UotH Book Review: The Green Trap

The boss came in the other day with three copies of Ben Bova's "The Green Trap." It seemed pretty relevant to us; a scientist is killed, ostensibly by oil company thugs, for his research on hydrogen producing cyanobacteria. His brother, Paul Cochrane, gets all bent out of shape and becomes determined to solve the crime. Through twists and turns, swordfighting (not kidding), and sexy time with Elena Sandoval ("No student, he immediately realized. Too well dressed. She was wearing a tailored white blouse and a midthigh skirt of deep green. Her face was oval. with lustrous dark hair pulled back tightly. Green eyes, almond-shaped, almost Oriental. Good figure. Nice legs" (p. 19).) our protagonist discovers the secrets to his brother's research.

How do these cyanobacteria make hydrogen, you ask? Well according to "The Green Trap," "'They split it out of the water molecules!' Cochrane was so excited he started bouncing up and down on the sofa. 'Water is haitch-two-oh! Two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom!'" (p. 132). Unicorns! We've been wasting our time! H2O!!! Helloooo!?!

Needless to say, like Tulius's staff we're "working balls-out to reproduce the murdered man's work" (p. 218).