THIRD MESSENGER

Debut author James offers a crackling thriller that doubles as a savage indictment of big pharma.

The story focuses on a ruthless executive’s plan to exploit a tropical plant which promises immortality and on the people who get caught up in his scheme. Will Connors was once a rising-star researcher, but his world fell apart when his daughter, Mollie, contracted cancer. He accepts an offer to be part of a Food and Drug Administration inspection team that analyzes research for the drug Novix, in hopes that he can find something in it that could help Mollie. But there’s something shady going on at Steele Pharmaceuticals’ Tikal Research Center in the Guatemalan jungle, where the inspection team is being fed false data. That’s because CEO Andrew Glass needs Novix to be approved in order to save the failing company, and he doesn't care who gets hurt in the process. But cracks begin to appear in Glass’ plan. Anthropologist Tamara Rodgers, another member of the inspection team, gets anxious after geneticist Yanni Shimota suddenly suffers a suspicious stroke. She gets word to her ex-husband, investigative reporter Steve McNeal, who sets out to learn what Glass is doing. The CEO threatens team members to keep them quiet—then takes things to another level. First and foremost, James targets the practices of pharmaceutical companies in this novel: “These outfits run the biggest shell games in history. They develop and market drugs that don’t work.” It’s admirably researched throughout, and James manages to vividly bring the process of creating a new drug to life. He also highlights what happens to people—both in and out of the company—when that system goes awry. And much goes wrong in the development of Novix, including genetic modifications and numerous people being driven to violence by greed. James’ characters remain three-dimensional, however, as their actions are shown to be driven by crises in their lives. It’s even possible to understand the motivations, if not the actions, of the villainous Glass, who was emotionally abused by his military father.

A layered but fast-moving thriller that may give readers pause before they take their next pill.