Review: Drift by Jon McGoran

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1 edition (July 9, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0765334704
• Source: Publisher

Doyle Carrick, a narcotics investigator for the Philadelphia police, loses both his mother and his step-father in a matter of weeks. The emotional turmoil sends him spiraling out of control and Doyle finds himself on a twenty-day suspension.  No other plans in mind, Doyle heads to the house he has inherited in rural Pennsylvania. Surrounded by farmland, it seems as though Doyle has found the perfect oasis from his life in Philadelphia. When he meets Nola Watkins, an organic farmer next door, he learns life in this small town isn’t as idyllic as it seems; a large development company is pressuring residents to sell their property.  Nola, desperate to cultivate her crops, has refused despite endless anonymous phone calls and threatening texts. Doyle soon realizes that crime has its way of following him and, despite his suspension, commences an investigation into the mysterious corporation.

Doyle’s pace quickens when suspicious heroin overdoses, one deadly, hit far too close to those around him. Then, dozens of citizens are suddenly struck with strange, flu-like symptoms.  Doyle can’t avoid the possibility that all of these incidents are connected somehow, the commonality being the strange tented field adjacent to his parents’ home. Risking his career and his life, Doyle dives headfirst into an unauthorized investigation that reveals a reality far deadlier than he could have ever fathomed.

McGoran has created in Drift a novel that melds the tone and feel of a thriller with the true-to-life world of genetically-alterned food. I guarantee you will think twice before picking up a random piece of fruit or vegetable after reading this novel. That said, the “lesson” the author has embedded in this novel doesn’t outweigh or overpower the intense plot and storyline.

On the surface, there isn’t much to like about Doyle’s character.  He obviously has very little regard for authority, given his suspension and refusal lay low until his punishment is over.  That said, there is a soft-side to his tough man facade, a vulnerable man dealing with the loss of the last two people that meant anything to him.  Additionally, after losing his mother and step-father, he has come to appreciate the quiet calm of country life and the livelihood that farming has given to residents of the small Pennsylvania town.  Although this quiet peaceful life is no longer an option for his loved ones, he can guarantee it to those that live on after they do.

If you are looking for a thriller with bit of “social” substance, a message, I highly recommend this one!  Thank you to TLC book tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour! Please be sure to check out the other stops in the tour!