I have to do quite a bit of editing and proof reading myself even after using professional services.

I think I enjoy reading detective stories mostly for fun. I like most genres but I have been put off fantasy. The one book that put me off it was The Hobbit. I felt I had to read it to the end but found it boring. I am not quite sure why. For that reason I have not read Lord of the Rings. I did enjoy a BBC radio adaptation and the Peter Jackson films of the book. But I have not been able to watch the Jackson films of The Hobbit much passed the beginnings when they appear on TV.

8/9/2018 04:25:41 pm

You have proved an important rule. Every book has an audience. The converse is also true, every book has people who are not the audience.
I like to read a book to the end also. I rarely ever fail to complete a book. I think the last time was a little over two years ago. It was an interesting premise, but there were many spelling errors on every page. It became too painful and difficult to read. I never finished it.
New questions.
Why did you become a publisher?
There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable?
What effect does writing have on your body; does it strengthen or weaken you?

8/10/2018 04:56:12 am

I agree with you about reading writing which contains too many mistakes which is why I try to take as much care in proof reading my books as I can.

Like many new writers I had great difficulty in getting literary agents and mainstream publishers to read my work let alone publish it. I did get some positive feedback from a few agents but even those did not consider it profitable enough to take on. Then one day at a writing conference I spent a time with published writers who were bemoaning issues they had with publishers with whom they were locked into a contract and had no way of extracting themselves from it. As someone who enjoyed his writing I felt I could do without that and decided to give self publishing a go.

I looked at some of the self publishing companies that were forming around then which offered services for a price and decided that I could do what they offered for a lot less cost. So I produced my own PDF ebooks, when ebooks were unheard of, formed Peatmore Press Ltd, managed to persuade a printer and distributor to print my books and began selling them. Peatmore Press runs at a loss but the loss is minimal and running it and seeing my work in print has been a lot of fun.

I suppose that the most unbearable practice in publishing is plagiarism, although I have not suffered much from it myself. One of the strangest unethical phenomenon I came across is when independent publishers advertised second hand paperbacks of my first novel, Cogrill's Mill, for $615.72 on amazon.com and £2,431.99 on amazon.co.uk when it is still available from my website or can be ordered through a bookstore for £6.99. I wrote about it on my blog at https://peatmore.wordpress.com and the advertisements have since been removed.

I think writing has greatly strengthened my mind and probably my body as well. My job as a government scientist was often very stressful and in the evenings I could escape into worlds I created myself with pen, paper and word processors. I have always taken regular exercise and up until I was 65 I played field hockey for a local club.

8/10/2018 08:21:53 am

I will have to read your blog, because I have never understood why someone would price a book so high.
New questions.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?

8/10/2018 11:07:53 am

When you first sit down to write, no matter what stage the book is at, write the first idea that comes into your head even if it seems like rubbish. You can always go back and change it later, or even delete it, but it sets you on your way.

The three things I wish I new before I wrote my first book leads on from this advice.

1. The first sentence or paragraph is the most important as it is where you hook your reader into the story.

2. When you sit down to write the first chapter, you write it for yourself and not the reader as it hooks you into the story.

3. Points 1 and 2 mean that the first chapter you write rarely begins the book. It is always altered and often deleted altogether.

8/10/2018 11:49:58 am

That sounds like good advice, Keith. It has worked for you, obviously.
New questions.
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your first book?
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer to enhance your career?

8/11/2018 02:35:16 am

Never to order more than ten copies of the first finished book as, despite all my efforts with editing, proof reading, employing editors and getting friends and family to read manuscripts there was usually some major typing or formatting error I missed.

The best money I ever spent was to buy a computer. This was in the days when personal computers were in their infancy and there was no internet. When the worldwide web began I was one of the first to develop my own website using a very crude program developed by CompuServe, the first major online service provider, and this started me on the road to becoming a self publisher.

8/11/2018 09:32:03 am

I certainly understand the rule for 10 copies, it takes a small village to find every error in a book. My focus is spelling and readability, there are things that I miss outside of that realm.
I had my first computer in the early 80s. I got pretty good at visiting bulletin boards, downloading files and had a reasonable knowledge of DOS. Good times. I thought computer spellcheckers would put me out of business, it didn't take too long to realize I was safe.
New questions.
Why do most authors write in 3rd person POV instead of first person POV?
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
How do you celebrate when you publish a book?

8/12/2018 06:55:44 am

I write my novels in the 3rd person as it helps me to develop secondary characters and subplots. It also helps my readers worry about a main character if they think he or she may be killed off halfway through the story. But in the case of the short story, writing in the first person is easier and often more effective as you are restricted to one point of view.

I am slightly dyslexic which makes spelling and proof reading difficult. I combat this by checking for words that sound the same but are spelt differently carefully and using others to check my work. On the other hand I have heard that many dyslexic people are very imaginative so I think it may be my dyslexia which makes me a good story teller.

I do not celebrate when by books are first published as I know there is a great more work to do with regard to promotion. If one of my books succeeds in selling over 1000 copies then I will celebrate.

