Was high school geometry a nightmare for you? Just wait until you see the horrors that triangles wreak in INFECTED, Scott Sigler’s heavily hyped hardcover debut.

Both the CIA and CDC take notice – and then action – when a string of unusual killings occur: Otherwise normal people make phone calls to complain about “the triangles,” then hack up their entire family before doing themselves in, too. One guy even cuts off his own legs with a hatchet just at the knee before turning himself flammable, just to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere else.

The governmental agencies above join forces to find out what the hell is going on – and why the murderers’ bodies turn to black goo so quickly upon expiration – but most of the novel is devoted to Perry, a former all-star linebacker who was headed for NFL greatness with an ACL injury put an end to all that. Now seething with rage and remorse, Perry works a cubicle job and lives alone in a tiny, miserable apartment, when one day he notices an unusual rash on his skin.

At first, he dismisses it as an insect bite. But then there are too many infected spots to ignore – seven of them, in fact, including the one on his testicle. Further investigation reveals the presence of parasites – nasty ones who up the neurotransmitters to make you crazy – which then evolve into tiny triangles, each wired via tendrils throughout your body.

All the talk of fibers emerging from the body and mental instability made me immediately think of Morgellons disease, and sure enough, about 100 pages in, that phrase pops up among the epidemiologists attempting to determine the threat. But adding triangles is a super-sized step, and the numerous scenes of Perry cutting, digging, poking and probing at his own body in an attempt to remove them are flinch-worthy. By the time he resorts to an oven burner and – I shudder just thinking about it – chicken scissors, Sigler has floored the pedal marked “disturb.”

After cultivating a hefty and devote Internet fan base via podcasting his audiobooks for free, Sigler makes a leap to the big leagues with INFECTED’s publication. The proof is on the page that he was more than ready for it. The chapters are short enough to keep the pace swift, the scenarios garish enough to keep you alarmed and engaged.

The heavily jock-ish dialogue between Perry and his friend is about the only narrative misstep that stood out, but this is made up for once Perry starts talking to his new little friends – a point at which the book design gets innovative. As you read, you can see the eventual movie unspooling to cringing audiences. With elements of horror, science fiction and thrillers, Sigler’s work no doubt will tap into a new audience for him, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Everyone who’s still around after getting grossed out, however, will want more. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.