In Drift , Jon McGoran combines action, suspense, tragedy and humor with unforgettable characters and a nuanced look at some of today's most controversial issues, including the role of biotechnology in food and agriculture today. When Philadelphia narcotics detective Doyle Carrick loses his mother and step-father within weeks of each other, he gains a twenty-day suspension for unprofessional behavior and instructions to lay low at the unfamiliar house he's inherited in rural Pennsylvania. Feeling restless and out of place, Doyle is surprised to find himself falling for his new neighbor, Nola Watkins, who's under pressure to sell her organic farm to a large and mysterious development company. He's more surprised to see high-powered drug dealers driving the small-town roads--dealers his bosses don't want to hear about. But when the drug bust Doyle's been pushing for goes bad and the threats against Nola turn violent, Doyle begins to discover that what's growing in the farmland around Philadelphia is much deadlier than anything he could have imagined . . . Quick, clever, and terrifying, Jon McGoran's Drift is a commercial thriller in the tradition of Nelson DeMille's Plum Island .
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Jon McGoran is the author of ten novels, including Spliced, Splintered and Spiked, a trilogy of near-future YA science fiction thrillers from Holiday House Books.Spliced was named to the ALA’s Library Information Technology Association (LITA) inaugural 2018 LITA Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists and was also named one of the American Bookseller’s Association’s 2017 ABC Best Books for Young Readers. The sequel, Splintered, comes out May 2019. His other books include the acclaimed ecological thrillers Drift, Deadout, and Dust Up, from Tor/Forge Books, and The Dead Ring, based on the hit TV show, The Blacklist. Writing as D. H. Dublin, he is the author of the forensic thrillers Body Trace, Blood Poison and Freezer Burn, from Penguin Books. His short fiction includes stories in the recent anthologies Hardboiled Horror and Joe Ledger: Unstoppable, as well as the novella “After Effects,” from Amazon StoryFront; Bad Debt, which received an honorable mention in Best American Mystery Stories 2014; and stories in a variety of other anthologies. He is a founding member of the Philadelphia Liars Club, a group of published authors dedicated to writers helping writers. When not writing novels and short fiction, McGoran works as a freelance writer and developmental editor and co-host of the writing podcast The Liars Club Oddcast. Find him on Twitter at @JonMcGoran, facebook.com/jonmcgoran/ or at www.jonmcgoran.com. Or visit www.spliced.world and splice yourself!
Drift is my introduction to the author Jon McGoran and I must say that I enjoyed reading this novel. Drift is narrated by Doyle Carrick, a narcotics detective from Philadelphia. After the death of his mother, and then his father(step), he is issued a twenty-day suspension after behaving badly on the job. He decides that the best thing for him is to go away to his parents' home located in Philadelphia's rural countryside.
As if things aren't bad enough for Doyle with the death of his parents, as well as his suspension, it seems that the small town has a drug problem. The town seems to be overrun with meth and heroin labs. Before long, Doyle finds trouble with not only the local police chief but the drug runners as well. What was supposed to be a quiet suspension quickly becomes anything but.
Jon McGoran writes Drift at a pace that is acceptable to anyone who likes their mysteries fast, swift, and to the point. There were no moments I felt that something wasn't happening. Even when McGoran was giving information about GMOs and really driving the food movement home to people like me who love a McNugget every now and again, it flows seemlessly. It so informational about the chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones used in food. These nuggets of information are well-placed and don't make the reader feel like they've been taken from the story that's happening.
Much of the novel also involves an attraction Doyle has with his neighbor Nola. He assumes she's being forced into selling her organic farm by a ghost development company. Besides Doyle, she is the only well developed character. I was introduced to MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity through Nola. I love informational tidbits in novels and McGoran has definitely supplied that thirst.
Overall, Drift is an enjoyable speedy read that I don't think should be missed. The buildup is good and the danger this novel incorporates makes me forever look at McNugget's differently.
