Book Review

Bad Seed
by Beth Saulnier
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Published: February 2002

| About the Book | About the Author | The Review | Where to Order | free chapter |
| Interview with Beth Saulnier |

About the Book
Her previous adventures were hailed as "delightful [and] energetic," by Publishers Weekly and "suspenseful, great fun" by thriller master James Patterson. Now, irreverent Gen-X reporter Alex Bernier is back with her most challenging mystery yet amid a brave new frontier of genetic engineering, any-means-neccessary political protest—and old-fasioned, diabolical murder...

BAD SEED

An eccentric upstate New York college town, Gabriel is traditionally a hotbed of debate, activism, and academic infighting. But, not even Alex and her jaded coworkers on the Gabriel Monitor have ever seen anything like the intense controversy over so-called "Frankenfoods"—genetically engineered crops that some believe will wipe out world hunger and others decry as science gone mad. Suddenly Benson University and Gabriel are a battleground, with both sides willing to stop at nothing for their cause. And when Alex discovers charismatic, driven, plant science professor Kate Barnett beaten to death in her lab, the journalist finds suspects sprouting from every corner of the campus.

With the Monitor's ace science writer Jake Madison out of commission after a perplexing overdose and Alex's policeman boyfriend Brian Cody incommunicado thanks to FBI orders, Alex must solve the deadly mystery on her own. Soon crossing her path is a host of shady characters, including: several of Kate's jealous colleagues; a manipulative protest leader; an elusive grad student accusing the professor of an unthinkable academic crime; and Kate's own troubled son, a refugee adopted from Ethiopia.

Alex's search for the truth will lead her along the ever-shifting line between dedication and ambition, altruism and greed, painful truth and deadly lies...and to a dangerous endgame against a ruthless killer who will weed out anything that stands in the way—including an inconveniently tenacious reporter.

Witty, smart, and irreverent, BAD SEED features a unique and unforgettable contemporary detective in a riveting tale about the hidden limits of science and ideals, and the deeper mysteries of the human heart.



About the Author
Beth Saulnier
Beth Saulnier is a writer for the Ithaca Journal and is an associate editor and staff writer for Cornell Magazine. She is also a film commentator on local television.

The Review
It's no secret that I especially love books that are part of an engaging series. I like to get to know a character and follow her (or him) through an array of adventures. That's why I found Bad Seed such a pleasure to read. OK, I'm a bit behind. It's the 4th, and latest, in the Alex Bernier series. But I promise it won't take me long to read through the first 3. This book was that good.

Beth Saulnier is a talented writer, creating very real characters. Alex felt so real, and so female. The story had enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning. I highly recommend this book to any James Patterson, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman or John Sanford fan.

~Trixie, March 2002

Where to Buy
Amazon.com

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