Mills, Kyle: Darkness Falls

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In Kyle Mills's 2007 thriller Darkness Falls, a cadre of ecological terrorists devise an ingenious scheme to save the planet by destroying human civilization as we know it. They're targeting the world's petroleum supplies with genetically engineered bacteria that feed on oil. The book's principal good guy is Erin Neal, a biologist who literally wrote the book on bacteria, whose sympathies with the ecological movement suggest to many in the government that he may be the proverbial hen-house-guarding fox. But the truth of Neal's complicity in the terrorist attacks is by no means straightforward. Erin's girlfriend, another biologist, is also out to stop the bacteria's spread. They are alternately hindered and abetted by Mark Beamon, who's running Homeland Security's investigation into the eco-terrorism.

I have no idea whether the doomsday scenario Mills envisions is even remotely possible, but it came across as plausible enough for fiction. The storyline is interesting and the book is a good, quick read. It is not a great read, however, and I believe that's because Mills's characters are not compelling. One wants the good guys to win, of course, lest civilization be slapped back to the Dark Ages. But I didn't much care whether the protagonists lived or died. And the intensity of Erin's attachment to his girlfriend is hard to fathom because she is not a likable enough person to inspire that level of devotion. One final complaint is that the book's epilogue doesn't quite make sense: Mark Beamon keeps something secret from Erin Neal for no good reason, other than to provide the book with a sentimental send-off.