MIKE PAPANTONIO PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN ON AMERICA'S DEADLY OPIOID
EPIDEMIC IN THIS SPELLBINDING THRILLER ABOUT GREED, CORRUPTION AND THE
POWER OF PERSONAL CONVICTION.
One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered.
His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. When Jake
returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, he discovers that his
brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. The entire
region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried
out by one of America's most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
Still wet behind the ears, Jake is determined to seek justice for all
the victims of Big Pharma's greed. He soon learns that the drug
companies' tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to get
Nicholas "Deke" Deketomis to help. A partner at one of the country's
most powerful law firms, Deke's "as tough as a two-dollar steak" and
well-known for his 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 seizure schemes - 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 to 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 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? Law and Addiction is real-life drama at its finest -- a book
that clears away the darkness page by page, spotlighting a profound
truth about our society through expert storytelling.
