Out of Time

This entertaining if predictable thriller from YA author Klass (Losers Take All) pits FBI data analyst Tom Smith against Green Man, an eco-terrorist (or heroic environmental activist, depending on one’s perspective) who has targeted industries and sites that are hastening humankind’s seemingly unstoppable march toward extinction. After the destruction of a dam on Idaho’s Snake River, which had been stopping wild salmon runs, Smith, whose estranged father is a retired FBI agent, is put on the Green Man Task Force. His instincts, like his father’s, are uncannily accurate, and soon he begins closing in on the elusive bomber, whose mission is to create a sustainable earth where the next generation has hope for the future. The topic is timely, the pacing is pedal-to-the-metal, and Klass does a solid job of creating three-dimensional characters out of Smith and Green Man—but the conclusion is far too obvious. Hopefully, the author will include some big plot twists or revelations in his next outing. Agent: Aaron Priest, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (July)