Acceptable Risk

This novel by Robin Cook, published in 1994, takes place in Salem. More specifically, many of the settings are of north Salem such as Greenlawn Cemetery and Cabot Farm.

The premise of the book is built around an interesting concept. Some believe that the Salem witch trials in 1692 were brought about by a fungus commonly found at that time on rye grain. This fungus, when ingested in bread, produced hallucinations and delusions which could be interpreted as "possession". Cook's plot goes like this. The main character, Kim Stewart, a 27 year old nurse from an affluent and blue blooded Massachusetts family has a skeleton in her closet. One of her ancestors, Elizabeth was convicted of witchcraft and hanged. Investigating her past leads to the discovery of the fungus. Her boyfriend, a brilliant research scientist metabolizes this fungus into a new, designer mood altering super Prozac type drug. His colleagues, anticipating a financial windfall, work diligently to test the drug to get FDA approval. They speed up the process by ingesting and testing the drug themselves, with somewhat predictable consequences.

See Also

• Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook