The newest science fiction tale from writer Douglas Richards effortlessly weaves in a believable modern-day setting with a race to save the world from ourselves in the face of sure destruction.
THE CURE ponders the questions, what if you found the cure for the psychopathic condition? Would you break the law to use it? Would you force it on the world’s psychopaths, even if they didn’t want to be cured? In Richards’s riveting new novel, after a series of twists, turns, and escalations, the answer to these questions has a major impact, not only on the future course of human history, but on the future prospects of all intelligent life in the galaxy.
In “The Cure” Richards gives us Erin Palmer, a young but brilliant student whose life was shattered as a young girl when a psychopath took her family from her. As an adult she studies psychopaths and what makes them tick. She is revealed to be working with a world-renowned scientist who may not be all that he seems. Soon Erin finds herself embroiled in a worldwide conspiracy to cure Earth of psychopaths for the good of the entire universe.
Right off the bat, Richards does two things right with his main heroine. The book begins with a truly devastating event. A psychopath kills both her parents and her little sister leaving Erin as the sole survivor of the tragedy. The immediate back story allows the reader to instantly identify and empathize with Erin when we see her as an adult. We can understand why she has dedicated her life to such a macabre topic. Knowing her struggles and her back story also allows us as a reader to continually root for her throughout the entire novel. We want her to succeed, we want her to be happy, and we want her to have the happy ending she deserves.
The second thing Richards does is that he uses her work to delve in to the science of psychopaths. He gives the reader background in the way the brain of a psychopath works, they way they think, and more importantly offers reasoning of why they are so dangerous without giving away the later plot twist. By the time the central theme of the book is revealed we, the readers, are already aware of how dangerous psychopaths are and thus immediately on the side of Erin and her partners Drake and Kyle Hanson.
However, the best part of “The Cure” is the questions on morality that it presents. How ethical is it to cure people without their knowledge when it could save the lives of billions? Is the safety of humanity and universal exploration worth intervening into the course humanity is set to take? Knowing that as much as 1% of the population can be classified as “psychopathic” is the threat large enough to take away those people’s basic freedoms even if they haven’t committed a crime? Richards presents these issues along with a highly relatable main character who often questions her own morals in regards to these questions.
“The Cure” is a quick but enjoyable science fiction read that will keep you on your toes while exploring the savage brains of psychopaths. Douglas Richards appeals to all kinds of readers with his new novel from sci-fi enthusiasts to thrill seekers and even a little bit of a love story.