Day of the Dandelion: An Arthur Hemmings Mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept is novel: an older male spy attempts to get to the bottom of a botany-based scheme of a big corporation attempting to secure a patent that would give them control of the world's food supply. The plot is unexpectedly adventurous, and even exciting at times. However, all of the female characters were weak and uninteresting. Every single one played stereotypical roles: the meek, probably lonely, and workaholic researcher; the giggling, flirty, and cute young American; the firm, patient, and matronly secretary; and the exotic, wispy Russian. The main character will often reminisce about his sexual exploits as well, long, slender legs are noted and commented on, and surreptitious peeking at breasts occurs. It's a bit irritating, but for me it was bearable. If you get turned off by this type of portrayal of women, though, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if it doesn't bother you much, it is a quick, fun read.

Author Peter Pringle has pulled off a neat trick, I think. With Arthur Hemmings, undercover agent at the world-famous Kew Gardens in London, Pringle takes us into what is, sofar as I know, a wholly new field of skulduggery: the multi-billion dollar world of agribizz. Pringle's previous book, Food Inc, was a well-researched study of the rise of the giant agricultural conglomerates and the risks that poses --- especially, their growing control of plant strains. Pringle puts that knowledge to good use here. Hemmings is on an international hunt for a stolen supergene that could revolutionise the world's food supply --- thus reaping a fortune for whoever owned the patent. The yarn is more nearly English detective story than thriller, though the opening chapters are genuinely tense; and Pringle's cool and literate prose comes as a relief after the overheated offerings we can all recall. The deeper pleasure of the book, though, is its fascinating induction into an area of science wholly new, at any rate to me. Never heard of apomixis ? I hadn't either. But read this and you begin to grasp, painlessly, the science and commerce of modern big-money agribizz. I was enthralled. Who knew ?

Veteran British journalist Pringle is probably best known for his last book, Food, Inc., which explores the role of biotechnology and multinational corporations in the global food chain. That topic is given a fictional quasi-thriller treatment here, as we meet 50ish Arthur Hemmings, expert botanist at Kew Gardens and undercover agent for the OFS (Office of Food Security, a fictional British government agency which does have a real-life American equivalent). When several packets of seeds are stolen from the safe of an eminent Oxford researcher, Hemmings is put on the case by some typically noxious bureaucrats. Both the researcher and his assistant are missing, and it's possible the seeds may hold the key to "apomixis" -- a kind of Holy Grail of plant genetics that would allow hybrid plants to clone themselves. This would theoretically enable the stable production of uberhigh-yield genetically enhanced crops, and open up other possibilities, such as cost-effective biofuel. Soon, the researcher turns up dead, and Hemmings must consider a plethora of possible suspects, including the Russians, Chinese, CIA, and multinational food conglomerate Panrustica. As Hemmings explains several times, whomever decodes the apomixis process and is able to patent it will essentially be able to control the global food supply. One of the story's minor flaws is that it's never explained how ownership of the apomixis process would lead directly to one nation or company controlling the world's food. Clearly it would enable a distinct competitive advantage, in terms of being able to make more raw materials at a lower cost, as well as being able to genetically engineer various plants as medicine delivery systems and the like. But there's already a good deal resistance in many parts of the world to genetically modified crops, and moreover, despite the WTO, it seems likely that a large part of the world wouldn't respect a patent with such a comprehensive monopolizing effect. Nonetheless, Pringle does a good job at showing how the current international patent system could be abused in such a manner. One of the key plot elements is the dead researcher's desire to make the apomixis process "open source", so that the whole world could benefit. More problematically, at least for a book that aspires to be a thriller, is that it's never all that thrilling. It's certainly very readable and enjoyable as a light entertainment, but Hemmings is never given much of a challenge. To be sure, he has to do a fair amount of sleuthing and running hither and yon (mainly London to Zurich and back), and there's a car chase and minor bar brawl. But he's always got old friends and expert pals who help him out with key resources, or is able to meet and charm helpful people (such as reporters and little old ladies) along the way. With his vintage sportscar, first-class airline travel, ultra-efficient female assistant, good physique for his age, and good-natured charm, he seems modeled to a large d

Royal Botanic Gardens researcher Arthur Hemmings also works as an undercover British Secret Service agent. Thus he has the perfect résumé to uncover who stole the research of Oxford Professor Alastair Scott from his lab because he understands the implications of this work on the world food supply. Scott and his assistant Tanya Petrovskaya are studying the apomixes process in which a unisex dandelion reproduces without male pollen; thus this plant forever retains its properties; humans would want to keep properties by avoiding the generational genetic crap shoot for those plants in the food chain. Arthur knows the public and private sectors are filled with sharks who want to own Scott's work' whereas the professor wanted to benefit humanity. However, not all would go so far as murder, but someone did. Professor Scott drowned and Tanya vanished while another lab assistant died of anaphylactic shock. Hemmings visits the Oxford lab and from there to other parts of the prestigious university, but finds little of use until he realizes that Scott was in the way of the government industrial complex superpowers including Britain demanding control for selfish purposes thus causing the need to eliminate the altruistic professor. Although Hemmings is too urbane especially when he digs the dirt, readers will appreciate this superb whodunit espionage thriller based on a brilliant concept executed near perfectly. A scientific breakthrough impacting the food system could prove lethal to the researcher by avaricious humans. The fast-paced story line grips readers and never slows down even when plausible scientific explanations are provided. The mystery is cleverly executed, but it is the science that makes this a winner, as Peter Pringle provides clarifications with easy to follow explanations interwoven into the plot without dumbing down his elucidations. Harriet Klausner

Peter Pringle built a brilliant journalistic career unearthing the harsh realities of our world. But could Pringle glide into a new role of master story-teller? Day of the Dandelion yields a triumphant answer. Pringle's protagonist, Arthur Hemmings, offers wry entertainment and real education in equal doses, and readers will eagerly await his further adventures.