Overload- Arthur Hailey

Anybody who have read Arthur Hailey comes away not only entertained, but also a mini expert. His books are as much about the system as they are about individuals. Hailey takes takes a public utility service- be it banks, airport,hotel, electric companies etc and fashions a thriller around its elements. You have a feeling that the whole system is the main character with the humans thrown in as fillers.

Overload is based on electricity companies. California's primary electric utility is running out of electric power, and unless new projects are commissioned the state would run out of energy. The power utility has identified new project sites, but they have a tough battle ahead of them, in the form of environmental groups and hostile regulatory bodies. This situation is valid all over the globe and has its relevance more so in countries like India and China whose economies are developing at a scorching pace- do they focus on development, or should they temper the pace by getting a little careful of the environment. Both points of view have their passionate followers with perfectly justified opinions, but as the Buddha says, we have to take the middle way out.

I am digressing, so here is the rest of the story. The opposition to the planned projects have not only come from established and respected NGOs, but also from shadier elements. Simultaneously, a string of potentially destructive explosions in power plans have wreaked havoc on the electricity grid. Hailey takes us deep into field of supply chain logistics of electricity companies, and gives out some surprising nuggets. What measures are in place, for example for sensitive areas like hospitals where patients depend on regular electric supply to keep life saving medical equipment like incubators and heart lung machines running? And for disabled people who stay at home, but depend on electricity to keep their life support equipment like respirators running smoothly? Hailey is a master for these things, details as well as the big picture. Things proceed at a fast pace, typical of a Hailey thriller and in the end....no wait, I am not going to spoil the ending. You have to read the book and find out