Nick Heller, ex-Special Forces now a detective, is devastated to
learn that his friend Sean, a man who saved his life, has died from
an overdose of an opioid, Oxydone. He is particularly upset to
discover that the drug was prescribed by the VA when Sean was a
patient.
At the funeral, Nick
is approached by Sukie Kimball, daughter of Conrad Kimball who heads
Kimball’s pharmaceutical company, responsible for developing and
marketing Oxydone. She wants to hire Nick to expose the fact that
Kimball Pharma had research evidence that Oxydone was extremely
addictive. The information was withheld so the public had no idea
about the dangers of the drug.
Nick agrees to take
the case which involves finding a hard copy of the report about the
drug. It is one way to avenge Sean’s death. Getting into the
Kimball mansion won’t be easy, but Sukie has a way. She invites
Nick to Conrad’s birthday party as her date. The party becomes the
scene of a murder investigation and Nick finds himself teaming with
Maggie, an ex-lover now a detective.
With fast action and
a well structured plot, this novel provides a good read if you enjoy
detective stories. Nick Heller is a character you have to like. He’s
a well trained PI who’s not afraid of danger, but he is also loyal
to his friends and wants to protect their reputations. The other
characters, Sukie and her family, and particularly Maggie are well
drawn, but Nick is the center of the action.
I particularly
enjoyed the background focusing on the social issue of addiction to
pain killers. It’s a significant issue and the author treats it
with appropriate seriousness. It makes you think about the issues of
profit vs human life and how for some people an opiate is the only
solution to dreadful pain.
I received this book
from Dutton for this review.
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