Steven Paul Mark's critically acclaimed debut novel, "Drift" uses a gripping mystery plotline to examine timely environmental issues.
Natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and hurricanes have the potential to bring widespread devastation and seem to fill up headlines far too often. But what if those natural disasters weren't so natural? What if someone had the power to control the earth's tectonic plates and create these disasters? That's the question first time author Steven Paul Mark asked himself. His imaginative answer is the central conflict of his mystery/thriller novel, "Drift" (ISBN 1601450621, Booklocker.com, Inc., 2006).
The hero of "Drift" is Max LaFollette, an ex-Marine and unemployed marketing executive who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a violent conspiracy after unknowingly mentioning a taboo name during an interview with a big oil company. Max is forced to flee and joins an underground community living within the subway tunnels of Manhattan.
The vivid plot twists, romance, and adventure that follow are reminiscent of a classic good guy, bad guy action flick. Mark likens the quick-pace and shifting points of view in his novel to "a movie where the audience anticipates the action and yells out to warn the character."
The title of the book refers to continental drift, the natural mechanism by which landmasses move slowly over millions of years changing the locations and make-up of continents in relation to each other. "Drift" also refers to society's ambivalence towards dangerous and frightening processes, such as global warming, Mark said.
Reading "Drift" simply for pleasure will fulfill one's cravings for an exciting page-turner. Current environmental and political issues, however, bring "Drift" up into a class of its own and create a far more rousing and compelling read than a typical mystery novel.
"I want readers to enjoy my book, but I also suspect they will see through the fictional story to the underlying fact of how fragile the Earth is and how little has to occur before our environment is tilted on its side," Mark said.
Steven Paul Mark resides in New York with his partner Judy. He holds degrees from Colgate University and Brooklyn Law School. He is an entertainment lawyer who has held senior executive positions with HBO and Comedy Central. His clients have included Sam Shepard, The Howard Stern Show and George Carlin. Mark is hard at work on his next novel, a murder mystery/archeological thriller. "Drift" (ISBN 1601450621, Booklocker.com, Inc., 2006) can be purchased at local and online bookstores.
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