The Prodigal Son

Potent poisons and deadly rivalries in this glamorous thriller.

Jim and Millie Hunter have it all: good looks, brilliant minds, and a meteoric rise to fame.

Dr Jim Hunter is a genius biochemist, and author of a smash-hit science book that is propelling him to the top. His wife Millie, is a blonde bombshell and fellow scientist, researching rare poisons derived from puffer fish.

They seem to have it all, but others in their academic circle have got the knives out, jealous of their success – and their inter-racial relationship arouses prejudice.

So when a double murder is perpetrated, using poison stolen from Millie’s research lab, Captain Carmine Delmonico of Holloman Police must race to find the killer before they can claim their next victim.

The pool of suspects is small, but nobody is talking.
Have two men died to safeguard the publication of Jim’s book – or do rivalries and betrayals run deeper than that?

Reviews

Praise for Colleen McCullough:

'Very much in the tradition of P.D. James … McCullough is a tremendous storyteller.' The Times

'Compelling, passionate and gritty.' She

'McCullough piles on the drama.' Daily Mail

'Absorbing.' Sunday Telegraph

'Probes the depths of the human heart in a haunting, multi-layered novel.' Good Book Guide

'This experienced writer knows how to grab attention and keep it.' Literary Review

‘As an artful storyteller, McCullough has more than a few tricks up her sleeve.’ Sydney Morning Herald

About the author

Colleen McCullough was born in Austalia. A neurophysiologist, she worked in Australia and the U.K. before joining the department of Neurology at the Yale University School of Internal Medicine, where she remained for ten years.

Publication of The Thorn Birds, her second novel, in 1977, saw the end of her scientific career. She moved to Norfolk Island in the South Pacific, where she lives with her husband, Ric Robinson.