Reviewing The Harbinger by Keegan Kennedy

The Harbinger by Keegan Kennedy 3*
BLURB:It starts as a whisper, barely audible. 
Rumors. Paranoia. Conspiracy theories. Subterfuge. 
Like lightning, the plague moves across the globe, spreading out in all directions. When the naysayers can no longer ignore the wails and moans of the dying, the Harbinger will already have them by their throats. 
But the end is only the beginning… 
Discovered in the Alaskan permafrost, the ancient virus was reanimated and genetically-altered. The new strain showed great promise in curing many of mankind’s afflictions. When the specimen fell into the hands of the Russian theocracy, their inept scientists attempted to create a biological weapon—a weapon that outsmarted them. 
Now, the androvirus is a deadly airborne plague, conquering the world in a matter of days. With a communicability of 100% and a mortality rate of over 90%, there is no immunity. For the survivors, who can suppress the virus, there is only change. A few adapt, but most become walking, talking gray horrors with an appetite for flesh. 
Primarily set in the American city of Memphis, four loosely-connected strangers, caught up in their lives, find their worlds annihilated by the swiftly-moving plague. 
Alex Connelly is a wealthy, young executive, living an idyllic life with his pregnant wife, Madison. Kirk Foster is a self-absorbed aging gay man, desperate to hang onto his youth and sex appeal. Meredith Brinkley’s on-going war with breast cancer takes a turn for the worse, and she faces an impending double mastectomy. Logan King is a closeted baseball jock, playing for a minor league team while coming to terms with his true identity. And only together will they survive... 
This work can be read as a stand-alone novel with an ending—an ending that leaves the door open for sequels as well as an exit for anyone who wants to get off the ride. 

My Review: I was given a free copy by Divine Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book but I couldn't say it will ever feature on my top favourite apocalyptic stories. The author does a great job in the world building but constantly lost me with his characters - the constant jumping from one to another was enough to keep me from really feeling any connection to anyone and most of them were not the sort of people you could feel empathy for any way.
As a horror story it didn't scare me that much, as the virus/disease pandemic has been used so often, but the author does have a way of making it feel new. However some of the scenes were a little too disgusting for my taste. I guess if you  like TV shows like Walking Dead you will certainly like this book (I hated Walking Dead and am not ashamed to admit it).