The Trigger

In the middle of the 21st century, a team of scientists develops the ultimate protective weapon—a device that causes all nitrate-based bombs and explosives nearby to detonate automatically. It seems like a benevolent invention—one that will protect mankind against weapons of mass destruction. But as the scientists struggle to ensure their invention is used only for peaceful purposes, it becomes increasingly clear that even protective weaponry comes with its own moral trade-offs. Dr. Jeffrey Horton, the device's lead inventor, must fight to keep the weapon out of violent hands—and soon finds that not even those with the best intentions can be trusted. This riveting story of action, suspense, and science is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat—and turning the page. A “thought-provoking, suspenseful” political sci-fi thriller from the authors of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis ( Library Journal ). In the near future, a team of scientists who intend to create an anti-gravity device inadvertently develop something far more powerful—a mechanism that can render guns and bombs virtually harmless. Their creation, “The Trigger,” causes nitrate-based bombs and explosives to detonate automatically. The idealistic scientists who envision the benevolent use of their great invention soon discover that even protective weaponry comes with its own moral trade-offs. Soon, every faction of the gun industry is involved—politicians, manufacturers, lobbyist, military—and the scientists must fight to keep the weapon out of violent hands. While negotiating this tricky territory, they realize that not even those with the best intentions can be trusted. There are no easy answers in this thriller that “lend[s] the familiar issue of gun control new urgency and excitement” ( Publishers Weekly ). A scientist discovers a device that detonates explosives, in bullets and bombs. The device, Trigger, is thus able to do away with gunpowder-based weapons, but can it be allowed? The gun lobby and the army want it banned and a pro-Trigger senator is assassinated