A Message in Poison Virtual Book Tour May 9 – June 3, 2022
This post is a departure from the norm for me. Instead of focusing on animal-themed stories, cozy fiction, or life in the Ozarks, I’m exploring the world of a medical mystery/thriller set against a backdrop of covert anti-terrorism operations and a kaleidoscope of geopolitical intrigue. If you’re ready to take the plunge with me, read on for a synopsis of A Message in Poison by the internationally recognized expert BJ Magnani:
Sparks fly as Dr. Lily Robinson-the brilliant academic pathologist and covert assassin for the U.S. Government-investigates two seemingly unrelated deaths alongside her lover, Agent Jean Paul Marchand, and D.C. Medical Examiner Dr. Logan Pelletier.
A U.S. Senator and the president of a developing nation are found dead in their beds. As governments thousands of miles apart react to the fallout and begin their investigations, no one claims responsibility, and no motives are clear. Yet, the cause of death implies a link between the two—one that only a mind versed in poisons and politics can decipher. With her personal relationships teetering on the brink and her loved ones facing foreign threats, Lily must unravel the mystery and uncover a plot more calculating than anyone could imagine—but it may be too late.
A Message in Poison, the third part of the Art of Secret Poisoning trilogy (The Queen of All Poisons and The Power of Poison), continues with twists and turns as Dr. Lily Robinson travels the globe, stares down death, and finds herself at “another crossroad, another choice between life real or imagined…”
Review:
The storyline in A Message in Poison includes tantalizing references to the events and characters featured in the previous two books of the trilogy. While some readers might prefer to read the books in order, I found this story so well written that it easily stands on its own. The author skillfully integrates her in-depth expertise in toxicology and all things medical into a well-researched landscape of global politics and covert operations. Shifting POVs provide myriad perspectives of Dr. Lily Robinson and her colleagues in an ultra-secret government agency dedicated to preventing mass destruction on a global scale. Each agent brings specialized skills; to this group, Dr. Lily Robinson brings her knowledge and skills drawn from her medical studies and research in rare poisons as a specialized weapon against evil.
As the story progresses, Dr. Robinson and her fellow agents are on the trail of those who seek to tilt the balance of power to suit their own mercenary goals. At the forefront is a group determined to control the source and distribution of rare earth minerals and their use in critical technologies. Doing so would give them dominance in every field from computer technology and communication satellites to military-grade weapon systems. This group presents a serious threat to international stability, and it is this group that Dr. Robinson and her colleagues must find and eliminate before a global catastrophe occurs.
The author does a brilliant job of building multidimensional characters whose worldviews are the result of early influences and cataclysmic events that ultimately led them to their chosen paths. From the earliest chapters, it’s clear that Dr. Robinson is burdened by her own experiences and her complex—and seemingly contradictory—professions. She struggles with the knowledge that the secrets she carries would, if revealed, likely prove as deadly as the poisons that have become the tools of her trade in the covert anti-terrorism unit.
As the story progresses, she recognizes the dangerous consequences should her two worlds collide. Can she find the right path for herself and for those she loves?
The author delivers a well-plotted mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat and keep you reading far into the night. Highly recommend!
Book Details
Genre: Medical Mystery / Thriller
Published by: Encircle Publications
Publication Date: April 20th 2022
Number of Pages: 278
ISBN: 1645993256 (ISBN13: 9781645993254)
Series: A Dr. Lily Robinson Novel, The Art of Secret Poisoning Part 3
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
I’ve done some terrible things in my life. Big lies splash in my wake and follow me until the water creeps into my lungs. I’ve murdered many people who deserved to die. I take the phrase ‘pick your poison’ literally. My arsenal of natural toxins and poisons hidden deep within a freezer provide enough variety to mimic natural death. The cool salt air at my seaside cottage coaxes plants in my poisonous garden to yield the natural killers that I need. And I have collaborators around the world who can provide for me what my garden cannot.
Yes, it’s true that I’ve spent much of my life taking care of patients as a physician and taught a generation of medical students. But it was this very expertise in toxicology that captured the attention of our government. They seduced me and then orchestrated a transformation from consultant to assassin. Some say it’s my jewel-green eyes, raven-colored hair, and even my stiletto heels that tend to disarm my victims. They are blinded to the truth. With eyes closed to the Hippocratic Oath, I travel the world, eliminating terrorists and traitors with poison, stealth in a bottle, in the name of preventing mass destruction on a global scale. Our small covert counter-terrorism team weeds out threats at home and abroad—sanctioned killing, the price of doing business. I’m told that ‘the good of the many outweighs the good of the one.’ It’s become my guiding mantra, allowing me to rationalize this dual existence.
I hide my secret life beneath the cloak of justice, and I’ve discovered that others do too. So I ask you if you’re sure you know the truth about those around you. This last year of my life has been fraught with revelations that I didn’t see coming. For more than twenty years, I thought my baby, my little girl, had died in the Colombian jungle. Not only did I learn that she’s alive, but I discovered that she’s attending the same medical school where I have my academic appointment—a life-changing disclosure. I tremble when I think that we may have brushed by each other not only at the university, but in my fleeting past. I look back and see momentary images of familiarity etched in my mind. Was my beautiful Rose right in front of me while I wore blinders of guilt and despair?
JP, my lover, and partner in our covert government band, grasps my turmoil. Desperate to soothe my soul, he promises that life’s twists and turns can only make us more resilient and resolute. Facing the wind, my body stands tall and hard like a tree firmly rooted in the ground. Having no support on its own, a vine uses its tendrils to clutch to the broad trunk. My stories are like this vine, ever climbing, ever strangling—a complicated life that requires both brilliance and strength.
***
Excerpt from A Message in Poison by BJ Magnani. © 2022 by BJ Magnani. Reproduced with permission from BJ Magnani. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
BJ Magnani (Barbarajean Magnani, PhD, MD, FCAP) is the author of the Dr. Lily Robinson novels: The Queen of All Poisons (Encircle Publications, 2019), The Power of Poison (Encircle Publications, 2021), and A Message In Poison (Encircle Publications, 2022.) Lily Robinson and the Art of Secret Poisoning (nVision Publishing, 2011) is the original collection of short stories featuring the brilliant, yet deadly, doctor. Dr. Magnani is internationally recognized for her expertise in clinical chemistry and toxicology, has been named a “Top Doctor” in Boston magazine, and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Laboratory Medicine Professionals in the World by The Pathologist. She is Professor of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology (and Professor of Medicine) at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and the former Chair of both the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Toxicology Committee and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tufts Medical Center.
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Note: I received a complimentary review copy on behalf of PICT. All opinions expressed are my own.