The Testers

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A royal poison-taster in the court of Henry VIII. A modern-day whistleblower in the mountains of Tennessee. Across five centuries, two timelines intertwine in a legacy of memory, resistance, and sacrifice. Thomas Tester was trained to taste for danger—his family's duty to shield the crown from those who would kill for power. But in a court full of ambition and betrayal, the greatest threat may not be the poison, but the politics behind it. Five hundred years later, Dr. Grace Blackwood uncovers data manipulation by a pharmaceutical giant targeting Appalachian communities with "non-addictive" painkillers. As whistleblowers turn up dead and files vanish, Grace must choose between her safety and the truth—between her past and a future still being written. Bound by blood, memory, and a shared name, their stories converge in a battle not just for survival, but for legacy. From Tudor palaces to Appalachian hollers, this gripping dual-timeline novel explores what it means