Thirsty Planet, A Novel

In 2121 Dr. Moss Leder flees across Canada one-heart pounding step ahead of his ruthless enemies. Climate change is destroying civilization. Primitive bands of dehumanized squatters roam the Earth and kill for scarce drinking water.

Leder's innovative time booth holds the key to the planet's renewal. Leder's nemesis, R. Faro Bradshaw, and his greedy political cronies are exposed. They control the black market in fresh water. Fearing Leder's scheme will destroy their business model, they try to stop him. Leder and his private army of religious Sectaries go head to toe with Bradshaw's thugs.

At first, Leder's beautiful assistant, Zoe Reuel, is directed by Bradshaw, who is also her lover, to undermine Leder's plan. Can she throw off Bradshaw's influence and become one of Leder's advocates, and his lover…or is Bradshaw's hold on her too strong?

Open warfare erupts between those who control the water resources and those who don't, with Leder emerging as the charismatic leader of the Sectaries, a militant religious movement with a mission to heal the planet. Is this the last chance for the Earth?

An epic battle is fought in the ancient car tunnel under the Detroit River. Leder is wounded but escapes with Zoe Reuel. Destiny calls to them from 2022. Will they defeat their enemies in time or be forced to surrender?

A century earlier, in 2022, Cassie Lopez, is a passionate environmental specialist in the Administration of President Samantha Blackwell. She has uncovered startling evidence linking the corrupt Senator Alphonse Grimsby to the murder of several environmental activists.

When Cassie tries to make this information public, powerful forces are unleashed that threaten to destroy her and her husband, Paul.

When our 22nd century physicist and our 21st century politician team up to try to fix things, all hell breaks loose. The paradox of time travel brings both stories and love affairs together with a satisfying resolution in the year 2104.

And for people who like literary puzzles there is a wonderful "Old Testament" allegory, with biblical clues to be found in some of the key character's names.

This compelling novel was a finalist for the prestigious Montaigne Medal award for thought provoking fiction. It is a page-turning mystery tale about broken politics and the future of the Earth, a multi-century whodunnit with theological overtones. Time travel is central to this story, but its true genre is "political and religious literary fiction," rather than pure "science fiction."