Fasciola: A Microbial Mystery - MayaVerse, #6

Veterinary epidemiologist Maya Maguire escapes from tragic memories and waffles on a permanent job commitment. She joins World Health Organization physician Stefan Duda in Norway as they recover from the fatal consequences of a recent Ebola investigation.

A Norwegian farm infested with Fasciola hepatica, a parasitic liver fluke, lures her back into disease detective mode. Then Maya and Stefan track down a horse infection in Northern Ireland assisted by senior public health veterinarian Faye Simpson. Maya, born in China, treasures the chance to explore the Maguire homeland of her adopted father's ancestors.

After encountering sectarian violence in Belfast, Maya and Stefan join up again at the volcanic hot springs of Rotorua. New Zealand's fluke infections are cratering liver exports. Stefan tries to salvage his domestic partnership by bringing along his family.

He finally chooses them over mission when he sends Maya to Bolivia without him. In one of the most hyperendemic countries in the world, climate change and poverty escalate the risk. Maya counters the increasing threat with academic partners from the high-altitude Altiplano. One is an intriguing climate scientist who appears to share her budding attraction.

With any luck, she'll wrap up her liver fluke investigations in time to return home for her 30th birthday party with her family. Too much death and suffering—can she conquer her demons?

This is a medical thriller with heart. Join these intriguing and diverse characters as they battle challenging parasitic threats worldwide stirred up by weirding weather.

MAYA MAGUIRE, about to turn 30, is a Chinese American veterinary epidemiologist in transition. China's One Child policy led to her abandonment and eventual adoption. Now she seeks her path in the world of One Health—the interdependence of humans, animals, and the environment. As a recent trainee with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she's driven not only by the need to protect human lives but also to uncover the connections between human activity, a changing climate, and disease outbreaks. Maya's research and fieldwork is her primary passion, but personal losses also have her yearning for love and companionship.

STEFAN DUDA is a Polish physician working for the World Health Organization (WHO). Prioritizing his public health duties creates conflict with his partner, Kondrat, who bears the lion's share of responsibility for raising their adopted daughter in Norway. Stefan repeatedly leads Maya into dangerous disease investigations.

FAYE SIMPSON, retired as New York City's public health veterinarian, finds herself at loose ends for a meaningful mission. She's trying to prioritize a relationship with Taylor Lewis, a trans African American hospital director seventeen years her junior. While on a London theater tour, Faye consults on liver flukes in Northern Ireland horses, requiring an uncomfortable collaboration with a former lover.