I’m a true crime buff, and one of my recent favorites was Bad Blood, John Carreyrou’s exhaustive tale of Elizabeth Holmes and her scam company Theranos, so I expected to like Bad Medicine by Charlotte Bismuth. I received a copy from Atria/One Signal Books and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. Subtitled “Catching New York’s Deadliest Pill Pusher,” it’s a crime tale set in 2010, and tells the story of Queens, NY doctor Stan Li,. He ran a very creepy corrupt and criminal pain management clinic in Queens, NY. with his big products being Oxycodone and Xanax,. He freely sold prescriptions for cash, and although Dr. Li was repeatedly warned by various physicians that his patients were at risk of death, he just kept on.

The author of Bad Medicine, Charlotte Bismuth, was a young assistant DA and single mother when she took on the prosecution of Dr. Li. With the current opioid epidemic, the abuse of prescription medicine is pervasive. This book shows the extent to which it has been going on for many years. I thought this book was very well done, documenting the incredible efforts put in to bring Dr. Li to justice. Personally, I prefer my true crime to focus on the crime, the people fighting for justice, and the victims, rather than the author’s personal story. But that’s just me. It’s a good book. Four stars.