When Benedict is asked to interview a young woman with a life-limiting genetic condition, the patient’s doctor alerts her to an alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections, as well as tipping her off about a potential new wonder drug.
Then tragedy unexpectedly strikes and Benedict begins to suspect a cover-up. Known for her persistence as a journalist, she is not prepared to let the story drop, no matter how much danger she puts herself and those she loves in.
Fast paced, thought provoking and emotion inducing stuff, the book offers readers an insight into the world of medical wonders as well as horrors. And how big Pharma manipulates people’s lives with profit as their main goal.
This is a story of big Pharma, of increasingly obstinate so-called superbugs and those mutations which seem to plague our lives with increasing regularity.
With the constant tension flowing through the pages, and an undercurrent of unease present throughout, the author has succeeded in maintaining that sense of threat and amplifying it at key moments.
Benedict’s character is one that readers can relate to. They can commensurate with her at a real crunch point in her life. Her tenacity and determination still shone through, along with her emotional side. It’s clear, when on top form, she would be a formidable character, but this book really does test her in ways that would intimidate other journalists. Luckily for her, she has the support of the newsroom - a very diverse but credible bunch of characters, clearly drawing from the author’s own experiences.
The author also draws attention to an increasingly real and worrying subject that will eventually affect us all by taking readers to the locations contained within the story. From the newsroom, to the Devon Hills, to the savannahs of Zimbabwe, readers will get a real sense of the place and it adds another layer of authenticity to the story itself.