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MayaVerse #2
Borrelia: A Microbial Mystery
Borrelia is the second novel featuring Maya Maguire, medical detective, in her journey as an Asian American veterinarian solving microbial mysteries.
A pregnant New Mexico woman is dying from relapsing fever and reaction to her treatment for infection with Borrelia, a squiggly spirochete bacteria. After searching for blood-sucking ticks at the patient’s cabin, veterinarian Maya Maguire of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a car accident which upends the confidence gained during her first year of CDC training. Her childhood panic disorder and struggles with its treatment block Maya’s dreams of achieving balance between demands of public health and her almost-fiancé, a physician incapacitated by Arizona anthrax.
Summer heatwaves spike lice-associated Borrelia in Europe. Maya consults on a surge of deaths in Borrelia-infected refugees relocated to Norway. When extending her mission to Portugal and Morocco, impacts from her fieldwork pile up. At home, she juggles support for a harassed friend and a colleague rejected by his biological family, while mentoring a trainee stepping over the line. Protecting those she loves backfires when she hides her own legal jeopardy.
Maya successfully battles Borrelia until swept up in an Atlanta protest march. Juggling difficult choices of disclosure versus service threaten to overwhelm, until recovery of a loved one and decisions about the future allow her to take important steps forward.
A pregnant New Mexico woman is dying from relapsing fever and reaction to her treatment for infection with Borrelia, a squiggly spirochete bacteria. After searching for blood-sucking ticks at the patient’s cabin, veterinarian Maya Maguire of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a car accident which upends the confidence gained during her first year of CDC training. Her childhood panic disorder and struggles with its treatment block Maya’s dreams of achieving balance between demands of public health and her almost-fiancé, a physician incapacitated by Arizona anthrax.
Summer heatwaves spike lice-associated Borrelia in Europe. Maya consults on a surge of deaths in Borrelia-infected refugees relocated to Norway. When extending her mission to Portugal and Morocco, impacts from her fieldwork pile up. At home, she juggles support for a harassed friend and a colleague rejected by his biological family, while mentoring a trainee stepping over the line. Protecting those she loves backfires when she hides her own legal jeopardy.
Maya successfully battles Borrelia until swept up in an Atlanta protest march. Juggling difficult choices of disclosure versus service threaten to overwhelm, until recovery of a loved one and decisions about the future allow her to take important steps forward.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2022
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Millicent Eidson
13 books9 followersMILLICENT EIDSON is the author of the alphabetical Maya Maguire microbial mystery series, which currently has 5 novels in the MayaVerse: Anthracis (Book 1, 2021), Borrelia (Book 2, 2022), Corona (Book 3, 2023), Dengue (Book 4, 2024), and Ebola (Book 5, 2025), plus Microbial Mysteries: A Story Collection (Book 0, 2023).
Author awards include Best Play for "Monuments" in Synkroniciti and Honorable Mention from the Arizona Mystery Writers.
Dr. Eidson’s work as a public health veterinarian and epidemiologist began with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and continued at the New Mexico and New York state health departments. She is a public health faculty member at the University at Albany and the University of Vermont.
Author awards include Best Play for "Monuments" in Synkroniciti and Honorable Mention from the Arizona Mystery Writers.
Dr. Eidson’s work as a public health veterinarian and epidemiologist began with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and continued at the New Mexico and New York state health departments. She is a public health faculty member at the University at Albany and the University of Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 10, 2022
A relevant, interesting novel by Dr. Millicent Eidson, the second in a series featuring CDC Veterinarian, Maya Maguire. Using her own experience with the CDC and two state health departments, Dr. Eidson has penned one heck of a book that makes me want to live in a bubble. Scary stuff. Fascinating read.
August 11, 2022
Maya Maguire is a CDC veterinarian investigating microbial mysteries. Her latest challenge comes with the worldwide spread of Borrelia, squiggly spirochetes transmitted by bloodsucking lice and ticks. Work/life balance is also a challenge as she supports a recovering lover, a harassed friend, and a colleague rejected by his biological family. Plus she’s mentoring a trainee with serious boundary issues. Maya is based in New Mexico, and her investigation takes her to Arizona, Atlanta, New York, Norway, Portugal, and Morocco.
And there’s romance!
The author shares her passion for public health and her background with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments in New Mexico and New York.
And there’s romance!
The author shares her passion for public health and her background with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments in New Mexico and New York.
February 10, 2023
Fascinating journey into science and a little romance
I was drawn to this book because I'm a long time sufferer of Chronic Lyme Disease. Dr. Eidson weaves her knowledge and expertise as a epidemiologist skillfully into the narrative. Although referred to as a mystery, this story is really about the growth of the main character and her ability to navigate the challenges in her life. Those challenges are both professional and personal. "Borrelia," though it may not satisfy those readers who seek a traditional mystery story, will most definitely appeal to people interested in science and the methods used to investigate diseases in the real world.
I was drawn to this book because I'm a long time sufferer of Chronic Lyme Disease. Dr. Eidson weaves her knowledge and expertise as a epidemiologist skillfully into the narrative. Although referred to as a mystery, this story is really about the growth of the main character and her ability to navigate the challenges in her life. Those challenges are both professional and personal. "Borrelia," though it may not satisfy those readers who seek a traditional mystery story, will most definitely appeal to people interested in science and the methods used to investigate diseases in the real world.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews