Human beings are arrogant. We think we are a lot more important than we are. At one time we thought the earth was the center of the universe and we were the most important creatures living on the earth. Although some of us have grudgingly given up that idea, we still think we have a lot more power than we do.

For example, we think we have control of the weather on the earth. Although the earth has been warming and cooling, cyclically, for billions of years without our interference, all of a sudden we have acquired the ability to manipulate this.

In the history of the earth there have been periods of mass extinctions of animal and plant species, caused by cataclysmic events such as gigantic volcanic eruptions or collisions with asteroids. Some people say we’re experiencing an ongoing mass extinction caused by human beings. There’s no doubt that humans have hastened the extinction of some species, but are we causing a mass extinction?

Could it be that some of us use our version of scientific evidence to pursue our own political goals? Some people say the science of global warming (or fill in your own favorite cause) is settled. Science is never settled. If it were, the earth would still be the center of the universe. But new discoveries are constantly being made.

My new suspense novel, Good to the Last Death, takes a look at self-described do-gooders who may be doing a lot more harm than good. When Carol Golden’s husband, Rigo, disappears, she not only has to look for him but also elude the FBI at the same time since there is evidence she may have been involved in his disappearance.

She doggedly follows a faint trail, keeping her location a secret from everybody except her friend, Jennifer, a spy-in-training, who takes time off from her top-secret job to help Carol. What they find out is that an organization of “good” people dedicated to saving the earth from global warming and pollution may feel justified in carrying out activities reminiscent of the worst tyrants of the twentieth century as part of their solution, and that Rigo may be the first casualty.

The search for Rigo and the truth will take Carol from her married home of Los Angeles to the ruggedly beautiful Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado where an unusually hot summer (global warming in action or cyclical variation?) is fueling passions that may not be conducive to the long-term viability of the human race. Carol and Jennifer must have concrete evidence of wrongdoing and Rigo’s whereabouts before they can call in the FBI, but keeping themselves alive is going to be their first job. One misstep in the mountains can be fatal.