Although Betsy Daniels, suffering from end-stage scleroderma, wishes she had more time to live, she’s ready to free her husband of his burden caring for her, and to end her torment. Until, miraculously, her condition improves. Not only are her kidneys healing; she’s getting stronger and healthier, with an energy she hasn’t felt in years. As happy as her doctor, Regina Thomas, is that Betsy is getting better, she’s fraught by the fact she can’t find a reason why. But someone else knows. A hired killer is searching for a prototype panacea drug. He’s tracked it to somewhere in Clearwater, Florida, where Betsy lives, and he’s closing in. He’s not the only one, though. Biotech genius Friedrich Gersch, is also following clues to the prototype. Whoever finds Betsy first will hold the key to the greatest medical discovery in human history—or its greatest threat.
Although Betsy Daniels, suffering from end-stage scleroderma, wishes she had more time to live, she’s ready to free her husband of his burden caring for her, and to end her torment. Until, miraculously, her condition improves. Not only are her kidneys healing; she’s getting stronger and healthier, with an energy she hasn’t felt in years. As happy as her doctor, Regina Thomas, is that Betsy is getting better, she’s fraught by the fact she can’t find a reason why. But someone else knows. A hired killer is searching for a prototype panacea drug. He’s tracked it to somewhere in Clearwater, Florida, where Betsy lives, and he’s closing in. He’s not the only one, though. Biotech genius Friedrich Gersch, is also following clues to the prototype. Whoever finds Betsy first will hold the key to the greatest medical discovery in human history—or its greatest threat.
Jacksonville, Florida
No one dies from being caught out in the rain anymore—unless, of course, there’s a killer on their tail.
That thought lurked in the mind of biomedical researcher Jianyu Tang as he darted from awning to awning, peering through the curtain of rain from each safe harbor for signs of being followed. His heart pounded as he stood under the overhang of the university medical library. Meeting his friend for lunch instead of getting away as fast as possible had been a risk, potentially a fatal one—not only for him but for her as well. Yet that had most likely been the last time they would meet. He’d seen her medical records. She only had a few weeks left to live.
And if he didn’t get away fast, he’d have much less time than that.
The parking lot was barely visible through the thick sheets of rain. Lightning lit up the sky, silhouetting the trees in the courtyard, followed by a deafening boom. Jianyu flattened himself against the library’s outer wall. A sane man would wait for the storm to abate, but desperation had banished his sanity.
Dragging as much of his lab coat over his head as possible, he dashed onto the sidewalk. Lightning crackled down from the heavens. Startled, Jianyu sidestepped, and his foot sank into a puddle. He lost his balance as thunder echoed around him. Frantically, he waved his arms but to no avail. He toppled over and tumbled onto the sidewalk.
Gravel bit into his arm. He held back a scream and struggled to his knees.
Muddy water seeped through his pants, dragging him downward. He fought to stay upright and raised his wounded arm. Blood streamed from a gash below his wrist, draining into the puddle.
Clamping his other hand over the wound, Jianyu forced himself to stand and staggered through the rain. When he reached the edge of the parking lot, he fumbled through his pockets.
Heat drained from his cheeks. His car keys weren’t there.
Rain soaked his lab coat as he scrambled to think of when he’d last had them. The lab. Of course. When the alarm on his phone sounded, reminding him of the lunch date, he’d been so desperate that he must’ve forgotten to grab the keys from his desk drawer.
He could see his Volvo sedan in the middle of the parking lot. Maybe he could smash in a window and hot-wire the car. Sparks of hope and excitement ignited at the idea.
But just as quickly, he snuffed them out. For all his experience with biotechnology, he was clueless when it came to engines. Rather than start the car, he’d more likely electrocute himself. He had no other choice but to return to the biomedical research building.
Water sloshed in his shoes as he stumbled down the hallway ten minutes later. When he reached his lab, he groped under his coat until he found his badge and swiped it in the card reader. A click heralded the door unlocking, then he pushed his way inside and kicked the door shut before pausing to take stock of the room. The trash bag stuffed with shredded paper remained on the floor where he’d left it, next to the smashed hard drives.
Scurrying to his desk, he tried to ignore the heavy pounding of his heart. All he needed was to grab his keys, then he could drive far away from there as quickly as possible before anyone knew he was gone. He’d have to get in touch with Misty, of course, and she could help him find somewhere safe. But that could wait until he was on the road. He threw open the drawer.
Jianyu’s heart stopped.
