Book description
Australia's strict quarantine rules have been breached and an alien
strain of Dermatobia hominis, the human botfly, has crossed with the
harmless native variety, creating a new and deadly strain which
flourishes with all the vigour of an introduced species. Adam Wilde's
father is searching for a variety of botfly safe to humans and
genetically dominant to the deadly Variant X. On board the Carlotta, a
floating laboratory on a tributary of the Amazon, he works with his wife
and son in cooperation with the local Indians. Adam's tranquil existence
on board Carlotta is disturbed by the arrival of an old friend and
colleague of his parents. Jerry Loundes has come to help and has brought
his fourteen-year-old daughter Sharma with him. Adam resents Sharma's
intrusion and she, in turn, is hostile towards Adam and his family. In
the heat and humidity of the forest, tension builds to breaking point
and things start to go very, very wrong. Sue Robinson began writing
stories for children while living in Moscow in the early nineties. Her
previous books include the picture book EDWARD'S MAGIC PAINTBOX, and the
junior novels DOUBLE TAKE and WHALE RISING. Sue now divides her time
between Sydney, London and Normandy in a cycle of teaching, writing and
gardening.
