Having been deserted by her mother as a baby, Emily now lives with her father in Mexico City, and works in the local orphanage. When a mysterious cousin, Santi, appears on their doorstep, he brings with him family secrets, and soon Emily finds desire and temptation have overturned her straightforward life forever. The Poison That Fascinates is an alluring fable forged in sensuous prose. Jennifer Clement conjures a world heavy with the weight of Mexican superstition, mythology and faith, where saintliness and mortal sin sit side by side. With this novel, Shearsman brings to its collection a unique work praised for Clement's prowess in creating a literary crime novel.