Bad Seed: An Alex Bernier Mystery [Hardcover]

Beth Saulnier (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alex Bernier Mysteries | Publication Date: February 13, 2002

Journalist Alex Bernier has her hands full investigating a breaking story for the Gabriel Monitor. A legion of activists has besieged Benson University to protest research on genetically engineered food. The debate threatens to rip the town in half, as people in favour of using bioengineering face off against those who oppose the technology at any cost. When Kate Barnett, a charismatic plant science professor and avid proponent of genetic engineering, is found beaten to death in her lab, the activists are the number one suspects. But is it really such an open-and-shut case? What about Barnett's colleagues, envious of her fame and grant money? Her troubled son, who has been in and out of jail? Or the grad student who accused Barnett of stealing her ideas? As Alex searches for the truth, she discovers that her best friend, hard-drinking science reporter Jake Madison, is out of commission after an overdose everyone assumes was self-inflicted - everyone except Alex.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, March 2002: In this, the fourth book (and first hardcover) featuring Alex Bernier, a young reporter on the newspaper in an upstate New York college town, the motive for murder lies hidden in the latest local controversy. To wit: Benson University, which dominates the town of Gabriel (think, for example, of Cornell University and Ithaca, where this talented young author lives), has been playing host to a biotech conference, and, as we all know, such events are veritable magnets for mischief in a world where potentially violent protest groups believe, just as their antagonists do, that the ends fully justify the means.

In this case, there are numerous "bad seeds" for protestors to rail against, ranging from Golden Rice (bioengineered to contain dozens of unnaturally occurring "micronutrients") to potatoes and bananas that are capable of delivering vaccines to millions without the bother of injection. One could also call the militant members of the greener-than-green organization known as Don't Break the Food Chain bad seeds since, despite their polite middle-class upbringings, they seem to have little conscience when it comes to arrogantly taking the law into their own hands.

Another candidate for the title of bad seed is the crusading amazon of a professor, the late and little-lamented Kate Barnett, who was willing to pervert her scientific knowledge in the name of progress.

As lively narrator Alex Bernier eventually learns, what's at stake at the conference is even more ethically questionable that the quest for "better broccoli," and the story behind the story turns out to be even hotter than a peck of chili peppers. Beth Saulnier is a clever observer of her generation and an eminently sane commentator on the follies and foibles of extremists young and old, as well as funny enough to compare with the endlessly hilarious Janet Evanovich. --Otto Penzler

From Publishers Weekly

An engaging if overly familiar narrative voice barely compensates for lackluster detective work in Saulnier's (The Fourth Wall) fourth mystery to feature reporter Alex Bernier, here making her hardcover debut. In the funky upstate New York college town of Gabriel, Alex's short-staffed newspaper assigns her to a controversy over genetically modified food. Sophisticated outside activists have joined local environmental groups to protest the work of star researcher Kate Barnett. Following a heated public debate, explosions rip through two university greenhouses, killing a vice-president and maiming several students. The charismatic Barnett, however, nurtures a passionate faith in the potential of using bioengineered foods to end world hunger, and she has garnered a cultlike following among her students and colleagues. Alex, too, is charmed by this exemplary woman until she finds Barnett brutally murdered. Barnett is posthumously elevated to the status of a martyr, of whom no one will speak ill, but Alex is compelled to probe this woman's motivations, charting her relationships with family and students and tracking down some surprising enemies. The issues here are weighty, but generic secondary characters and Alex's mocking tone undercut a serious treatment of the topic. In the end, some unsupported lucky guessing and confessions rather than actual deductions lead to the solution. Yet Alex's wry take on the town, the college scene and the mix of camaraderie and competition among fellow reporters offer some rewards. Mystery Guild featured alternate. Agent, James Vines.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; 1ST edition (February 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892967498
• ISBN-13: 978-0892967490
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,206,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better and Better, February 7, 2002

By 

Progressive Dad "751-man" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Seed: An Alex Bernier Mystery (Hardcover)

I loved it! I have now flown through all four of Saulnier's books found each of them smart, funny and a terrific read. In Bad Seed, poor Alex Bernier, who seems to have an excess of death in her life, is caught up in a finely woven web of science, zealotry and current events. Through basic, hard nosed reporting she stumbles to the bottom of a global plot nestled in the little town of Ithaca. Talk about think global, act local- this one could literally be "ripped from the headlines." I pre-ordered it after reading the first three in the series and am now hoping she keeps this series going. Definitely worth picking this one up.

By the way, I was really disheartened by the Publishers Weekly review but decided to read the book anyway. Did they ever get it wrong! This book is fun and good.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New Voice in Mystery Writing, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Bad Seed: An Alex Bernier Mystery (Hardcover)

A complex and involving plot line; an engaging protagonist; and an atmospheric setting. The fourth book in the Alex Bernier series, and the first in hardcover, brings the sharp and irrevent reporter into harm's way as she tries to solve two bombings and a brutal death on the local college campus. She pits her investigative skills, and those of her newpaper cohorts, against a group of shadowy bioterrorists. Filled with great characters, snappy writing, and a compelling story. Couldn't put it down. A great sequel to "Reliable Sources," "Distemper," and "The Fourth Wall," although it can stand alone. A new, young writer to watch.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Add a star if you miss Cornell, March 26, 2002

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bad Seed: An Alex Bernier Mystery (Hardcover)

I read this book because the review claimed that the town of Gabriel is really Ithaca, NY and that Benson College is in reality Cornell University, my alma mater. After reading Bad Seed I'm hooked on the charachter of Alex Bernier. She,s tough and intelligent and just insecure enough to make her lovable. Surrounded by her nutty but loyal friends and coworkers she wise cracks her way through this intriguing and suspenseful mystery about a new strain of rice being developed at the Ag School and the mayhem and murder that ensue. I've already ordered Saulnier's previous three books and look forward to the publication of the next Alex Bernier mystery. This story was a great read whether or not you attended Cornell University or lived in Ithaca, but add a star if you did.