I’ve read most of Crichton’s books, but not that one. Your description reminds me of State of Fear, but in that case he was debunking global warming. Most of his books are not that way though. Jurassic Park for example. I liked Timeline, Prey, and Next a lot.
Crichton, along with Orson Scott Card, has always struck me as among the most uneven of modern authors. Some great stuff, and some nearly unreadable.