The drawer was empty.
Thunder crashed, and the lights blinked out.
The hairs on Jianyu’s arms prickled as he scanned the darkness.
The emergency lights clicked on, casting an eerie red glow.
A light jingle sounded behind him.
As he turned his head toward the sound, strong hands gripped his shoulders and bent him in half. His temple cracked against the edge of the desk. White-hot light flooded his field of vision.
Fighting against the pain, Jianyu jerked his head backward.
His assailant chuckled and rammed an elbow into Jianyu’s back, making his breath release in a whoosh.
One of the hands grabbed him by the chin and wrenched his head to the side before jamming his face into the desk. Something sliced the flesh of his cheek, and he screamed.
A dark figure moved into view, holding up a small object. The red light glinted off it. Jianyu’s car key. Blood dripped from its tip.
“Looking for this?” The man’s voice was guttural, as if forced through his windpipe. “Give me what I want, and I’ll hand it back. Resist, and I’ll ram it into the back of your hand.”
“Please,” Jianyu managed to say between his teeth as the man continued to press his cheek against the desk. Fear froze his bones. “My wallet’s in my back pocket. Take it. Please don’t hurt me anymore.”
The man scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m after.”
“No, I don’t.” Jianyu knew full well, but he allowed his voice to waver, praying he sounded convincing. “I don’t know what you want. Please, let me go.”
The man grabbed Jianyu’s wrist and slammed it onto the desk. Before Jianyu could pull away, the key plunged into the back of his hand. Pain burned up his arm, and he howled.
“Let’s try this again.” The man pressed Jianyu’s face harder against the desk and positioned the key over his eye. “Where. Is. The. Prototype?”
Jianyu gritted his teeth. He was going to die. He knew it. There was zero probability the man would let him live. But at least he could die with honor. “Destroyed. Along with my research.”
The man held still. Thunder rumbled.
“I don’t believe you,” the man said. The key drifted toward Jianyu’s eyeball.
“It’s true!” Jianyu shut his eyes. “There’s nothing left.”
Cold metal grazed his eyelid. He squeezed his eyes more tightly shut and gulped.
“Show me.”
Jianyu opened his eyes. “What?”
The man grabbed Jianyu by the arm and yanked him to his feet. “I want proof you destroyed it.”
Jianyu’s mind raced. How am I supposed to prove something I haven’t done? Unless I come up with something plausible for which there could be no way of proving I’m lying…
“Acid,” he said quickly, hoping the man would mistake the waver in his voice for fear and not deception. “I dissolved it in a beaker of salicylic acid. It’s on my desk.”
The man’s grip on Jianyu’s arm tightened. He shoved Jianyu forward and said again, “Show me.”
The muscles in Jianyu’s body coiled as he stumbled through the dimly lit office. He searched his mind frantically for a solution, a way out of the mess he was in, but the pain in his hand and skull made it impossible to think clearly. When he reached the desk, he made a show of digging through the mound of books and papers. He mumbled, “It’s here somewhere…”
The man dug the key into Jianyu’s shoulder. He yelped in surprise.
“Quickly!”
Panting, Jianyu scanned the length of the desk. Where is it? Where is it?
Ah, there it was, at the opposite end. He shuffled over to it. Holding his breath, he lifted it up. As he did, his gaze fell on the hamsters in their cage. They huddled in the corner, watching him, their noses twitching.
Panic struck Jianyu. He’d forgotten to get rid of the animals. If the man took them, he’d have the prototype, and everything would’ve been for naught. Jianyu’s grip on the beaker tightened until his fingers throbbed.
“Well?” the man asked.
One of the hamsters stared at Jianyu, its blue eyes pleading with him. Its ear flicked.
Gnashing his teeth, Jianyu turned and flung the beaker.
The container struck the wire cage and shattered. Glass shards flew in all directions. The hamsters shrieked.
The man plunged the key into the side of Jianyu’s neck, and his screams rose above those of the hamsters.
“I thought you were supposed to be smart,” the man said and twisted the key.
Jianyu howled again and crumpled against the desk, his neck muscles spasming uncontrollably. He groped for a weapon, anything he could use against his tormentor.
When the man ripped the key out of Jianyu’s neck, blood sprayed onto the desk.
Jianyu sank to his knees. The hamsters’ screams faded into the background, drowned out by the thumping of his heart. His gaze drifted toward his attacker.