Jon McGoran was up for some harsh scrutiny when I cracked open this book. He co-taught a fiction writing class that I attended and I wanted to see if the man practiced what he preached. With his background running the marketing of an organic food co-op, I expected his book to be preachy about the evils of GMOs and Monsanto and all the other stuff I already know about. And I know that fellow writers tend to fluff up their buddies, so after reading some of the advanced copy reviews I didn't know what to expect. My critic's goggles were set to 11.
What I got was a chase through cornfields by assault rifle-toting drug dealers, narrow escapes from mysterious diseases, hitchcockian crop dusting planes, small-town politics, mutant plants, and a whole lot of angst and blood loss. The book really moves and it was hard to stop reading. A great mix of action, mystery, science, and Leonard Elmore-y dialog. Oh, and there's a romance and awkward buddy story tying everything together in a sharp, witty package.
DRIFT had been on my ‘to read’ list since it was released and received praise from several of my friends. In another case of “wish I had read it before I met the author” (of which I appear to have a chronic condition), I had the great pleasure of hearing McGoran read at the “Noir at the Bar” panel (a great back and forth between the main character, Doyle Carrick, and his partner) and chatting with him again, later that night.
I found DRIFT (an excellent and very appropriate title, by the way…) to be compelling and entertaining on a number of fronts, not the least of which was centering the mystery around GMOs. McGoran successfully instructed me on a foreign subject matter without slowing the pace of the story and/or dumping paragraphs of information. I loved the small town setting and the suspended/powerless cop vs. Sheriff struggle early on, and the transformation of their relationship. Tightly paced, great characters and a fascinating mystery. I’m looking forward to McGoran’s next book, the sequel to DRIFT, entitled, DEADOUT, coming summer 2014.
This timely thrill ride will make you think twice before biting into fresh fruit.
When a Philly narcotics detective moves to the country, he never expects big city crime to follow him.
But suspended Detective Doyle Carrick has a gut for bad things - and he knows something is deadly wrong in the rural Pennsylvania town.
Farmers have sold their land to shell companies that immediately resold the property. No one knows who owns their old acres now. Carrick's lovely next door neighbor, organic farmer Nola Watkins, hasn't sold - and keeps getting threats to do so. Watkins suffers from a rare illness that makes exposure to most chemicals deadly.
With known drug dealers running freely through town, Carrick knows something big is going down.
Suspended and on edge since the death of his mother and stepfather, Carrick becomes quickly embroiled in a deadly, unauthorized investigation that doesn't turn up drugs, but something far more sinister - and it's growing on the farmland.
The strength of Drift not only lies in author Jon McGoran's superb writing, but his knowledge of the food movement as well. He has been writing about food trends for years, and continues to do so from his Philedelphia home. His unique twist to gentically modified foods (GMOs) is, quite simply, awesome. I haven't seen anything quite like it before.
As a follower of the GMO movement, I appreciated a dynamic story that didn't turn preachy. McGoran has managed to take a complicated issue like GMOs, put it into perspective, then drive an incredibly unique twist into the science - one that isn't hard to believe. No matter where mystery and thriller fans sit in the GMO debate, they will eat up this novel.
Doyle Carrick is one of my favorite antiheros. I love a cop who won't hesitate to break the law to do what is right.
This timely ecological thriller will keep most readers guessing - and hungry for more.
The book is out July 9, 2013. Preorder a copy today! You won't regret adding this thriller to your summer reading pile.
Exciting and scary, page after page, I could't set the book down. I said it would probably take be a few days to read, but I did it in one.
A realistic story set in rural Philly with references that make the setting and characters come to life. Knowing Pennsylvania as well as I do, made all the references relevant. Harrisburg, Erie, Centralia...
The main character,Doyle, is a smart ass cop, on suspension. He flees the city to take his "break" and finds himself neck-deep in genetically altered food, crazy scientist, and thugs with automatic weapons.
Read it, and you will think twice about what you put in your mouth.
