The author of the best-selling novel "The Horse Whisperer" is recovering in a hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms during a vacation in Scotland, according to a statement by his agent. Evans, his wife and her sister are all in the renal unit of a U.K. hospital.  Tests established that the mushrooms included the highly toxic variety Cortinarius speciosissimus, which attacks the kidneys.

Evans’ bestselling 1995 novel, “The Horse Whisperer,” is widely considered to have bought the theories of horse trainers Monty Roberts and Ray Hunt to the mainstream. The book sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and a film starring and directed by Robert Redford was both a box office and financial success.