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Author: Johnson, Jill

Crime & mystery

Published on 30 January 2025 by Bonnier Books Ltd (Black and White Publishing) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 352 pages
196 x 130 x 27 | 238g

From the bestselling author of Devil’s Breath, Jill Johnson is back with another gripping Professor Eustacia Rose Mystery…

Betrayal is a bitter poison . . . After a nerve-racking investigation, Professor Eustacia Rose’s life is returning to normal. She is finally back teaching at UCL and her relationship with Matilde is blossoming. But when a man is found dead with a needle in his neck, and a disturbing painting of Eustacia links her and the body, her fragile peace suddenly begins to crumble.

At work, there’s another threat for Eustacia to deal with. A PhD student is desperate to get access to her poisonous plant collection and begins to stalk her. When she refuses to help him, he starts buying illegal synthetic plant toxins from an unknown source then turns up dead. Once again, Eustacia is the link. With no leads and the body count rising, Eustacia, now firmly in the frame, is left with no choice but to investigate the deaths in earnest herself, however dangerous it may become.

With a quirky protagonist, dark academia aesthetic and an array of exotic poisonous plants, this unique spin on the classic murder mystery novel will hook fans Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.