by Manda Scott
First published 1999
Kellen Stewart receives word that her former lover Bridget Donnelly has died. The Glasgow psychiatrist travels to Bridget's remote country farmhouse to settle affairs, but discovers something far more sinister than grief awaits her. Someone has been stealing hens from the property. Corpses have gone missing. The eggs contain lethal substances. Bridget was developing what appeared to be a revolutionary drug, but Kellen realizes the miracle cure is actually a formula for murder. She finds herself racing through the countryside, following a trail of theft and death that leads back to Bridget's final days. The stolen animals and missing bodies are connected to the deadly pharmaceutical work. Kellen must uncover who wanted Bridget's research and why they were willing to kill for it. Her investigation pulls her deeper into a web of deception that threatens her own life while forcing her to confront the complicated emotions surrounding her relationship with Bridget.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: complicated-relationships, deception, investigation
Setting: Glasgow, Bridget's Farmhouse
Period: Contemporary
337 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Crimeline
Content warnings: death, murder