Petroplague by Amy Rogers

What if bacteria turned all the gasoline in Los Angeles into vinegar?

Carmageddon doesn’t begin to describe it; Petroplague does.

UCLA graduate student Christina Gonzalez wanted to use biotechnology to free America from its dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Instead, an act of eco-terrorism unleashes her genetically-modified bacteria into the fuel supply of Los Angeles, making petroleum useless.

With the city paralyzed and slipping toward anarchy, Christina must find a way to rein in the microscopic monster she created. But not everyone wants to cure the petroplague–and some will do whatever it takes to spread it. From the La Brea Tar Pits to university laboratories to the wilds of the Angeles National Forest, Christina and her cousin River struggle against enemies seen and unseen to stop the infection before it’s too late.

Set in the mountain-ringed Los Angeles basin, this terrifyingly plausible science thriller about good intentions, unexpected consequences, Peak Oil, climate change, experimental biofuels, and the astonishing power of microorganisms will give you pause every time you fill up your car.

PETROPLAGUE is available from Audible and Amazon.

 *****

“Petroplague has earned a spot in the top five on my best of 2011 list.” ThrillersRockTwitter

“A terrific thriller debut…Amy Rogers is one to watch.” Paul McEuen, author of Spiral

“It’s wonderful to read a thriller whose author knows her subject backwards and forwards, and demonstrates it on every page. As someone who lives in the LA area, I always look for signs that someone doesn’t know this area or how it operates. Amy Rogers nails every aspect of LA, from neighborhoods to our isolation in the event of a disaster like this one.” PopcornReads.com

“A great example of lab lit in the Crichtonesque school of epic science disaster writing…Amy Rogers has done an excellent job of not only crafting an exciting and thrilling piece of lab lit fiction, but also of offering an education in the science behind the scenes and a glimpse of a future we might face.” LabLit.com

“Rogers goes out of her way to actually talk about a scientist and the way science is done as more than just caricatures…” Kevin Bonham, ScienceBlogs.com

 *****

Amy Rogers is a scientist, educator, author, and critic. She loves real science in fiction, in the science thrillers she writes and the ones she reads and reviews at ScienceThrillers.com. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and California Writers Club.