Description
On a crisp summer morning in Soda Springs, Idaho, twenty-year-old Scott Dominguez went to work for Allan Elias, the owner of Evergreen Resources, an enterprise Dominguez thought was in the business of producing fertilizer from mining waste. By eleven o'clock that morning he was fighting for his life, pulled unconscious from a cyanide-laced storage tank and not expected to live through the night. In Seattle, Special Agent Joseph Hilldorfer of the Environmental Protection Agency was given the job of finding out what happened to Dominguez and why. A former New York whiz kid and Arizona real estate and business mogul, Elias owned businesses that had polluted Idaho with hazardous waste for nearly a decade. Yet Elias never spent a single day in jail. Hilldorfer, his partner and the government trial team embarked on an epic courtroom battle that would stretch them to the limits.

What happened to Scott was horrible and sad. The owner deliberately would not provide safety equipment or training to his employees and had a history of his employees getting hurt. He was very smart and knew what to lie about, how to cover things up and how to bribe people to help him. Because he was so despicable, it made me keep reading to see if he would be found guilty. The ending dragged on a bit too long because of numerous legal proceedings that Elias initiated to delay a decision. Overall, an interesting and well-written story. ( )

In 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. ( )

I 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. ( )

I 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. ( )

I 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. ( )