Thirst for Justice

August 10, 2020
In the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo, Seattle surgeon Michael MacDougall, the hero of environmental lawyer Boyd’s taut, thought-provoking debut, gladly donates his medical services, but he’s unprepared for the flood of sick and dying. After outlaws assault members of his team, he returns to Seattle a haunted man. Convinced that America needs to do more for the Congo’s poor and destitute, MacDougall attempts to persuade people in power to take action, like increasing their access to clean water. When his efforts prove fruitless, he commits an act of bioterrorism with the hope of bringing the nation’s attention to his cause. The result finds him arrested and on trial facing the death penalty. Boyd does a fine job of presenting the mental state that leads MacDougall to his misguided action, and raises the question of whether a person can ever be justified for an act of terrorism. Part thriller, part political commentary, and part courtroom drama, this novel will stick with the reader long after the final page.

August 15, 2020
Environmentalist Boyd presents a fictional doctor with a plan to make U.S. power players attend to global water needs, though he may need to sacrifice himself to enact it. Trauma surgeon Michael MacDougall is changed forever during a trip to Congo with the International Medical Assistance Foundation. His ongoing quest for purpose and meaning is quashed when, on a trip through the Masisi province, Mai Mai attack his car, killing Laurent, his young Congolese driver, and raping his colleague Anna. On his return home to his wife, Maria, and his work in the emergency ward at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, Michael experiences the effects of trauma and depression, with difficulty concentrating and a sense of the meaningless of it all. He's not brought back to life until his oldest friend, Dominic, agrees to help him launch a foundation that will support developing nations with water, rendering the war for clean water access unnecessary. But months of being brushed off by politicians and potential funders frustrates Michael, who can see that the time for action is now. He develops a plan that's a bit off the books, and although skirting laws isn't typically his style, he feels certain that his plan will make people listen. But once it does, there are signs that Michael may be in way over his head, as corrupt honchos at federal agencies play games with the legal system to make him pay. Fast and fierce, fueled by a knowledge of the legal system that's equally energizing and disheartening.

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