"Horse Whisperer" Author Poisoned By Mushrooms

LONDON — The author of the best-selling novel "The Horse Whisperer" is recovering in a hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms during a holiday in Scotland, his agent said Tuesday. Nicholas Evans' agent said the writer, his wife, her sister and the sister's husband became sick after cooking and eating mushrooms they had picked in the woods Aug. 23. The A.P. Watt literary agency said tests established that the mushrooms included the highly toxic variety Cortinarius speciosissimus, which attacks the kidneys. The agency said in a statement that all four had received dialysis treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and responded well. It they were "walking about and were in a cheerful and positive frame of mind." Evans' 1995 novel about a trainer's rapport with a wounded, traumatized horse has sold more than 15 million copies around the world. It was made into a critically acclaimed film by Robert Redford. (link)