Fiction Pick of the Week: Venom

Venom: a Novel of Suspense by Joan Brady 

In this sequel to Bleedout, wealthy Helen Freyl  owns a small farm in Caton, Ala., where a unique strain of honeybees produces honey with unheard of healing properties. Helen, along with her imperious grandmother, become enmeshed in a struggle between two pharmaceutical giants vying for the patent to the bees' venom. Then the women discover that one of the companies is conducting deadly experiments on the unsuspecting inhabitants of a region in Belarus not far from the Chernobyl disaster. After several deaths, Helen realizes her life is in danger, and turns for help to her ex-con former lover. A medical thriller that should appeal to Robin Cook fans.