Colleen McCullough returns to the 1960s in The Prodigal Son, her fourth thriller featuring detective Carmine Delmonico.
A lethal toxin is stolen from a Connecticut university laboratory. It kills within minutes and worried biochemist Dr Millie Hunter reports the theft at once to her father, Medical Examiner Dr Patrick O'Donnell.
A death at a dinner party followed by another at a gala black-tie event seem to be linked only by the poison and Dr Jim Hunter, a scientist on the brink of greatness and Millie's husband. A black man married to a white woman, Dr Jim has faced scandal and prejudice for most of his life, so Captain Delmonico cannot understand what would cause him to risk it all now. Is he being framed for murder – and if so, by whom?

Biography:
Recognised as one of Australia's all-time great storytellers, Colleen McCullough is best known for her mega-selling epic The Thorn Birds, as well as her acclaimed Masters Of Rome series.