Myrmecophobic? Invasive is your worst nightmare. Then again, a little exposure therapy may help you overcome that crippling fear of ants…

The discovery of a body that has been gruesomely skinned by a swarm of new and deadly ants has the FBI calling in futurist consultant, Hannah Stander. Hannah, daughter of paranoid, prepper parents, believes that the future is a door towards which two opposing forces of humanity are rushing: either evolution or ruination will enter first and determine the fate of mankind. With help from an entomologist friend, Hannah tracks this assassination by ants to a genetics research company run by billionaire entrepreneur and save-the-planet crusader, Einar Geirsson. Hannah travels to the lab’s headquarters on a remote Pacific island where elite scientists work at genetically modifying insects to combat global issues of hunger and climate change. Hannah must suppress her own fears and suss out the charming Einar and resentful scientists before the murderer escalates to omnicide. Meanwhile, a powerful storm is approaching. And so are the ants.

Invasive is a dynamite technothriller: a suspenseful, chilling look at the razor’s edge on which humanity balances. One scientific step too far—or one rogue scientist, well-meaning or otherwise—can bring about the end of the world, or its salvation. Possibly both. The mystery is tight and twisty, the science terrifying, and the non-stop action—though it occasionally requires a significant suspension of disbelief—keeps pages flying. Hannah is a complex heroine. Thanks to her survivalist upbringing, Hannah is tougher than the average bear, but her childhood has left her emotionally scarred and vulnerable. Having been raised to fear the future, she suffers from panic attacks. Her relationship with her mother is fraught, and consequently Hannah avoids her parents—an action that has a crushing effect.

Those of you with any kind of insect squeamishness beware: Invasive will push all your buttons. I don’t generally mind ants. These ants are horrifying. Expect some (a lot) of grisly “can’t unsee” scenes. I am glad I read this when there is a foot of snow outside. Fantastic read.