Overview

A haunting exploration of the Cold War arms race that tells the story of a true, covered-up germ warfare incident in a remote part of Scotland, involving the US, Canadian, and UK governments. NOMINATED FOR THE 2021 HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE Operation Cauldron, 1952: Top-secret germ warfare experiments on monkeys and guinea pigs are taking place aboard a vessel moored off the Isle of Lewis. Local villagers Jessie and Duncan encounter strange sights on the deserted beach nearby and suspect the worst. And one government scientist wrestles with his own inner anguish over the testing, struggling to navigate the moral arguments for and against such dangerous testing and extreme deterrent weapons. When a noxious cloud of plague bacteria is released into the path of a passing trawler, disaster threatens. Will a deadly pandemic be inevitable? A haunting exploration of the costs and fallout of warmongering, Donald S Murray follows his prize-winning first novel with an equally moving exploration of another little-known incident in the Outer Hebridean island where he grew up.

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9781913393007

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Reviews

'A moving portrait of a place and its people ... a quiet, sad but brilliant novel.' Antonia Senior, Times, Book of the Month in best historical fiction; 'Set in [Murray's] native Lewis as firmly as the stones at Callanish ... it is so credibly drawn that the book is almost a ticket to the island ... it seems an even more impressive achievement than ever.' David Robinson, Books from Scotland.

'A moving portrait of a place and its people ... a quiet, sad but brilliant novel.' Antonia Senior, Times, Book of the Month in best historical fiction; 'Set in [Murray's] native Lewis as firmly as the stones at Callanish ... it is so credibly drawn that the book is almost a ticket to the island ... it seems an even more impressive achievement than ever.' David Robinson, Books from Scotland; 'Shows yet again how a good novel is capable of making you think and feel at the same time … a rich and sympathetic portrayal of island life in all its diversity … timely and compelling … a novel to savour.' Allan Massie, Scotsman; 'A well-written and well-crafted novel from an author at the height of his powers.' Eric Macintyre, Oban Times

Author Information

Donald S Murray is a writer and poet whose work has been awardedThe Society of Authors' Paul Torday Memorial PrizeandThe Callum Macdonald Memorial Award at Scotland's National Book Awards.His acclaimed books bring to life the culture and nature of the Scottish Islands, and heappears regularly onBBC Radio 4andBBC Radio Scotland.

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