Just finished reading DRIFT, and wow, loved the ride. McGoran creates a character with depth and a hilarious attitude, too. I laughed out loud at many spots, but I have to say I also felt deeply moved by this character when he dealt with some heavy stuff. Excellent action, a really fresh plot and spot on writing kept me flipping the pages and left me satisfied at the end - and eager to recommend this great thriller to my friends. And the issue of messing with our food supply, and the scary believable ramifications behind it? Well handled and disturbing. Grab this book!
I enjoyed DRIFT more than I thought I would. For a novel with a theoretical point to make (the inherent danger of GMOs), it manages to remain fun and not sanctimonious. I can't say it's the deepest novel I've ever read, and I don't mean that in a pricklish way, but it takes the right decision to be an entertaining novel rather than a moving one. I've had the same kind of pleasure reading DRIFT than I usually have watching a good episode of CSI, LAW & ORDER or another network TV show of that nature. It's easy consumption, yet not hollow.
I don't know how DRIFT could have been better than it actually is. This kind of novel usually range from 'mediocre' to 'complete disaster' as DRIFT managed to consistantly remain very good for close to 400 pages. If you don't believe in the idea of eco-thriller, maybe you should give this novel a try. It thinks outside the box and focuses on delivering a killer story rather than frightening you into submission.
Update: great thriller! Imagine if Michael Crichton had written Die Hard and dumped John McClane in rural PA (only Doyle Carrick is smarter and less mouthy). Loved it, right to the last word.
Enjoying this. A well-paced thriller featuring a tough Philly cop, on suspension and out of his element in rural Pennsylvania. There's a shadowy developer and themes of Big Agriculture and GMOs, but the story has yet to become heavy handed or preachy on these (or any) issues. I'm over half way through and will not be able to put it down...
fast paced and really interesting, it has the feeling of Jack Reacher. The crime is also really complex and at the same time incredibly relevant to our time. The twists and turns make the novel even more compelling. However, it is the main character that really sells it. Doyle Carrick is a really intriguing character as well- funny, brisk, hard-ass with a softer side- he makes for an A-typical cop but a wonderful hero.
Grim concept delivered with some humor and at a fast clip. McGoran writes about the dangers of GMOs without hammering you over the head. The main character is a likable guy/a bit of a mess (the same thing, right?) who stumbles on some criminal activity in the farmlands outside Philadelphia. Activity that should belong in a science fiction novel but, alas, is becoming alarmingly possible. Fun read!
Suspended Philadelphia Detective Doyle Carrick heads west into rural Pennsylvania to bury his step father, falls in love and uncovers a diabolic plot to re-engineer crops. An original plot highlights this fast paced thriller with very memorable characters. Hopefully this is the start of a long running series featuring Doyle Carrick. I liked it and recommend it to my GR friends..........Ed
Just finished Jon McGoran's DRIFT in record time--a fast-paced thriller with an plot made more alarming by its plausibility. McGoran pits his very appealing hero, Doyle Carrick, against some dastardly villains, and also presents a cast of wonderfully drawn supporting characters. His portrayal of Carrick's relationship with his recently deceased parents is especially poignant.
I used to read a lot of books like this, but have been on to other things lately. This one reminded me of why I used to read so many.
Great concept, too, since GMOs are everyone's favorite thing to hate these days, but I like the idea of an ec0-thriller. Inventive, fast, and suspenseful. Carrick is kind of a lovable jerk, but his relationship with his fellow officers in Philly were pretty hilarious. Going to have to add more of these back into my list!
For thriller fans, Jon McGoran's DRIFT was quite satisfying on a number of levels. The plot itself offers the desired levels of twists and turns and tension, but the people and the -- let us say agencies -- creating the problems against which the novel's main character is responding, are unexpected and fresh (at least to my eyes). In other words, not the usual bad guys, which made the book all the more enjoyable to me.
