The Laptev Virus by Christy Esmahan

Imagine a group of oil company workers in the far reaches of the North Pole taking core samples from the permafrost when they accidentally mess up and extract a mega-virus that has lain dormant for thousands of years.  Everyone falls ill and they have what could be a virus that has been unleashed on the rest of the world unless they can contain it.  Scientists currently working on the AIDS virus are called in to analyze the virus and hopefully silence the alarm giving the company permission to go back to drilling.  The author knows her stuff and it is the process of how scientists unscramble the mystery of this virus that is fascinating. With the polar ice cap melting and new viruses becoming a threat every day this book is not so much science fiction as it is not in the too distant future problem  solving.   Much like Michael Critchton books, this does go pretty deep into biomedical research jargon but it is not so much that the lay person can't understand what is happening. The story is a bit slow to start but by the end you are waiting for a sequel.