Devil’s Gold-Julie Korzenko

Devil’s Gold
Julie Korzenko
Medallion, Mar 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 9781934755556

At the request of OPEC, Dr. Cassidy Lowell examines the effect of oil drilling on the land, the people, and the animals of the Niger Delta. Robert Cole of oil mega-company New World Petroleum (NWP) expects a favorable report so he can send the crews in to start digging, but the consulting zoologist finds the explorations have caused appalling conditions. She gives her report to Cole and her boss Dr. Drew Sharpe, but is yanked immediately from Africa to Yellowstone National Park where her superiors figure she cannot cause too much trouble to big business. Her assignment is to determine why the gray wolf population is vanishing.

Just before leaving Africa, someone attacks her in her hut with his intent obviously to kill her. Jake Anderson saves her life. He is a member of Special Forces Black Strike black ops unit that works behind the scenes of her organization, Zoological Environmental Bio Research Agency (ZEBRA). He becomes the biologist on her Yellowstone team with his hidden agenda to learn what she knows that have people wanting her dead. The wolves are dying from a new genetic strand of the parvovirus that now harms canines and now is made into killing humans. NWP funded the research but Jake and crew have no idea why or what the firm intends to do with it. Jake and Cassidy accompanied by a concerned CDC and the Black Stripes plan to learn their intention and stop them

DEVIL’S GOLD is an exciting thriller as both the good guys and the villains have plans for the beleaguered heroine who is uncertain she can trust anyone though she is attracted to Jake. He shares her confusions as he wants her and more so wants her to be innocent, but fears she is a deep operator in the NWP scenario. Neither trust the other (or their respective heart). The fully developed lead characters make for a special tale as they struggle to uncover the truth against a foe willing to execute a diabolical plan.

Harriet Klausner