THE SPILL by Keith Abbott – Terrorism Thriller, Techno-Thriller, International Crime

In Keith Abbott’s thriller, The Spill, an intelligent, well-funded, politically connected organization of Arab Terrorists precipitates an environmental catastrophe meant to have world-shattering consequences – in their favor, of course.

But the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. Their plans are uncovered, giving their opposition a chance to mobilize all of its forces. Those terrible consequences may be too late to completely thwart, but there is just enough time to channel the disaster in a way that could save the world rather than end it.

All it will take is one lawyer who refuses to let the villains win and one crackerjack scientist willing to go where no one has gone before – and come back to tell the tale.

The gripping story of The Spill begins with a well-planned and thoroughly executed environmental disaster – along with a couple of less well-planned actual executions. From there it’s a breakneck race, as American oil company executive Jesse Ford struggles to contain the oil spill itself, the political and economic fallout, and dig deeply into the causes that set this whole mess up in the first place.

Set against Jesse and his colleagues is a hidden cabal of scientifically-minded terrorists who plan to take the West down by a combination of stealth, bioterrorism, and fanaticism. The first stages of their plan go almost flawlessly, but it begins going off the rails once Jesse and company start digging into their network of secrets.

The characters on the two sides of this conflict, Jesse Ford and Aran Lassiter, are forceful and driven, and yet opposite in every way.

Much of the story is told through Ford’s first-person perspective. From inside his head, we see a pragmatic man, but one who cares about his people and has lines he never thought he would cross.

Aran Lassiter is his perfect foil, a man broken and reforged in pain. He has been molded into a weapon, willing to cross any line and break any rule – or person – to share his pain with everyone in his path – friend and enemy alike.

The Spill is a techno-thriller that’s compulsively page-turning from the very first word.

The plot to destroy the West is chilling in its execution – all the more so because it feels entirely too plausible. Readers will get close to Jesse and his team, to the point where each victory is a moment to cheer, and each loss heartbreaking.

To thwart the villains, these heroes turn to a solution so far out of the box that it’s sourced in science fiction – but the story is so riveting that even non-SF readers will be pulled along to the conclusion.

The ending manages to plant the seeds of later destruction in its victorious moment, leaving readers hungering for more of this absolute thrill ride of a read!