Michael Cordy — The Venus Conspiracy

Corgi 2006 Paperback, 468pp. HOW CAN A DRUG THAT MAKES PEOPLE FALL MADLY IN LOVE BE A BAD THING? So thinks Professor Bacci when he inadvertently unlocks the biochemical key to falling in love, and develops a drug capable of creating emotions indistinguishable from the real thing. Determined that the world should benefit from his discovery, he seeks funding and business advice from a private Swiss bank, owned by the secretive Kappel family. Unknown to Bacci, however, Helmut Kappel sees love as a sickness to be exploited, and has his own plan for abusing the drug's power - a cynical nightmare of breathtaking arrogance far removed from Bacci's naive dream of spreading love around the world. Edge of text block marked. (ISBN: 9780552148832). Very Good.