Today I am reviewing Messiah Project by Lianne Robinson. This book falls into many categories – faith, romance, medical, suspense, thriller, possibly science fiction. I have to say, medical fiction is not my usual preference, but I really enjoyed this story.
Victoria Chambers is a single mom of her son Milo, doing the best she can amid struggling finances and the capricious Alabama weather. Working in her local church as a secretary, she coordinates mission trips and organizes supplies, food, and medical equipment to catastrophe-ridden nations.
Then tragedy strikes at home. Milo, her son, has always struggled with kidney stones and infections. Still, Victoria is hoping his diagnosis is something simple, something curable. No such luck. Milo is diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. Victoria is devastated. Her father had suffered from the same disease, and she knew what was going to happen to her son. During his life, he will have to deal with high blood pressure, headaches, blood in his urine, and muscular aches in his back and side. If he’s lucky, he could muffle the worst symptoms with medication. Worse case scenario? Dialysis at an early age or kidney failure.
Enter Doctor Robert Ryan. He has invented a new technology called LifeScan365, a nano-technology that uses microscopic robots to monitor your health. Just have a small port embedded on your arm and let the small device spend its days travelling your veins and arteries looking for abnormalities.
Having infertility issues? Let LifeScan365 monitor your hormone levels and determine the best time for ovulation. Asthmatic? Let LifeScan365 track your blood oxygen levels and decide if you need medication or a doctor’s visit. A chronic smoker with lung issues? Let LifeScan365 monitor your lungs for cancerous growths.
And of special significance to Victoria – Does your son have a disease that will slowly deteriorate the quality of his life, leading to possible kidney failure? Let LifeScan365 monitor for creatinine levels. Let LifeScan365 monitor his kidney function and blood pressure. Let LifeScan365 take the place of constant blood tests and urine samples. Let LifeScan365 track the cysts on his kidneys and eliminate them before they can do damage.
Let LifeScan365 save your child pain and trauma and let him have a normal life.
Desperate to give Milo a fighting chance at life, she signs him up for the experimental treatments. She even signs up herself after Dr. Ryan convinced her they needed healthy subjects as baselines. With the monetary compensation they receive, life is good with fewer struggles.
The next several months are easier for Victoria and Milo. The LifeScan365 device detects cysts and kidney stones but eliminates them both before they can become a problem. The implant is even used to locate missing children and a elderly man by using its GPS tracking, a feature Victoria wasn’t told it had. Soon the technology and its upgrade are even able to ‘hijack’ any Wi-Fi anywhere.
During this time, Dr. Ryan uses Victoria and Milo’s story and photos in his pitches to Congress about his device. After much deliberation, the LifeScan365 is accepted by the FDA, the AMA, and the Senate Healthcare Committee. People everywhere start getting the device implanted, even newborns. What parent wouldn’t want to make sure of the health of their child? LifeScan365 and Doctor Ryan became global phenomenon as clinics spring up around the globe. Police forces and military units are automatically injected. The system is everywhere.
The more popular the device, the more opposition grows. Victoria’s personal doctor and several family friends are vehemently opposed to the LifeScan365. They insist the technology’s use goes against God’s divine plan and defies His sovereignty. By using LifeScan365, they are taking God’s power and using it themselves. They even call it the mark of the beast and a sign of the last days. As the device spread worldwide, so too did the protests.
Are they right? Does LifeScan365 strip a person of their autonomy? Is it all a little too Big Brother? Are they playing as God? Is Doctor Ryan the upstanding man Victoria thinks he is?
I try very hard not give any spoiler in these book reviews. I am going to stop here. All I will say is the book lives up to its thriller/suspense designation. Victoria and crew face government control, corporate coverups, armed thugs, and – most dangerous of all – a megalomaniac firmly determined to control the world and all its inhabitants.
Sounds like a good time, right?
The book is easy to read but keeps your attention. Throughout the story, we get to hear Victoria’s inner dialogue. You get to know her thoughts and fears, whether it is worrying over her son’s health or fan-girling over a cute doctor! This brings the characters closer to us and helps us connect with them. We understand the depth of Victoria’s faith and the love she has for her son.
This is a very faith-driven book. It raises questions about faith and everyday struggles. Why would God allow such pain in a child? Is science and medicine the antithesis of religion and faith? Can the two go hand in hand? Why do deadbeat dads only show up when monetary compensation is possible? Is it okay to date seriously again?
An added bonus for me was the book being set in Birmingham, Alabama. As a native yellowhammer, I always appreciate recognizing local landmarks. And the joy/panic of a snowstorm without milk and bread. Best of all, the son’s name is Milo! If you know, you know. If you don’t know, go to the grocery store and grab a gallon of Milo’s sweet tea immediately. Invented in Birmingham, this sweet treat is the epitome of Southern comfort food. Nice touch, Lianne!
I enjoyed the book and look forward to more from this author. Available on Amazon in paperback and eBook edition – part of the Kindle Unlimited program!
From Amazon – What if hope came with a cost, and the price was your freedom?
Victoria Chambers is out of options. Her young son Milo has an incurable disease, and time is slipping away. They take a chance on the LifeScan365 device, an innovative implant promising early detection, personalized treatments, and possibly a cure. Behind the invention stands Dr. Robert Ryan, a charismatic visionary with limitless ambition and a belief that technology can accomplish more than faith.
At first, Victoria embraces the miracle. But as she’s drawn deeper into Dr. Ryan’s world of promises and control, unsettling truths begin to surface. Her independence and Milo’s future are no longer entirely hers to protect.
After a shocking incident exposes the devastating reach of Dr. Ryan’s power, Victoria joins forces with Dr. Scott Berry, a LifeScan365 insider determined to stop the danger closing in. Together, they uncover a global agenda built on fear, surveillance, and the sacrifice of freedom. With her beliefs tested and her son’s life at stake, Victoria must choose who to trust and how far she’s willing to go to fight for what matters most.