Red emergency lights illuminated the man’s face. He was white, somewhere in his mid-thirties, and surprisingly handsome. Jianyu didn’t recognize him, but he hadn’t expected he would. The ones who wanted his prototype would never face him themselves. Instead, they’d sent a professional.
That was their mistake.
Jianyu spat a bloody wad onto the ground.
“You have… no clue… what they sent you to get. Do you?” He tried to laugh, but it came out as a strangled groan. The edges of his field of vision were graying, and it took all his effort to keep his head upright. “They didn’t… tell you… because… they don’t… know… for certain.”
The man glared at Jianyu, tapping his index finger against the tip of the key.
“They… know what it does… but not how.” Jianyu licked blood off his lips. He knew he was right as surely as he knew he was about to die. But he could die in peace if he kept the man and his keepers in the dark. “That’s why… you’ll never… find it.”
The man stopped tapping. “Son of a bitch.”
With unexpected speed, the man dashed over and slapped a cloth against Jianyu’s neck, applying pressure.
Jianyu gaped at him. “What—?”
The man pressed the cloth harder, sending a fresh jolt of pain down Jianyu’s shoulder. “You wanna play games, asshole? I got a game for you. It’s called Keep You Alive and In Pain Until You Tell Me What You Did with the Prototype.”
Jianyu blinked tears from his eyes. “I… told you…”
“Yeah, and I almost believed you until you started taunting me. You see, I’m not only a contracted killer.” He jabbed a needle into the base of Jianyu’s neck and depressed the plunger.
Heat rushed through Jianyu’s body. Gasping, he asked, “What—what did you give me?”
“A little cocktail to keep your blood pressure up and prevent you from exsanguinating.” The man’s teeth glistened in the red light. “I used to be a paramedic.”
Jianyu’s chest tightened, his heart beating faster.
“I also worked in military intelligence, so I know a bit about torture.” The man scraped the key across Jianyu’s cheek, not deeply enough to break skin but enough to send a chill down Jianyu’s spine. He paused at his zygomatic arch then ground the key tip against bone.
Pain flooded Jianyu’s skull, and he screamed.
The man leaned close, his hot breath falling on Jianyu’s face. “I know when someone is hiding something. If you’d destroyed the prototype, you’d have kept your trap shut. Instead, your boasting means you’re trying to buy time. The prototype must be nearby. No matter how well you think you hid it, it’s not invisible. Sooner or later, I will find it, but it would be much easier if you simply told me. Because the more time you spend with me, the worse it’s going to get.”
The last fragments of bravado drained from Jianyu’s body. His lips trembled.
Sneering, the man pressed the tip of the key under Jianyu’s chin. “Now, one more time. Where is it?”
In Spontaneous Remission, Joel Shulkin delivers a tightly wound medical thriller that doesn’t just explore the boundaries of science-it weaponizes them. Imagine a cure that defies every natural law, and a world that will kill to control it. That’s the playing field here, and every character is caught in the crossfire.
The plot kicks off with the violent death of Dr. Jianyu Tang, a brilliant but secretive researcher who claims to have created Pan-C-8 a miracle treatment capable of curing any disease. Think smallpox? Gone. End-stage liver failure? Vanished. His discovery should’ve saved lives, but instead it ignites a deadly chase across continents and through moral minefields.
Enter Friedrich Gersch, a haunted professor and reluctant guardian of Jianyu’s legacy. Gersch is no action hero-he’s a brooding intellectual with baggage and secrets, and he’s quickly drawn into a dangerous game involving paramilitary assassins, biotech espionage, and shadowy corporate puppeteers.
But what elevates Spontaneous Remission above a typical science thriller is its emotional core-Betsy Daniels, an elderly woman with a terminal diagnosis, whose subtle transformation becomes the story’s emotional lynchpin. Betsy is written with raw grace, her journey from resignation to miraculous recovery threading a deep philosophical undercurrent: What if healing comes at a cost we can’t comprehend?
Shulkin, a physician himself, brings a unique edge to the writing-technical precision blended with human vulnerability. The medical scenes are chillingly realistic, and the ethical questions linger: If you could end all suffering, would you? Should you?
The pacing? Relentless. Twists come fast and hard, and no one is safe-not even the reader’s assumptions. Each chapter layers on new stakes and new betrayals, keeping the tension taut until the final act explodes with revelation and consequence.
And that ending? Satisfying and sinister. You’ll walk away wondering where the line is between cure and curse; and whether some miracles are better left undiscovered.