Break Bone Fever

"What a timely murder mystery!" -Marsha K. Kohn, J.D.

Facing a coming epidemic of dengue fever, Louise and Marnie try to discover the truth behind their friend's murder, but can they solve it before it's too late?

When Dr. Gennifer Drake's body washes up on a foggy beach on Galveston Island, Texas, Dr. Louise Finnerty, an emergency medicine physician, and Dr. Marnie Liccione, a recently widowed pediatrician, are shocked by their friend's death. As they delve into the murder investigation, they discover Gen had been researching a deadly new form of dengue fever at the ultra-high security Gulf National Laboratory. Aided by climate change, this mosquito borne illness, known as Break Bone Fever, is spreading northward and threatening the United States.

Marnie and Louise are determined to uncover the root cause of Gen's murder and whether or not Gen's transgender status was a factor. With the help of a journalist and an unconventional police detective, they learn the murder may be connected to Q-Anon conspiracists. Untangling the web of lies being propagated by a cabal inside the Environmental Protection Agency, they confront a fight not just for justice, but for their lives.

Dr. Mary Rae grew up in New York and graduated from Colgate University before attending the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. She trained in Emergency Medicine, which she practiced in Texas for twenty years before transitioning to Primary Care. During her ten years in Houston, she enjoyed exploring the Gulf Coast. Shortly after retiring from medicine in 2020, she and her husband moved to California. She plans to use her time to continue writing, improve her Spanish and French, and learn how to garden on the West Coast.

A native of Oklahoma City, Dr. Wanda Venters attended Yale for her undergraduate studies. She returned to Oklahoma City for her medical degree and completed her pediatric residency in San Antonio with the U.S. Army. Retiring from her pediatric practice after three decades, she began her second career as a writer in 2019. She lives in Colorado with her husband, two labradoodles and a Siamese cat. She has three grown children and three grandchildren. She is an avid gardener, golfs with more enthusiasm than skill, and enjoys a craft beer. You can follow her and the Unicorn family on Facebook at https: //www.facebook.com/dr.wandaventers/ or at her blog www.parentingunicorns.com.