Author: Mike Papantonio
Year Published: 2019
Genre: Adult fiction
Pages: 294
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location (my 2019 Google Reading map): USA (West Virginia)
FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for TLC Book Review
Summary (from the back of the book): One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered. His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, to discover that his brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. Many now refer to Oakley as "Zombieland." The entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by America's most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
Still wet behind the ears, the newly minted lawyer is determined to seek justice for all the victims of Big Pharma's greed. He soon discovers that the drug companies' tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to extend a desperate tentacle of his own--to indomitable lawyer Nicholas "Deke" Deketomis. A partner at one of hte country's most powerful law firms. Deke is "as tough as a two-dollar steak" and well-known for winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. With just enough persistence, Jake coaxes Deke to see Oakley's devastation firsthand. Overwhelmed, Deke agrees to join forces with Jake.
And that's when the real heat begins. Death threats, bribes, unlawful property seizures--all are connected to the massive distribution of both legal and illegal drugs. Everyone is impacted, from the highest levels of corporate America to corrupt local officials, their lackeys, and hapless victims. The complexity of the schemes is overwhelming.
Working tirelessly, the lawyers begin to uncover the truth. Along the way, Jake falls in love with high school friend Anna Fowler, a former homecoming queen who has succumbed to the power of opioids. With his support, she weans herself off the drugs. Hope begins to bloom--when suddenly, Jake disappears. As Deke undertakes a desperate search to find him, questions swirl. Has Jake abandoned Anna and his crusade? Can the case against the evildoers move forward without him? Will Oakley and its residents survive?
Review: This sounds like a story ripped from the headlines and it is. The author is one of the lawyers who is currently suing Big Pharma over the opioid crisis so he is close to the internal workings of the epidemic, the court cases, and the devastation. The fact that he knows all this makes Law and Addiction a more believable story.
Although I liked this novel, I wanted more. More about each character, more personal about the opioid crisis, and more about the court case. I do think the information about the opioid crisis, the role of Big Pharma and various levels of government, Pill Mills, etc was really interesting and devastating. From the pill manufacturers to the doctors that prescribe them, it has been a concerted effort to create addicts. It is shameful.
Jake, the main character, is likable as are the other lawyers with whom he works. I felt like their hearts were in the right place, they were bright, and that there was a chance for success in the courts. Of course, what is success? Money for those whose loved ones have died? That doesn't bring them back. I guess success could be reducing the prescribing and distribution of the drugs themselves, but I fear the pharmaceutical companies are just too big to lose.
Challenges for which this counts:
FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for TLC Book Review
Summary (from the back of the book): One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered. His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, to discover that his brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. Many now refer to Oakley as "Zombieland." The entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by America's most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
Still wet behind the ears, the newly minted lawyer is determined to seek justice for all the victims of Big Pharma's greed. He soon discovers that the drug companies' tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to extend a desperate tentacle of his own--to indomitable lawyer Nicholas "Deke" Deketomis. A partner at one of hte country's most powerful law firms. Deke is "as tough as a two-dollar steak" and well-known for winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. With just enough persistence, Jake coaxes Deke to see Oakley's devastation firsthand. Overwhelmed, Deke agrees to join forces with Jake.
And that's when the real heat begins. Death threats, bribes, unlawful property seizures--all are connected to the massive distribution of both legal and illegal drugs. Everyone is impacted, from the highest levels of corporate America to corrupt local officials, their lackeys, and hapless victims. The complexity of the schemes is overwhelming.
Working tirelessly, the lawyers begin to uncover the truth. Along the way, Jake falls in love with high school friend Anna Fowler, a former homecoming queen who has succumbed to the power of opioids. With his support, she weans herself off the drugs. Hope begins to bloom--when suddenly, Jake disappears. As Deke undertakes a desperate search to find him, questions swirl. Has Jake abandoned Anna and his crusade? Can the case against the evildoers move forward without him? Will Oakley and its residents survive?
Although I liked this novel, I wanted more. More about each character, more personal about the opioid crisis, and more about the court case. I do think the information about the opioid crisis, the role of Big Pharma and various levels of government, Pill Mills, etc was really interesting and devastating. From the pill manufacturers to the doctors that prescribe them, it has been a concerted effort to create addicts. It is shameful.
Jake, the main character, is likable as are the other lawyers with whom he works. I felt like their hearts were in the right place, they were bright, and that there was a chance for success in the courts. Of course, what is success? Money for those whose loved ones have died? That doesn't bring them back. I guess success could be reducing the prescribing and distribution of the drugs themselves, but I fear the pharmaceutical companies are just too big to lose.
Review tour:
Monday, May 20th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Tuesday, May 21st: Based on a True Story
Wednesday, May 22nd: Jessicamap Reviews
Thursday, May 23rd: Instagram: @theweekendbooker
Friday, May 24th: Jenn Blogs Books
Monday, May 27th: Bewitched Bookworms
Thursday, May 30th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Friday, May 31st: Book by Book
Monday, June 3rd: Instagram: @readingwithmere
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Thursday, June 6th: Helen’s Book Blog
Tuesday, June 4th: From the TBR Pile
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