Then there are the characters, the main one of whom we are concerned is Doyle Carrick. He's a Philly cop who's on a three-week suspension for making some choices that go against the book. What's interesting, though, is that McGoran let us travel with Carrick as he made those decisions and can understand -- and sympathize with -- why he did what he did. At the same time, what's even more interesting to me, and what gives this character legs that might enable him to stroll into future McGoran novels, is that we as readers see Carrick more completely than he does himself. The man's got some impulse control issues that we're more aware of than he is. He's got some fears -- which you don't usually see in this kind of character in this way -- that he doesn't even understand. In short, he's a character whose insight into himself is limited in interesting ways. Some of that's going to get him in trouble, clearly, and we wonder as readers whether he's going to get to know himself as well as we know him. At the same time, I suspect there are whole aspects of his personality that we might not yet know -- and some of these he will be aware of while others will be completely inaccessible to him.
The other characters in the novel are nowhere near as complex as Carrick, and while they're an interesting group in terms of their role in the novel they feel a bit more like set pieces. At the same time, because we see them through Carrick's eyes, that may be an indication of how he sees them more than anything else. There are two characters in particular about whom he harbors believes that are wrong, and while he realizes this by the end of the novel the degree to which he insists on the validity of his beliefs is one of those things that makes him interesting and complex. I felt he fell for Nola a bit too fully and too quickly (and she, perhaps for him), but these are minor points overall.
In short, DRIFT is a fun way to spend an rainy weekend. It's well written, well-researched (McGoran is a man who does know the insides of food), and exciting not just for itself but for the promise of whatever else may come in the future from McGoran's pen.
Three years after Philadelphia narcotics detective Doyle Carrick’s mother and stepfather move to what he’d always thought of as the sleepy countryside of Dunston, Pennsylvania, he finds himself driving there for the second time in several days, the first time to attend his mother’s funeral, the second to attend that of his step-father. The second time, though, he can stay somewhat longer, since he’s under suspension after an incident that also mandated he undergo mandatory Anger Management sessions (which he takes as a suggestion, one that he ignores.) But the town, on closer inspection this time around, doesn’t seen quite so sleepy, that myth quickly disintegrating as Doyle comes upon drug dealers, menacing land developers, crop fires, and trucks intent on running him off the road. And local law enforcement doesn’t seem to take any of this too seriously.
On the positive side, Doyle meets the woman who lives across the road from his parents’ property, beautiful Nola Watkins, who has a serious problem with genetically modified crops and a serious interest in organic farming, one that she has turned into a burgeoning business, selling her produce to some markets and food co-ops in Philly, as well as a couple of restaurants and high-end caterers. But she has been under some pressure to sell her property, as most of the people in the area seem to have done, and has been receiving phone calls with nothing on the other end except a dial tone.
The novel is well-written, suspenseful, and cleverly plotted, with an engaging protagonist, at the same time raising important and timely environmental issues. There’s a lot of action, and a lot of leavening humor. The plot twists when they come are unexpected and quite startling, initially requiring a willful suspension of disbelief, but quickly turning into an unexpectedly believable scenario. Fast-paced and very enjoyable, the book is highly recommended.
Drift is a very current suspense/thriller with all of the talk of GMOs in the news lately. Doyle Carrick is a Philadelphia cop who has a knack for finding both trouble and the bad guy. His mother and step father die within a relatively short period of time and he finds himself serving a 20 day suspension so he heads to their rural Pennsylvania home to try and settle their estates. What he finds is not the sleepy little town he expected.
I must admit that since I live on a small farm and my husband and I grow most of our own food this book greatly interested me - the hubby too. It's now in his reading pile. Fortunately for us we don't have any big farms residing next door. The story involves Doyle helping the neighbor, Nola who is trying to earn organic certification. (although that part of the plot is probably out of date as most small farms are no longer seeking Federal organic certification due to the ridiculous regulations that have been instituted.) A rare type of corn that she is growing sickens with a weird type of fungus and as she searches for why they answers she and Doyle find can kill them in more ways than one.
