Book Review: The Middleman, by Mike Papantonio

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

As April moved into May, the EirePharma board approved the sale of the company to Connor Devlin. Apparently, his offer couldn’t be beaten. The deal was such that Devlin would acquire all of Charles’s stock, and, after some time had passed, deliver a portion of this stock to the board members to split equally. Mary Redmond would not contest the sale and would receive a very generous lifetime annuity.

Amy would retain her 30 percent of the stock, and her cousins Matt and Candace kept 9.5 percent each. This, in essence, meant that EirePharma was still the Redmond family business, even though Devlin owned the majority of the company and was now CEO. 

The best thing about the deal was that Devlin immediately appointed Amy to be officially president of the company, and the board unanimously approved.

When things may not be what they appear, Amy regrets being taken in by all the chemistry and sparkle, and isn’t sure where she can safely turn.

Official synopsis:

Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis and his law firm take on America’s Big Pharma when Deke’s college pal, Matt Redmond, presents him with a case of possible fraud involving EirePharma, the Redmond family business and a powerful Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). PBMs serve as the “middlemen” between drug manufacturers and insurance companies, working in cryptic ways to determine not only the cost of drugs but also placing them on insurers’ preferred formularies. EirePharma was recently taken over by the charismatic CEO, Connor Devlin, who has a Rasputin-like influence over Matt’s cousin, Amy, the company’s current president. Devlin may be utilizing racketeering practices—and perhaps murder—to raise the prices of insulin and other drugs for his own profit and to the detriment of consumers.

Amy, who at first was in love with Devlin, decides—at great peril—to become her company’s whistleblower and provide evidence to Deke and his team. When key witnesses and even Redmond family members meet mysterious and violent deaths, Amy finds herself a pawn caught in the center of a frightening and deadly game of wills between a formidable gangster, who in the eyes of the public is a respected businessman, and a law firm that is determined to investigate and uncover the Middleman’s crimes.

With a few characters from previous legal thrillers on his team, Deke, an old college pal of Amy’s cousin Matt, only means to see if there’s a case against Connor Devlin for breaking laws that oversee Pharmacy Benefit Manager companies like EirePharma. Amy knows beyond a doubt that something is not right, going back to the untimely and suspicious suicide of the company’s last CEO - the uncle who raised her like his own daughter.

A supervillain like Connor Devlin doesn’t reach that degree of power by being stupid, so Amy and Matt are right to be scared. Devlin and his thugs can’t have anyone questioning their actions, so they eliminate those suspecting them quickly and permanently. Once Deke and members of his team arrive in the Windy City from Florida to investigate, it becomes more obvious that the Redmond family is no longer on Devlin’s side.

This great legal thriller from Mike Papantonio earns 4 out of 5 stars. As with his previous books, the content is current and eye-opening. His thorough research and social commentary blend beautifully with an entertaining and compelling writing style. This and any of his legal thrillers would be readily recommended to those who enjoy social justice stories and enjoyable characters.

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Becki Bayley is a Gen-Xer who enjoys organization, reading, and her own company. See what else she’s been reading and enjoying at her blog: SweetlyBSquared.com.