WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE POISON

In Magnani’s thriller (one in a series), a toxicologist-turned-assassin investigates climate scientists’ questionable deaths.

Dr. Lily Robinson knows her poisons and toxins, which is how she makes her U.S. government–sanctioned assassinations look natural. She’s also the perfect choice to look into scientist Daniel Williams’ death while he was scuba diving off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Though a venomous sea krait’s bite killed him, that particular snake isn’t commonly found in that area. After another scientist and her husband mysteriously die in Australian waters, it seems someone is targeting people with ties to the Climate Council, which has an upcoming conference in Brussels. Lily, on behalf of a clandestine team she’s previously worked for, investigates in Sydney, South Africa, and Belgium. She’s joined by operatives Jean Paul “JP” Marchand (who’s also her soul mate) and the mononymous Parker as she works to uncover the toxin-armed killer(s) agenda. Their mission may soon entail taking out the operatives who are hot on the killer’s trail. As in Magnani’s A Message in Poison (2022), the story teems with medical terminology and clear details about poisons and toxic plants and animals. Chapters intercut Lily’s first-person narration with third-person perspectives; this approach allows readers to identify at least one villain before Lily even has a chance. This structure also amps up the suspense, especially once the malefactor in question realizes someone is onto them. The narrative intermittently dives into Lily’s curious past as she reminisces about someone she lost decades earlier, as well as the woman who recruited her to the team. Although Lily’s toxicological expertise and professed “Spidey sense” (“Years of buried feelings have allowed me to develop an intuition that reaches deep from within”) rarely come into play in this sequel, her doggedness and all-around scientific knowledge make her an exceptional investigator. The plot rolls out a few surprises, including a doozy in the searing final act.

A resilient series hero drives this tense, absorbing mystery.