This was a page turner at points. Sometimes it did bog a bit in the science but given the overall topic a bit of science is to be expected. Overall it was a fast paced, very timely read. Some characters were a bit cardboard (local police chief, local bully, drug dealing bad guys) but the main ones like Doyle, Nola, Doyle's cop friend, his parents are all well rounded and they are the ones that give the book its heart. I think Doyle is one of those characters that can carry a series and I hope to see him back fighting eco crime again.
I bet Jon McGoran has seen a lot of Hollywood cop movies. A LOT of Hollywood cop movies. And I bet he was imagining his book Drift as a movie as he wrote it.
The hero, Doyle Carrick, is a likable guy. A Philadelphia narcotics detective on suspension for unprofessional behavior. Bit of a hot head, but with a good heart. If he’s not shooting at something or someone, he is being shot at. He loves his gun. He takes it with him everywhere – even into the shower at one point! And he’s even able to take control of a gun in the arms of a dead bad guy and use it to shoot at the other bad guys.
With nothing else to do while on suspension, Doyle heads to his parents’ house in the country when his stepfather dies. His mother is already dead. He meets a pretty girl, a stereotypical blustery incompetent chief of police, and a host of shady characters. The girl, Nola, is trying to establish an organic farm, but someone is determined to see her fail.
This book is light on romance and character development (despite the hero’s brooding over his relationship with his dead stepfather), heavy on rogue cop action. There are a lot of convoluted twists to the plot, leaving gaping holes behind. But it’s a quick read. If you like Russian bad guys, cops with a heavy trigger finger, buddy cop banter, and a pretty girl thrown in for good measure, you may enjoy Jon McGoran’s ecological thriller Drift.
Jon McGoran has successfully spanned the mystery-thriller genre with his book Drift. One-part police procedural and one-part science based eco-thriller, Drift has something for everyone. With this flexibility, Jon will have the opportunity to take his main character, Doyle Carrick, in many different directions in the future. I'm eager to read the sequel, Deadout: A Thriller to see what happens next.
The pace starts out a bit slow, but it pays dividends later, as the reader has plenty of time to get comfortable with the setting (a small town called Dunstan) and the town's eclectic set of characters. When the action ramps up, the reader is fully vested in the characters and their lives. Doyle Carrick gets to show off his detective props with some unique and inventive fight scenes.
The main subject, genetically modified organisms, is a unique one that is handled deftly. Just enough science to anchor the threat, but not enough to glaze over the eyes of the less-techie reader. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
Man what a rock solid novel! Great unique plot, great characters, great pacing, chapters formatted for modern day reading.
I know the author, and quite enjoyed his DH Dublin books. But this 5 star rating is no gimme. It's well deserved. With Drift, Jon hits a new level. Jon hangs out with to a group of local writers and it's wonderful to watch how they have lifted each other to new heights.
At 378 pages, it's a long one. But there is no filler. I leisurely read this for about a month; it's one of those books that are hard to say goodbye to when you reach the end.
I started reading Jon McGoran first Doyle Carrick novel, DRIFT, pretty much blind. I only knew is was about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and that David Morrell raved about it. I was expecting horror with a science angle, which I did get, but not in the ways I had imagined. First off, the novel is a character driven work, about short-tempered, driven and gifted detective Doyle Carrick. He is drawn to an unfamiliar town to deal with personal loss and wait out a suspension from the police force. But, when two weeks off from the job is interrupted by nefarious dealings, the cop in Doyle can let him just sit by and watch as people are hurt. His character makes a very authentic arc through events including the discovery of a mutant strain of GMO corn, drug dealing and a possibly enormous threat to the environment. The supporting characters are as true as Carrick, and McGoran creates a well lived-in small town. The plot segues from police procedural to mystery to science-based fiction (hard, actual science) as it plows ahead to a satisfying resolution. This book will leave you wanting more Carrick (DEAD OUT is the second in the series and is currently available) and, if you're like me, really hankering for an apple.
