AUDIO

The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup

by Evan Hughes
Penguin Random House Audio. Jan. 2022. 9:16 hrs. ISBN 9780593508299. $20. CRIME
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John Kapoor develops a powerful opioid pain medicine in response to his wife’s agonizing cancer pain. His intentions are soon overtaken by capitalistic tendencies, and the company he founded becomes focused on profits at any cost. The team Kapoor recruits goes down the rabbit hole of unethical and illegal behavior to boost their paychecks and company profits. All in all, this is just another brick in the wall of the opioid crisis. It isn’t hard to see the profit motive overtaking the goal of minimizing suffering. Narrator Mike Chamberlain does a great job of adding to the procedural quality of this corporate true crime story. He is adept at taking listeners through the facts with a compassionate but neutral, calm tone of an observer.
VERDICT True crime fans will enjoy this expertly researched account of corporate malfeasance and mayhem committed by doctors.
Reviewed by Christa Van Herreweghe , Jun 01, 2022
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