THE SCALLOP PLOT

A wind farm project and fishermen’s livelihoods clash with deadly results in Foreman’s thriller.

An unlikely crush on international climate activist Greta Thunberg sets in motion a fatal chain of events in this small-town story with far-reaching implications. Inspired and besotted by Thunberg, Olaf Svensson embarks on a mission to build a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod’s Provincetown by any means necessary. His convoluted plan involves hiring fellow Swedes, scientists, and newlyweds Leif and Astrid Borgen, who get hired at Outermost Aquaculture with promises to use genetic engineering to create bigger, better, and thus more valuable scallops. Secretly, they’ll conduct their own work on behalf of Olaf, developing a toxic variant of scallops that will ravage the area where he wishes to build his wind farm. But when Provincetown locals start getting sick and even dying from the poisonous shellfish, the wheels quickly come off the plan. Astrid is burdened by guilt, and Leif turns to alcohol and women as his marriage falls apart. All while Samantha Fuller—Pulitzer-winning journalist for the Boston Times—gets wind of a story that’s much bigger than tainted seafood. Also caught in the turbines is Isabella Ferreira, a local fisherwoman who becomes the unexpected political voice of reason between the various environmentalist camps. At its heart, the novel navigates the terrain between the necessity of viable and affordable alternative energy sources to fossil fuel and the real-world impact they may have on livelihoods and even the environments these solutions are purported to save. The author’s background as an award-winning health columnist is evident throughout, giving clear-eyed explanations of complex scientific material. She also has a firm grasp of the complexities that arise in relationships between ambitious, career-minded couples. Those who have a keen interest in coastal life or environmental policy would do well to put this on their summer beach-reading list.

A compulsively readable, environmentally conscious crime story whose activist message doesn’t inhibit plot and pacing.