A blizzard of treachery and violence fills Follett's 'Whiteout'

A blinding snowstorm isn't the only villain in Ken Follett's "Whiteout," an adrenaline-pumping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

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Bioterrorism is the main theme of this ripped-from-the headlines story, laced with family tensions and ruthless deception, set in the wintry Scottish countryside on Christmas Eve.

Oxenford Medical is a family owned company that does research on deadly viruses. Security is tight at the "Kremlin," but an employee manages to steal a rabbit and two doses of an experimental antiviral drug from the lab. His attempt to spare the rabbit's life has tragic consequences.

Meanwhile, the vengeful son of Stanley Oxenford, the company's founder, is planning to break into the lab. Kit Oxenford, who was fired for skimming money from the company, now has a huge gambling debt. The only way out is to assist in stealing the experimental drug, which will put money in Kit's pockets and ruin his father's company.

But bravado is no substitute for skill, and nothing is as easy as it seems. Everything goes frightfully awry as the thieves steal samples of a deadly virus - not the antiviral agent as Kit had anticipated.

"The people you're selling this to - do you know what they want it for?" Kit asks.

"I can guess."

"It will kill people - hundreds, maybe thousands!"

"I know."

The thieves, desperate to rendezvous with their buyer, take shelter from a fierce snowstorm at Stanley Oxenford's home, where various dysfunctional family members have gathered for the holidays. Violence ensues.

With dogged determination, former police officer Toni Gallo, the head of security for Oxenford Medical, battles the blizzard as she attempts to retrieve the virus before it becomes a weapon for terrorism.

Follett cuts the tension with a little comic relief, provided by Toni's addled mother, who becomes part of the action, though Mom doesn't seem to realize what's happening.

And there's nothing like fighting a gang of vicious thieves to bring people closer together, as Toni and her widower boss Stanley discover.

"Whiteout" is filled with treachery, intrigue and action-packed scenes, and Follett holds readers captive until the novel's final pages.