What can go wrong when a scientist's career hinges on the results of a clinical trial? When Professor Brad Parker is asked to serve as interim director of the Maine Translational Research Institute, he thinks he'll have nothing more on his hands than a messy dispute between two faculty members. But what awaits him is much worse. Rather than an ordinary academic conflict, Brad finds himself dealing with sabotage, blackmail, and the mysterious deaths of patients in a clinical trial. As Brad and his partner - FBI agent Karen Richmond - race to unravel a murderous conspiracy, they find themselves at the top of a hired killer's list of targets.