Book excerpt: 'This hypnotic debut novel brilliantly captures the unease of our times.' Jane Caro 'Wildly entertaining and frighteningly plausible.' James Bradley 'A whip smart thriller with big ideas and big heart.' Steven Amsterdam A pandemic is racing through our world, changing people subtly but irrevocably. The first sign for some is losing their faith. For others it comes as violent outpourings of creativity, reckless driving and seeing visions. Scientist Charlotte Zinn is close to a cure when her partner becomes infected. Overnight her understanding of the disease is turned upside down. Should she change the path of evolution? As Australia is torn apart, reporter Brigid Bayliss is determined to uncover the dark truth behind the religious response to the outbreak. Brigid and Charlotte find themselves on the frontline of a world splintering into far left and far right, with unexpected power to change the course of history. But at what cost? Dark, thrilling and compulsively readable, The Second Cure is a provocative debut about control, courage and belief.