Poison in the Blood

FOR FANS OF PATRICIA CORNWELL AND KATHY REICH. Death has more than one pair of feet…

Dr. Vanessa Marwood is a forensic entomologist, a specialist who reconstructs the picture of death from insects found on victims’ bodies. She is also the owner of a deadly-beautiful spider, Nancy—a female cobalt bird-eater.

Long ago, she knew them well. And now Simon, Tim, and Michael lie dead in front of her. On their bellies are perfectly straight incisions into which the killer has specially placed the silk of the golden orb-weaver. Exactly like tiny male spiders place their hormone-soaked threads into giant females, so the females won’t eat them during mating.

The men’s bodies are arranged in the letter “Y”: from this shape, orb-weavers begin weaving their famous golden webs. Such spiders aren’t found in Britain—and not even in Europe at all. To obtain webbing of such extraordinary length is a huge art. To create something like this, you have to be simply obsessed with arachnids—and with Dr. Marwood. After all, this message is clearly meant for her.

Especially since soon another acquaintance of Vanessa is found dead—this time the killer has simulated on the corpse a mating-sealing ritual of Apollo butterflies…

Fans of Mike Omer thrillers, as well as TV series “Bones” and “Body of Proof,” will like it.

“Unbelievably mesmerizing, hair-raising, breath-taking. A heroine whose paintings will send chills down your spine. A chilling beginning to a new stunning series.” — Tess Gerritsen