by Manda Scott
First published 1999
Dr Nina Crawford runs one of Scotland's most respected veterinary surgery programs at the University of Glasgow. Her reputation as an animal surgeon has taken years to build. Now horses keep dying after routine operations. E. Coli endotoxaemia spreads through her operating theatre despite repeated sterilization. The deaths pile up. Nina feels her control slipping away. The pressure brings back memories of her darkest period, when she tried to take her own life. Kellen Stewart works as Nina's therapist and friend. When Kellen's horse requires emergency surgery, she enters Nina's crisis directly. The operating theatre becomes a battleground. Someone wants Nina to fail. The infections may not be accidental. Lives hang in the balance, both animal and human.
Genres: medical, suspense, mystery, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Glasgow, Scotland, University of Glasgow
Period: Contemporary
Paperback · Headline Paperbacks
Content warnings: animal-death, medical-trauma, mental-illness