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
What a way to end the year! Another award for “Dead Air”. The book won Honorable Mention in the New England Book Festival.
More congratulations to my creators, Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid. Hope all of you who have a Kindle downloaded the book for free. The offer ends at midnight December 31st.
Today the New York Times reported that a virologist in Rotterdam (Ron Fouchier) was able to genetically tweak one of the deadliest flu viruses to create an airborne version in the lab with surprising ease . My first “adventure” in the novel “Dead Air” by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid involved a foreign pharmaceutical company altering the AIDS virus. Ironically, that’s the virus Fouchier had originally studied. However, after switching to the H5N1 virus, a type of bird flu, he was able to alter the genetics with only a few mutations and transform it into a supergerm that could cause a deadly pandemic if ever released. This has renewed debate about the ethics of some kinds of medical experiments. The Dutch government and the US CDC approved the laboratory and the NIH gave the center where the work was done a 7 year contract for the flu research. Now the government is recommending that Fouchier not publish any details of his work that could reveal how it was accomplished.
My question: is the cat out of the bag? What do you think? Let me know. I welcome your comments. In the meantime, “Dead Air” is still FREE as a Kindle download until the end of December, 2011.
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.
Just as in the novel Dead Air, written by my creators, Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid, this op ed piece points out the dangers of inadequately monitored medical research.Carl Elliott, who teaches bioethics at the University of Minnesota, talks about “seeding trials” in which a pharmaceutical company tries to promote a new drug to physicians in the guise of a research study. In point of fact, these are really marketing strategies- not well designed clinical research protocols.Because the drugs have already been approved by the FDA, the “trials” are not considered illegal and are not reviewed by the agency. So when bad things happen to the subjects, as it has with several drugs cited by Elliott, that information may take years to reach the public- if ever- since there is no requirement that the pharmaceutical company report any problems.
Bottom line: Given the fact that the government won’t regulate as it should, my advice is this: be very, very careful before you volunteer for a study that is conducted by a private company. The characters in the fictional medical thriller, Dead Air didn’t and look what happened to them. It’s no joke.
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!
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