4In Greg Zeigler's environmental thriller "The Straw That Broke," Lyndall Burke, a vulnerable young scientist and free spirit, gets caught up in a battle between ecoterrorists and corrupt public officials over water in the drought-stricken desert Southwest. Lyndall's disappearance leads police officer Susan Brand and private investigator Jake Goddard to rush to her aid, but abduction, deceit, and murder could lead to a cataclysmic ending jeopardizing the entire region. In a parched and frightening future in which two-thirds of the world's population is expected to be living under severe water shortages, "The Straw That Broke" is a modern allegory, shedding light on the desperate clashes over precious water, and on our imperiled future.