blog Feature: A Dose of Fear
Click the button below to read the original feature on Joanne’s Portobello Book Blog. Otherwise, read on for my answers below
Tell me THREE things about your latest book
A Dose of Fear is the first of three contemporary thrillers featuring protagonist Ella Scott. The story is fast-paced and full of twists and turns. All Ella's certainties are thrown up into the air through the book as danger becomes ever closer until the final twist leaves her reeling.
The book is set against a pharmaceutical industry background where developments are risky, take many years and require large sums of money. For those involved, the stakes are very high if things go wrong. While this story is a work of fiction many of the pressures explored in this book are very plausible.
Set predominantly in Scotland in the Fife countryside, Ella's state of mind is reflected in the oncoming winter and the loneliness of the area. When danger closes in, the streets of Edinburgh also play a role in the story. As Ella gets closer to the truth, she finds secrets hidden behind the City's professional veneer.
Tell me about TWO of the characters in your book
Ella Scott is the main protagonist in the book. In London and haunted by the brutal murder of her sister Ruth, she escapes to Scotland to stay with her old friend Laura More. She is then plunged into danger as she follows up a note from her sister which challenges her convictions and leads her to the truth about Ruth's death. At the beginning of the book, Ella doesn't trust her instincts, but as time goes on she realises her instincts are all she can really trust.
Laura More is an old friend who invites Ella to Scotland to stay with her when she needs to escape from London and her memories of her sister Ruth. Laura works for successful pharmaceutical company Muir Pharma and is close to charismatic CEO Sam Renwick. But when Ella arrives, she doesn't find the calm she'd hoped for. Mitch, Laura's boyfriend has turned whistleblower on the company. As Ella begins to find out what happened to former scientists and realises how serious Mitch's allegations really are, she wonders whether Laura believes Mitch or Sam. Seeing her friend's ambition on display Ella no longer knows whether she can trust her or not. Would Laura put her business career above her values?
Tell me ONE good reason why people should read your book!
It's a reminder to trust in your instincts, to hold onto your values and follow through when things don't seem right, to stand up against corporate greed and deception.