The Bug Hunter

In 2020, viticulturist and CIA recruit Gabriel Marx, the hero of this tense thriller from Davenport (The Two Gates), and Adnan Mishner, an American Egyptian entomologist, are in Afghanistan as part of a U.S. effort to “develop insect-borne pathogens to combat bioterrorism and to ultimately develop an offensive capability.” Their efforts bear fruit when they create genetically altered thrips, tiny insects that carry a virus fatal to poppy plants, which devastate the Taliban’s poppy fields. Six years later, Marx is working for a winery, but he’s pulled back into government work after Americans start dying from a mysterious new illness. CDC investigators ascertain that the victims all consumed orange juice made from a particular batch of fruit, and are horrified to discover that an altered Mediterranean fruit fly was used to infect the oranges with botulinum toxin. Marx is unaware that Mishner, who has become radicalized and is working with ISIS, is behind that bio-attack—and that worse ones are planned. Marx’s digging reveals an even greater threat to the nation’s food supply, and he works desperately with his allies in law-enforcement to avert disaster. Davenport keeps the science jargon-free and accessible. This nail-biter doesn’t pull any punches. (BookLife)