Carlos Martinez, self-proclaimed third generation wetback descendant, has earned engineering and business degrees at Golden West University. He first enters the realty profession in New Jersey, functioning with business respectability as Arthur Van Porter. Discouraged with eastern pollution and culture, he yearns to return to the West. The move is accelerated by the realization that some of his realty transactions have inadvertently been facilitated with large amounts of drug money. Threats of deeper involvement by the drug kingpin and the assignment to launder a briefcase full of drug money inspire a hasty departure. The gangster and his thugs are soon in full pursuit for the cash and revenge. Resuming his boyhood name, Carlos travels about the West of his youth in a quest for a new livelihood and a safe haven from the bad guys. He discovers the Community of Love in the Front Range of the Rockies, a product of Utopian idealism and early Hippy culture. It has matured into a village with a strong environmental ethic and responsible social customs. The small Victorian houses indicate a lack of interest in material exhibition of wealth; the emphasis is on the advanced elements of civilized culture. The unique structure of health and welfare is defended by a close-knit attitude of preservation. Carlos finds this pleasant and soon establishes a niche in the Saloon and begins an active life caring for the land and forest. His hard-earned membership entitles him to some unusual perks of Community culture and the potential affection of Nancy in nearby Paradise Valley. Carlos joins the Community activity in broadening its environmental attention to the threat to the planet of global warming and climate change. He quickly progresses to a leadership role in establishing Community as a model village in responsible energy use and adaptation—and the formidable protection of Community. Although this is a work of fiction, the climate science is consistent with the scientific publications of leading researchers in the field.

The writer is a retired physics professor and atmospheric scientist. He resides in the high country of Gilpin County, Colorado, taking wintertime sojourns to Boca Raton, Florida. He has devoted 33 years of his research career to measurements of atmospheric hydroxyl, important in understanding the problem of stratospheric ozone. His previous books, written under the pen name Alex Cook, are The Greenhouse Effect – A Legacy, a Novel of Living With Climate Change, Jason and the Grizzly, and The Family Guide to Disruptive Climate Change. Communications are welcome at alex.cook426@gmail.com.