Devil's Breath : A BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick

Reclusive botanist Professor Eustacia Rose turns sleuth when her neighbour is abducted and is drawn into a world of intrigue where people are as toxic as the plants she studies.

<p><b>*** A BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK ***<br></b><br><b>'A BLOOMING GOOD READ' - THE TIMES</b><br><br><b>'A MUST FOR LOVERS OF CRIME FICTION THAT'S JUST A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE NORM' - HEAT magazine<br></b><br><b>'[THIS IS LIKE] SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS GARDNER'S QUESTION TIME' - NISH KUMAR on BBC2's</b><i><b> Between the Covers</b></i><br><br><b>'WITH EUSTACIA ROSE, JILL HAS CREATED AN UTTERLY UNIQUE CHARACTER AND HAS ENSURED THAT THE DETECTIVE GENRE TURNS A NEW LEAF. MYSTERY, MURDER, AND MULCH. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE.' - ADIL RAY OBE</b><br><i><br>I've always been better with plants than people . . . <br></i><br><b>Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology</b> who lives alone in London with only her <b>extensive collection of poisonous plants for company</b>. She tends to her garden with meticulous care. Her life is quiet. Her schedule never changes. Until the day she hears a scream and the temptation to investigate proves irresistible. <br><br>Through her telescope, Professor Rose is drawn into the life of an extraordinarily beautiful neighbour, <b>Simone</b>, and nicknames the men who visit her after poisonous plants according to the <b>toxic effect</b> they have on Simone. But who are these four men? And why does Eustacia Rose recognise one of them? <br><br>Just as she preserves her secret garden, she feels inexplicably compelled to protect her neighbour, but <b>Eustacia soon finds herself entangled in a far more complicated web than she could ever have imagined</b>. When her precious garden is vandalised and someone close to Simone is murdered with a toxin derived from a rare poisonous plant, Eustacia becomes implicated in the crime. <br><br>After all, no one knows toxic plants like she does . . .<br><br><br><br><b>'FASCINATING AND EERILY COMPELLING.' JESSICA FELLOWES, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Murders series</b><br><br><b>'AN INTOXICATING TALE, DEVIL'S BREATH MIGHT TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.' SALENA GODDEN, author of <i>Mrs Death Misses Death</i></b><br><br><b><i>'Professor Eustacia Rose, genius botanical toxicologist, eccentric loner, instinctive detective and all-round mystery - a splendid creation.'</i> M. J. CARTER, author of the Blake and Avery Mystery novels</b><br><br><b><i>'A creeper vine of intrigue and suspense, with a most unlikely and engaging star detective at its heart.'</i> ESTHER FREUD, author of<i> I Couldn't Love You More </i></b><br><br><b><i>'A thrilling story . . . Jill Johnson writes masterfully.'</i> JJ BOLA, author of <i>The Selfless Act of Breathing</i></b></p>