Enter Jasmine Melanie Rochelle, a hot-tempered and resourceful young musician. When Jasmine's father begins to argue that it may be time to allow people some access to the reclaimed wildlands, he is assassinated by Green Splinter, a group of environmental radicals. The court system lets the killers slip away unpunished, and Jasmine embarks on her own quest for justice. But while finding the murderer—and executing him—proves relatively simple, the job of unmasking those who ordered the killing draws her into the criminal underworld. In time, she moves from selling drugs to specializing in the acquisition of forbidden plants for medical researchers seeking cures for a host of deadly diseases.

Despite her rough edges, Jasmine is something of an idealist. When she realizes her drug suppliers are using ecologically irresponsible harvesting methods, she decides to cut them out of the loop, building her own illegal base in the Amazon rainforest so she can ensure safe gathering of research materials.

Setting up shop in the jungle is expensive and dangerous, and doing so thrusts Jasmine into direct conflict with the government, which continues to insist that people must be kept far from the forests they have sacrificed so much to rebuild. As if that isn't enough, Jasmine is now the one receiving death threats from Green Splinter. There is every reason to expect that one of her many enemies might well kill her in the jungle long before Jasmine can uncover those involved in her father's killing.

A low-key ecothriller

Danita Maslan's Rogue Harvest features some extremely disciplined sociological and scientific extrapolation, taking humanity into the aftermath of the catastrophes triggered by fossil fuel abuse, resource depletion and overpopulation. She deftly melds a complex story about genetic engineering gone wrong with a multifaceted portrayal of a corrupt political party, one that is very much the victim of its own success. Drawn as it is from the genuine ecological and political crises of the present day, this tale is wholly believable. So is Jasmine's half-planned, half-accidental rise to media stardom as she becomes the poster child of a global revolution.

This veneer of realism, however, is at once the book's primary strength and its biggest drawback. Like many political battles in the real world, Jasmine's fight plays out in the court of public opinion ... and the barrage of court cases and press conferences drains the narrative of much-needed energy. Rogue Harvest is at its best in the rare moments when Jasmine and her followers are deep within the extraordinary manmade jungle: harvesting plants in the canopy, dodging mutant tarantulas and hiding from soldiers who would gladly kill them all just to protect a few embarrassing corporate secrets.

Maslan's writing style is exceptionally straightforward, focusing mostly on action and dialogue. Readers who prefer more poetic prose—especially those hoping for lush descriptions of the rain forest—may be thwarted by this novel's lack of sensual imagery. As for Jasmine, she never quite comes into focus, outgrowing her rage too slowly and often seeming whiny and clueless rather than charismatic and committed. In Rogue Harvest, the author also avoids taking the easy route with her characters' romantic storylines—a worthwhile goal, but one that leaves her key players single and her audience unsatisfied.

It should be noted that Rogue Harvest is Maslan's first novel, one that shows her to be a more than competent storyteller. This book may be earnest, but it is not dull, and readers can look forward to more polished work from this author in the future.