The Cyanide Canary: A True Story of Injustice
Written by Robert Dugoni and Joseph Hilldorfer
Narrated by Tom Perkins
4/5
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About this audiobook
EPA Special Agent Joseph Hilldorfer was tasked with finding out what really happened on that horrific day in Soda Springs, Idaho, but the answers would not be easily uncovered. For more than four years Hilldorfer, his partner Bob Wojnicz, and a force of top-ranking U.S. attorneys struggled to expose the disturbing truths behind the tragedy, but would their efforts be enough to put the man responsible, Allan Elias, behind bars?
Robert Dugoni
Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, which has sold more than four million books worldwide. He is also the author of the bestselling David Sloane series; the Charles Jenkins series including The Eighth Sister, the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, for which he won an AudioFile Earphones Award for the narration; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post best book of the year. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He is a two-time finalist for the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. His books are sold in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com.
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Reviews for The Cyanide Canary
51 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History lesson well written and a sad state of affairs
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5History that is as riveting as a spy novel. Couldn’t put it down
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In 1996, Scott Dominguez, a young man working at a fertilizer company in Idaho, is ordered to help clean out a closed storage tank. His employer provides no safety training or equipment for Scott and another employee, nor does he tell them what had been stored in the tank. Scott collapses during the cleanup operation and ends up with brain damage. The owner claims that he told them to do things "by the book." Sounds like the setting for a mystery novel, but it is a true story. This is an well-written book about a successfully-prosecuted case in the early days of the Environmental Protection Agency. The investigation of the crime is well documented as is the dedication of all the agents and prosecutors involved in the case.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I received an audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed listening to the book to and from work. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing. I typically read fiction, but I would be interested in reading more titles like this one.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I listened to the audio version of this book. This is an iPod Ready, MP3 CD. I usually am more of a fiction fan but something about the story line here caught my attention and I am glad that it did. This is based on actual events with real people that makes for compelling listening.There are many characters,government and other agencies,locations,chemical details that would seem to make for confusion while listening (not being able really to page back and check as in an actual book). I have to say that I didn't find that to be the case. The characters were so well described that it feels like you are there and can see them in person. This is nonfiction that reads like a thriller.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I wasn’t sure what to expect when receiving The Cyanide Canary. I have long been concerned about the harm being done to our environment, our food and our communities by large scale industry. In this book which looks at the use of cyanide gas in industry and the story of a young man harmed by his work. After listening to this book, I became even more concerned. This book examines the EPA, the legal system and the power to control and corrupt by big business. It provides information on these terribly important issues and challenged me to greater action. Following this nonfiction story of courtroom action and manipulations keeps the reader engaged during a long and difficult process. It is not a relaxing or easy read. I received a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. I give it 4 stars and recommend it for all who are interested in reading about environmental, legal and quality of life issues.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I received a free advance review e-copy of this book and have chosen of my own free will to post a review. ‘The Cyanide Canary’ is very well written and a true real life environmental drama. Couldn’t put it down. This is a story of a young man who nearly dies and suffers severe brain damage for the rest of his life due to the negligence and poor safety practices of the owner of the company. It is tragic and unconscionable. What a long and arduous legal process to enforce environmental law with denials, cover-ups, twists, turns, etc. Robert Dugoni does a great job of writing a book that is easy to follow and readable in everyday language so that anyone can understand the workings of the EPA and what really happened here. I like his style. This is a book that everyone should read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a frustrating but ultimately satisfying look at our justice system. It also is very timely in showing that the EPA IS needed to restrain businesses and help protect the workers from unscrupulous bosses. This coming out when we have a president trying to gut the EPA for personal revenge, should help bolster the argument that it IS needed, it may need tweaking, but not be disabled.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In 1996, 20-year-old Scott Dominguez was working at a fertilizing plant in Soda Springs, Idaho. He was ordered to clean a 250-gallon storage tank that contained cyanide only he did not know it. He was so overcome by fumes while in the tank with no safety equipment that he could not get out of the tank. He consequentially suffered sever brain damage. The owner, Allan Elias, insisted that the tank only contained dirt and water. EPA agent, Joseph Hilldorfer took on the job of finding out what really happened at the tank to result in Scott’s condition. It took four years for Hilldorfer and his partner, Bill Wojnicz, to get all the facts and bring Elias to judgment. The story could easily pass as a fiction thriller it is so well and captivatingly told. Tom Perkins could not do a better job of reading the audio version.