Thirst for Justice

Boyd is an associate professor at UBC and is currently serving as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. He has written several non-fiction books including 'The Rights of Nature" and "The Optimistic Environmentalist". This new release is a fiction thriller, with the right to access to clean water at its core. The plot involves Michael who is a trauma surgeon who has been volunteering his expertise to save lives in the Congo. When he his forced to return home after a violent roadside confrontation with mercenaries he continues to try and help raise funds for Africa and clean water initiatives. Frustrated by lack of progress he contemplates desperate action, and we realize the psychological toll the humanitarian crisis has taken on Michael. This is in part a legal thriller where the characters and the reader must think about when does the ends justify the means. This is definitely a thriller with a message and a good recommendation for fans of the genre.

This is an unusual and thought provoking novel about a man who is changed and charged by violence during his Samaritan work overseas. Dr. Michael MacDougall's work in the Congo ends when his vehicle is attacked, his driver killed, and his colleague raped. He doesn't really accept or acknowledge what happened or the ensuing PTSd but his colleagues back in Seattle, as well as his wife, with whom he has had a difficult relationship, see it. The foundation he forms with his friend Dominic- promoting clean water in Africa- doesn't get as much attention or momentum as he hopes, leading him to commit an act of terrorism himself. Is his experience in Africa and his mental health a defense to what he's done? That's the question explored in the second half of this well plotted novel which features realistic courtroom scenes. It's easy to judge Michael but he's a well written and complex character who will stick in your mind. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not the easiest read but a worthy one.