The Water Lily Cross — Anthony Eglin

Dead in the water

Retired botany professor Lawrence Kingston has no idea why someone would kidnap his friend and colleague Stewart Halliday. When Lawrence investigates the man's disappearance, he realizes that his friend knew about the danger. Stewart was working on a project with global ramifications: the cost-effective desalinization of ocean water using a crossbred Amazon water lily.

His discovery could be a lifeline for drought-stricken countries, but greed, corporate intrigue and covert dealings make this breakthrough something worth killing to possess. As Lawrence follows hidden clues to find the missing botanist, someone is on his trail, too -- a killer who's eager to take him out of the equation…permanently.