What a great read! I love that it's got a modern twist and theme to the typical crime books. This is an ecological thriller about genetically modified foods and pharmaceuticals. When Philadelphia narcotics detective Doyle Carrick loses his mother and step-father within weeks of each other, he gains a twenty-day suspension for unprofessional behavior and instructions to lay low at the unfamiliar house he's inherited in rural Pennsylvania. Feeling restless and out of place, Doyle is surprised to find himself falling for his new neighbor, Nola Watkins, who's under pressure to sell her organic farm to a large and mysterious development company. He's more surprised to see high-powered drug dealers driving the small-town roads--dealers his bosses don't want to hear about. But when the drug bust Doyle's been pushing for goes bad and the threats against Nola turn violent, Doyle begins to discover that what's growing in the farmland around Philadelphia is much deadlier than anything he could have imagined . . . This book is quick, clever, and terrifying, Jon McGoran's Drift is a commercial thriller in the tradition of Nelson DeMille's Plum Island.
Having precious time in between classes to sneak in some selfish reading, I grabbed my copy of Drift and eagerly dug in. I was well rewarded by my choice. Doyle and Nola are intriguing and complex characters and you can't turn the pages quickly enough to learn more about them. The story is continually twisting and growing, building anticipation and excitement and genuine fear when one realizes the potential realities of something as scary as the GMO industry. It is educational, yet not overwhelming and inspired me to learn more about the realities of what is happening to the food supply. I had at first expected more technicality, and was pleasantly surprised that it was more thriller and secondly a finely spun, awakening look into this scary science. The characters and story were constantly attention grabbing and the end fully met my expectations. I will have a few days coming up soon, and I am waiting excitedly to spend my beach time with the sequel "Dead Out" happily in my hands! Thanks Jon for such a fun and enlightening read!
Jon McGoran is now singlehandedly responsible for my investigating the frozen vegetables I regularly consume. The thoughts this book conjure up about what our food sources have become are truly frightening; even more so than supernatural thrillers, because this story is based in reality. This thriller was different than anything I'd ever read, but I've been trying to expand my literary universe lately and put this one solidly in the win column. I loved the well-drawn characters and the "noir" aspect of the writing, and was happy that there was more suspense than romance. I also loved that the female lead is smart and strong. I hope Nola Watkins continues to be a part of the series. As a fan of Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series, I see myself following Doyle Carrick (and Nola!) through other thrilling stories. Deadout is next on my list. By the way, I listened to this on audio.
A high energy ride that from beginning to end had me flipping pages so quickly! Doyle is a detective that from an incident is put on suspension and he heads home to his parents' former home as they have both recently passed away. Upon arriving in the farmland of Pennsylvania, he is immediately swept into some drama that wouldn't normally be seen in this rural, small town.
This was the first book I read by McGoran and I really enjoyed it! Overall, it was a great read, action packed and really got me thinking. I didn't see the ending coming and how we got there was a bit convoluted. In the end it all made sense. My only complaint is the book was slow to start. Once I got about half way through I couldn't put it down. The topic is very timely and definitely sheds light on the dangers of GMOs.
Drift is an incredibly fun read with thriller, mystery, and suspense elements with a large dose of eco-terrorism. The protagonists are sharp, witty, and realistically flawed. What's to not love when you have characters with names like Doyle, Nora AND Moose & Squirrel I had the great privilege to meet Jon McGoran in person recently. An excellent writer, and a really neat guy! I am looking forward to book two in the series, Deadout, releasing in August. Highly recommended!
Enjoyed the hell out of "Drift". After I attended the book launch I wondered if this book would be a little too preachy about GMOs, for my taste. I was glad to find that it was a balanced thriller... The right amount of suspense and tech. Great read!
This book is a welcome addition to the Thriller genre. It was a quick enjoyable read that (only slightly) educated readers about GMO's and similar topics. No preachiness or politics to ruin my experience.
Doyle Carrick has a nose for trouble and the bruises to prove it. This is an exquisitely plotted novel continually raises the states and has you on the edge of your seat wondering how Doyle is going to out of one mess after another. Read it from cover to cover in a day.