The fourth novel in Jerry Apps's Ames County series, Cranberry Red
brings the story into the present, portraying the challenges of
agriculture in the twenty-first century.
As the novel opens, Ben Wesley has lost his job as agricultural agent
for Ames County. He is soon hired as a research application specialist
for Osborne University, a for-profit institution that has developed
"Cranberry Red," a new chemical that promises not only to improve
cranberry crop yields but also to endow the fruits with the power to
prevent heart disease, reduce brain damage from strokes, and ward off
Alzheimer's disease. Ben must promote the new product to cranberry
growers in Ames County and beyond, but he worries whether the promised
results are credible. Was Cranberry Red rushed to market?
When the chemical does all that the university claims it will do, Ben is
relieved . . . until disturbing side effects emerge. Can he criticize
Cranberry Red and safeguard farmers and consumers without losing his
job, or will Ben's honesty get him fired while his community continues
to get sicker?
Finalist, General Fiction, Midwest Book Awards