A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer

Michael Palmer writes page-turner medical thrillers and A Heartbeat Away is no exception. The premise is that a mysterious group called Genesis has been wreaking major havoc around the country. Their latest move is to release a deadly virus into the Capitol building during the president's state of the union speech--at which most of Congress and all but one member of the Cabinet are in attendance. Only one man, virologist Griffin Rhodes, could possibly come up with a life-saving treatment in time. Unfortunately, he's been locked up in a maximum security prison by the president for a crime he didn't commit. As people in the Capitol building are dropping like flies, both the Secretary of State and the one cabinet member not in the building have visions of becoming the next president
--and seem willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that dream. There's even a little romance, as Griffin reconnects with a Washington Post reporter named Angie, whom he had met while investigating a viral outbreak in Africa. Non-stop thrills and chills.