LETHAL GENES by Linda Grant - BOOK - ADVANCE READING COPY

Kendra Crawford, head of the maize lab specializing in plant genetics at the University of California at Berkeley, and her handsome top assistant, Paul Raskin, call on private investigator Catherine Sayler to probe a case of continuing vandalism at their biotech lab. Someone has broken into a greenhouse, trashed some plants, and stolen a batch of seed that was being dried. And, in a second incident, vials with genetic material have been stolen from two students who were studying how genes affect growth. Just pranks, or sabotage? And if the events are malicious, are they aimed at individuals or the entire lab? Crawford and Raskin don't want to involve the university or police authorities any more than necessary for fear of losing precious funding should any scandal emerge. It's safer, by far, to put their problems into Catherine's capable hands. But when two researchers die in mysterious circumstances, Catherine knows there's far more at stake than sabotaged research. And she must work alone, as Kendra Crawford and her colleagues seem unwilling to admit the seriousness of the situation. Catherine must also deal with the psychological wounds left by previous violent cases and her growing attraction to Paul Raskin, who threatens to become more than just a client. As she delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a startling secret that takes her beyond the maize research team's small sphere of greenhouses and labs into the high-stakes world of biotech . . . and she moves one step closer to a deadly confrontation with a killer.