Vanessa Marwood

Forensic entomologist Vanessa Marwood has built her career on her love of insects and the vital information these tiny creatures can provide at the scene of a crime. Just as she is about to board a plane for her dream job at a lab in New York, Vanessa receives a call about a chilling set of murders in her hometown. Not only have four innocent victims lost their lives in a single night, but the killer has sewn spider silk into their wounds. Vanessa swore she would never return to Greensands. But this case, and the dark secrets of her childhood, are drawing her back.

Forensic entomologist Dr Vanessa Marwood is settling into her new role in Manhattan when she's faced with a chilling case: an Oscar-winning actress has been found dead, poisoned by a glittering hair clip adorned with a live beetle. As a second high-profile death emerges - a fashion designer poisoned by an insect-encrusted watch - shockwaves run through New York's elite.

Forensic entomologist Dr Vanessa Marwood isn't in Sydney for the sights. She's hunting for answers - and Detective Finn Harper, renowned cult expert might have them. His expertise could be the key to exposing a shadowy organisation with ties to Vanessa's hometown and the glittering elite of New York. But a few days into her stay, a shocking crime rocks New South Wales - seven bodies are found in an abandoned warehouse, cocooned in expensive Muga silk. It's macabre and ritualistic, and everything points to the insect-obsessed cult Finn has made it his life's work to bring down.