Title: The Luxus Conspiracy
Description: It's a fairly well written terrorist-conspiracy novel in the style of Robert Ludlum and others of that ilk. A huge conglomerate corporation called Skyco has developed a genetic strain that is capable of actually destroying oil - deconstructing it in some manner. Once introduced to the oil reserve, it moves very quickly, completely destroying the entire reserve. Now, why a company would develop something like that, I have no idea. The book is about how this genetic material, called the Luxus, falls into the hands of a very determined terrorist and all the machinations, trials, and derring-do that Skyco, a company they hire to get it back, and numerous governments, including the U. S., Russia, and Israel, go through to get it back. Primary characters are Skyco's owner, his daughter, the chief agent for the company trying to get it back, and a lot of other people, mostly American, Soviet, and Israeli agents, most of whom don't survive, and of course, the terrorist and all of his cohorts. The book is action-packed, has romance, and even some humor. It has strong relationships and an intriguing plot twist that I saw coming but that was well-done nonetheless. It is not filled with profanity, which I appreciated. All in all, a satisfying read and a fast one, even at 522 pages. Definitely a page-turner.
Subjects: genetic research, terrorism, oil, conglomerate
Places: San Antonio, Paris, Bogota, Medellin, Beirut, Moscow, Bern
People: No one historical or real - all fictional characters except Gorbachev is a character in one scene.
Time periods: Late 1980s