8/12/2018 09:23:50 am

I have read a few books written in first person and have enjoyed reading them quite bit. The first person POV gave an intimacy, if it was well written. When head hopping occurs, it can get to be a real mess.
The work of promotion never ends. I think it's one thing that is very difficult for a lot of writers, because writing is such a solitary practice, and selling is not.
New questions.
When you are doing research, are you writing things down by hand or on the computer?
What software do you use to write your books?
Do you have a hidden message in your books for a particular person or group of people?

8/13/2018 03:26:05 am

I mostly write my research notes down on the computer but if I am away from an internet connection or in a library leafing through reference books, it will be a note pad.

My preferred software for writing is Microsoft Word. Then I will export my word files to PDF using Open Office as it is easier to use for this than Word. The reason for PDF is that my book printer (Lightening Source) wants the cover and content in this format. My version of Open Office has a plug-in which allows me to transfer its files to epub. I have sold ebooks in epub format but as most of my sales are downloads from Amazons Kindle store I convert my epub sales to mobi files using Calibre. With the exception of Word all the software I use is freeware. I use an outdated version of Word because it is the version I am most used to and is the version I used when working as a microbiologist I wrote my scientific reports. I know there is better software out there but I find it easier to work with the tools I am most familiar with.

I do not include any hidden messages in my work.

8/13/2018 10:13:37 am

Thanks you, for sharing those tricks of the trade. I have converted a PDF to Word, previously, but that didn't go very well. It introduced formatting errors, such as extra spaces between words in many places of the manuscript.
New questions.
Are there any writing magazines or newsletters that you think are helpful for an author to read?
What is the biggest myth about writing that would help aspiring authors?
Do you find it difficult to write about members of the opposite sex?

8/13/2018 03:23:53 pm

I too have found it difficult to convert from PDF to another file format. I am afraid I have never tried converting from PDF to Word or text. If you are going to do that then I think you have to convert the PDF to JPG using Photoshop or free equivalent and then convert from JPG using Optical Recognition Software.

I use to get Writing Magazine and Writers News regularly. It used to be sold in newsagents in the UK. I stopped getting it as the articles, although very useful when I started out, tended to repeat themselves as time went on. I suggest new writers go online or flip through any examples in their local store to check out what is on offer. You can get information about Writing Magazine and Writers News at https://www.writers-online.co.uk.

I use to worry about writing from a woman's point of view, but I get women friends to read through what I have written and they generally think it is okay. I check through catalogues to see if I get my descriptions of clothing right. I invariably get this wrong, but the women who read my draft manuscripts will always put me right.

8/13/2018 03:33:28 pm

Thank you for the tip about the magazines, I am sure that other writers will find that helpful.
I appreciate your candor about writing from a woman's point of view. You have taken wise steps to make your work that much more enjoyable.
New questions.
Do you find it difficult to balance the demands of writing and personal relationships?
Do you experiment with writing in other genres or do you stay in the safe zone? Is there another genre that you would like to try your hand at?
Would you ever write under a different name, why or why not?

8/13/2018 04:31:42 pm

I am not aware that my writing has affected any personal relationships. If anything, I have found new friends through my writing.

I have written two comic novels and one murder mystery, plus a couple of sci-fi short stories. I do like watching westerns on TV or at the cinema and have often thought about writing a western but the amount of research I would need to do has so far put me off.

Both comic novels were written under another name. This is because when I wrote the first one I was still working as a government scientist and wanted to remain incognito. I chose a different name for the murder mystery as it was much darker than the other two and I did not want to mislead the readers of the other two novels as to its content. Magic Bullets is different again and as my scientific career is far behind me I decided to use my own name. If I write another humorous novel I will use the same name used for the other two which was Jack Lindsey. My middle name is Lindsey and I when I started writing I called myself JK Lindsey (J standing for Jahans and K for Keith) but then JK Rowling emerged into prominence just before I first published so I converted JK to Jack. This must give you at least some idea of how long I have been writing. I am not sure I will write another murder mystery, as the one I wrote hardly sold, in which case I will probably not use the name Luke Johnson again. I think three pennames are enough so I will not be using any others.

8/13/2018 04:43:45 pm

You have been writing for some time, no doubt.
New questions.
Do you write more than one book at a time?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?
On average, how long does it take you to write a book?

8/14/2018 01:58:29 am

I like to concentrate on writing one book at a time.

The first long book I remember reading was The Dog Caruso and his Master by R M Ballatyne. I enjoyed it very much and read it again about ten years ago and still enjoyed it.

Discounting Magic Bullets which was first started forty years ago, I would say it takes me about three years to write a novel.

8/14/2018 12:01:52 pm

Thank you, Keith, for writing your book and for answering my questions so candidly. I really enjoyed our conversation. Perhaps we can talk again down the road.
I hope a lot of people get your book, I am sure they will enjoy it as much as I did.

8/14/2018 01:59:54 pm

You are most welcome, Mark. I enjoyed answering your questions and I hope those who have looked in on our conversation will have enjoyed it too. Thank you for taking the time to put this interview together. Please stay in touch.

Magic Bullets: The Perfect Medicine by Keith Jahans

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