PAUSED by Stephanie Ellis [Book Review]

PAUSED
by Stephanie Ellis
Published by Silver Shamrock Publishing
Available in paperback and eBook

Doctors are left confounded when an elderly couple are found paralysed, unable to move nor speak but very much mentally aware. This turns to sheer panic when people of all ages begin to suffer the same fate. As more and more people succumb to this horrifying condition around the globe, the pressure is on for the scientists to discover the cause and the cure before it’s too late.

PAUSED is a tense thriller from author Stephanie Ellis that focuses on Dr Alex Griffiths as he attempts to discover what illness is plaguing his neighbours and the public before it uncontrollably spreads further. It’s hard not to draw parallels between this and the Skripal case in Salisbury, where a nerve agent was said to have been released, subsequently seriously harming and killing people in the area. The fact it’s set in England is another connection, whilst the recent global pandemic can also be seen as an influence on the story as the book’s scientists are under pressure to come up with answers and a cure as quickly as possible.

When the first couple are hit by paralysis, it doesn’t alarm as it feels like a one off, but as author Stephanie Ellis ups the ante by highlighting various cases throughout the town, from a young schoolgirl to a guy working on a building site, your mind wanders to what it must feel like to succumb to the paralysis and the danger it could put yourself and others in. For some, it could result in a slow, painful death if not found in time, whilst in other instances it could put the lives of other people in jeopardy. It’s quite terrifying to think about which is probably the bit about the story that scares the most, whilst the idea of how you catch or transmit the ‘illness’ adds drama as the characters deal with the unknown.

As the paralysis becomes a pandemic and the threat becomes even more personal, the tension and pressure on Dr Alex Griffiths and his team is palpable. There’s elements that are thrown into the mix, along with a couple of red herrings, which add fuel to the fire but as the story winds to a close it becomes focused on the humanity of the situation more than the science. A couple of ideas it presents feel like a distraction or missed opportunity but the story as it stands works effectively enough.

At 118 pages long, PAUSED is a short and quick read which manages to keep the momentum high from beginning to end.

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