Night Shift working Dr Laura Strong, an A&E doctor struggling with each soaring debts and a severely disabled brother to look after. She needs a miracle to stop her life collapsing around her.

One day Rafael Fernandez, a handsome Colombian businessman, appears with is young son Max, who is suffering badly from Crolin’s disease. When Fernandez offers to pay her vast sums of money to leave her job and move to Bogot^[i]á to care for Max, which Strong eventually accepts.

But if somethings appears to be too good to be true, then it probably is. Behind the façade of Rafa’s gilded existence lies a dark family history which he has been doing his best to avoid – until the death of this estranged father brings it crashing back into his- and Laura’s- world. What had at first seemed to be remarkable escape from an impossible situation now threatens to destroy everything Laura cares about. Friendless and far from home, she must rely on her own instincts to find a way out of this terrifying new landscape. Sometimes it is easier to trust the devil  you know..The Fernandez family business turns out not to be coffee but something less legal that begins with C. Strong is an engaging protagonist- brave, determined and devoted to Max. Fernandez wants out and live a normal life, but that is easier said than done. Vivid scene setting from the slums of Bogotá to its luxurious villas, plenty of action and a simmering romance make for a very enjoyable reading, with clever final twist which should bring smile to your face.

 Red Scorpion by Tom Bradby, Bantam £16.99, 419 pages.

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