This is enviro-fiction and pretty damn pragmatic, which is always fun. In the near future, the world is on the brink of collapse as developed countries fight for scarce resources. Protagonist Jake Palmer is thrust into a military-driven think tank; tasked with crafting a group project to remove demand - a lot of demand - like a few billion humans under the guise of natural disaster and/or catastrophic events. Multiple teams are assigned key locations to carve out bits of humanity while trying to leave the infrastructure intact. There is one problem - Jake has a conscious and is willing to try anything to sabotage the effort. In this adventure, several key characters are at play and figuring out who to trust is a crapshoot. Death, sex, annihilation, and more flow through the story. I felt the pace was pretty good, but a few scenes ran long. There are a few typos here/there which auto-correct didn't catch. There is a continuity issue early on which is easily fixed in future editions (hint: page 15 and 19, cell phone). In sum, I enjoyed the story and once I got into the read, I stuck with it. There are some convenient scenes, but overall it is fun fiction.
4 of 5 Stars - ARC provided.
PS - the cover needs some serious love.
From the Publisher:
The world as we know it is changing. In a few of the more energy-dependent countries, civilization is teetering on the brink of collapse. And yet life in the U.S. seems unchanged, with the exception of a non-forecasted hurricane devastating New York City. Jake Palmer, a young reputable environmental engineer, is unconcerned. Other than girlfriend issues, his life is normal, routine; until his company sends him to a meeting no one knows anything about, not even the location. Jake’s life as he knows it is about to change . . . from mediocrity to a living nightmare.
