"Today OPEC, or the oil cartel as they are informally known, controls thirty-six percent of global oil production and they own two-thirds of known petroleum reserves."
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Unintended Consequences by Dave Edlund Morgan Mackenzie Publishing
book review by Russ Roberts
Abiogenics is a theory that claims that oil and natural gas is not just the result of decaying animal and plant life, but rather is a byproduct of existing chemicals such as methane. Although the theory has its pros and cons, that hasn't stopped it from becoming the focal point of a corking new thriller by Dave Edlund. If abiogenics is correct, then the amount of oil and natural gas is not finite but rather infinite. This would be bad news for those that control the current oil supplies, because it means that anyone who figures out how to use abiogenics to produce oil and gas would become energy independent. Edlund uses that as the basis for his plot, which has abiogenic scientists around the world being bumped off and the U.S. government trying to stop the killings.
The book is fast-paced and lively, reminiscent of a Tom Clancy thriller, with locations and action taking place all over the globe. A welcome note is that all of the weapons in the book are real. This takes the story out of the realm of the fantastic, James Bond-style superspy variety and grounds it in reality. Edlund has a doctorate in chemistry, but keeps the book brisk and readable and doesn't fill it with egghead theories and conversation. Even Edlund's main character, Peter Savage, is highly accessible, both a smarty-pants scientist and someone who's at home in a sports bar. Hopefully his appearance in an already announced second book will be as entertaining as this one.