In the last few years several big pharmaceutical companies have paid huge fines (literally billions of $) for failing to disclose the potential dangers of some of their drugs. This time it’s J&J and their antipsychotic Risperidol. Last November it was GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug Avandia. I remember how in 2007, Congressman Darryl Issa tried to intimidate the cardiologist whistleblower who reported the heart damage some of his patients had experienced after taking the pill. Issa asked the doctor if he knew how much his “accusations” had cost the stock price!
In the novel “Dead Air”, an unethical pharmaceutical company continues a vaccine study using students at my fictional university knowing it was literally killing the subjects. Just like these real pharma companies, the fictional Nitshi Corporation put profits before people. Several reviewers have called the book “eerily timely”. Frankly, I wish it was just a good thriller. Here’s today piece in the New York Times
This has been a wonderful year for both Sammy Greene thrillers! The first in the series, “Dead Air” just recently won First Place in the Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association, First Place USA Best Books (thriller), and the Silver Medal President’s Award from the Florida Publisher’s Association. It also won an IPPY Award from Independent Publishers. “Devil Wind”, the second the the series just became a finalist for the Mensa Sharp Writ Award. It also won First Place in the Royal Palm Literary Award, was a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and won First Place for the Audiobook version from the Hollywood Book Festival.
My creators (Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid) are very grateful for these accolades. Me? I’m delighted, of course. But I’m not surprised. Deborah and Linda made my adventures the kind of page turners that keep readers up at night. If you don’t believe me, buy the books and drop me a note. Oh and BTW, “Dead Air” is FREE on Kindle until the end of December. Great Hanukah or Christmas gift!
Anyone looking for a Halloween suspense/mystery should read Wednesday’s Child by Deborah & Joel Shlian. I couldn’t put it down. Kindle Nation featured it, calling it “riveting”. Read the review and a sample here . Only $3.99 on Kindle.
Congrats to my creators, Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid for another great win. Last year the team’s novel Dead Air won First Place, Best Thriller for the Royal Palm Literary award sponsored by the Florida Writers Association. Now the second in the Sammy Greene series, Devil Wind, has won the 2011 Royal Palm Literary award for Best Thriller. Way to go, guys!
So for those of you who haven’t read book #1 (Dead Air) or book #2 (Devil Wind), you’re in for a treat. And of course, I’m the star of both stories.
Check out this month’s newsletter from ShlianBooks. Book clubs interested in reading “Rabbit in the Moon”, “Wednesday’s Child” or “Double Illusion” by Deborah and Joel Shlian or one of the two Sammy Greene novels (“Dead Air” or “Devil Wind” by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid) can win free books for their book clubs as well as an appearance by the authors via Skype (a personal appearance if in the South Florida region). Just click on this LINK and enter the contest!!! And while you’re at it, sign up for the newsletter. There are contests almost every month.
The authors of “Dead Air, Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid, wrote the thriller as a cautionary tale. As medical research has become more and more competitive, with funding often only availabe from corporate sources with profit motives, conflicts of interest are a real issue – one that literally costs human subjects and, ultimately, patients taking a drug that should not have been approved, their lives. ThisWall Street Journal article details the growing number of real life examples of poor medical research coming out of ostensibly prestigious institutions and published in widely-respected medical journals. This is becoming a serious problem that doesn’t normally get much press. Read the article, then read the book. “Dead Air” may be fiction, but as far as a premise, it’s really dead on!!
– Sammy
Dead Air by Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid, winner of Royal Palm Literary Award
Just announced today: Devil Wind is a Finalist for this year’s Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association. Winners will be honored at the October Florida Writers Association meeting in Orlando. I couldn’t be more excited for my creators: Linda Reid and Deborah Shlian. Last year, Dead Air, the first in their series about me, won First Place in the Thriller category. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they win this year too. But as they say in Hollywood, “just to be a finalist is an honor in itself”.
Can’t wait to see the photos from the Hollywood Book Awards Ceremony where Devil Wind is the prize winning audiobook. Ben Matchar will be standing in for Deborah Shlian, and Linda Reid and Barbara Whitesides will join him to celebrate Devil Wind’s success. Then, on Sunday July 24th, Linda Reid will be at the Long Beach Barnes and Noble from 11 am to 8 pm to meet Devil Wind readers in person. Linda will be doing a reading at 1:30 pm from Devil Wind–please come and join her and several other Greater Los Angeles Writers Society writers!
“Devil Wind” won a brand new award- the Audiobook took first place for the Hollywood Book Festival!! Kudos to narrator Barbara Whitesides. She’s really a winner – in May, the Audiobook version of “Rabbit in the Moon” by Deborah & Joel Shlian placed first at the San Francisco Book Festival. And kudos to SpokenWordInc, the producer. Wish I could attend the award ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles on the 23rd. But I promise to share pictures.
Take advantage of SpokenWordInc’s summer special and get a 20% discount for the Audiobook.
Thanks to Edie Dykeman, Bellaonline’s Mystery Books editor for her wonderful review of “Devil Wind”. Her words: “The story is fast paced and the several plots and subplots deftly intertwined throughout the book come together in a harrowing, but satisfying, finish.”
But read the whole review here and if you haven’t read the book, for heavens sake, buy it now! Deborah has been donating all her royalties to breast cancer research. The novel is available in hardback, on eBook and Audiobook (20% discount all summer).
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