This was a breath-taking mystery and we had so many feelings at the end about the dead friend, who killed the head of the circus, the poor elephant that did not speak English, etc. Most of us are older folk and the novel was also a dream though the younger ones were skeptical of the ending. We loved the book.

This book contained an intriguing ethics argument. We saw the compromises that people had to make in times of stress. They were difficult and similar to those we have had to make. Historical fiction is liked by our group and this was the story of penicillin and its cousins.

Almost half the casualties in war are caused by infection. The government put a great deal of effort into developing a method for manufacturing large amounts of penicillin during WW II. The story is a fascinating mystery, an example of how money influences life choices, and a great history lesson. We agreed to recommend it as a very good book.