‘Cosmetics create beauty, but when that turns ugly, it’s lethal.’ ‘Pretty Ugly,’ a contemporary suspense novel, is a rocky ride through the murky undercurrent of corporate and political machinations bridging the complex worlds of medicine, media and modeling, in both the US and Ireland, with a surprising touch of magic realism, Celtic-style. The plot links the remote west Donegal Gaeltacht and Belfast with Kansas City, Boston, New York and Washington.

Facing some terrible truths, an unlikely trio of characters – an investigative journalist, a skin specialist and a celebrity model - embark on a dangerous mission, to lift the veil of secrecy on a powerful cosmetics company intent on concealing the health hazards from toxic ingredients in one of its lucrative products. Ironically, the greatest risk is contained inside an ordinary concealer - nanoparticles so tiny they infiltrate nerve and blood cells causing untold damage. If the trio move fast enough, they can save lives. If they don’t …