BKMT READING GUIDES
Ends of the Earth: A Bug Man Novel
by Tim Downs
Paperback : 368 pages
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Introduction
Nick Polchak must stop a terrorist from causing a global ecological nightmare. Two beautiful women from Nick's past are competing for his heart. He's not sure which impending disaster makes him more nervous. When forensic entomologist Nick Polchak is called to the scene of a murder on a small organic farm in North Carolina he is astonished to find that the victim's estranged wife is an old friend, a woman he once worked with--a woman he once had feelings for. When she asks Nick to investigate her husband's drug-related murder, Nick seeks the assistance of Alena Savard, the reclusive dog trainer known to the people of northern Virginia as the Witch of Endor. Alena jumps at the chance to renew her relationship with Nick--but when she arrives in North Carolina she discovers that she's not the only woman who has her eye on the Bug Man. Soon Nick finds his usually analytical mind clouded by thoughts of a strangely human nature. These two women have stirred feelings that he can't quite fathom, feelings of lost opportunities and future possibilities... Now Nick must navigate the unexplored territory of his own heart while he solves an agroterrorist's plot to ignite an environmental holocaust that could spread to the ends of the earth.
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1Podlesny, Russia
The old man looked at the driver of the car. "Is he angry with me, Pasha?"
The young man made an indifferent shrug. "It's just business, Nikolai. He hired you; you worked for him; you no longer wish to work for him; you quit. You will take another job and my grandfather will hire another scientist. Life goes on." ...
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Discussion Questions
1. Nick Polchak has seen disaster of all kinds, but agroterrorism is something new. Do you think something like this could happen on U.S. soil?2. Why is Elena Savard referred to as the "witch of endor" by Northern Virginians?
3.Nick has always been more interested in bugs than women, yet he suddenly has two women vying for his attention. Who do you think he chose in the end?
Notes From the Author to the Bookclub
A note from the author: I wrote Ends of the Earth because I was fascinated by the concept of agroterrorism-a deliberate attack against our nation's food supply. Why would anyone want to harm our food supply? As one expert puts it, "Warfare in the 21st century will be economic warfare." You don't need to defeat a country's military to bring it to its knees; you just need to cripple its economy-and the American economy, we've all learned the hard way, is a fragile thing. I want readers to come away from Ends of the Earth with a greater awareness of our nation's vulnerabilities and a greater appreciation for the people who work to protect us.Book Club Recommendations
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