Review – Blood Brothers

When an experimental drug results in marked increases of creativity and efficiency, while adding strength and rapid response time, Karl and Gunner, of Bjornsen Pharmaceuticals, fast track Neurostim for FDA approval. Although the brothers agree on fast-tracking the drug, they disagree on everything else because of the fierce legal battle Karl initiated to gain control of the new drug and their joint-owned company. Distracted by quarrels and rising animosity, neither brother investigates the recent ominous reports of Neurostim’s latest results.

A lost and starving hiker first found the seeds for the new drug in a remote cave in Norway. When the desperate hiker ate a few seeds, he pocketed the rest, unsure of their effect. Soon he gained strength and a renewed will to live.

When the hiker attributed his survival to the seeds, Norwegian scientists studied them and discovered complex compounds that affected neural pathways and increased cognitive learning abilities. When Gunner read about the seeds, he immediately licensed the rights to experiment with them and retain all product rights. To ensure a steady supply Gunner first cultivated a tree, not knowing what he would unleash upon an unsuspecting world.

The drug took several years of research, travel and experimentation before Gunner perfected the formula that he then refused to share with anyone, even Karl. Karl’s recent odd behavior baffled Gunner. He and Karl were not just brothers, they had always been buddies. Now they couldn’t speak without shouting. When Karl initiated a lawsuit Gunner hired an attorney.

Assuming it’s a simple trade-secrets lawsuit, Ben Corbin takes the case. However, the investigation reveals embezzlement and bribery that reach into the company’s Norwegian accounting department. What he learns also implicates his client’s brother Karl. Ben and his team of legal assistants travel to Norway for an in-depth investigation. The journey endangers lives and threatens the release of the company’s billion dollar profit-maker. Add fraud, blackmail, mysterious accidents and death, and you have the riveting beginning of Blood Brothers.

Rick Acker wrote Blood Brothers while traveling to and from his “real job” as deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice. Well-written legal scenes and jargon mixed with inter-personal struggles are authentic. Sequel to Dead Man’s Rule, Acker’s intense legal suspense, with a pharmaceutical background, continues the series with powerful court-room scenes that involve the reader from the opening lines. If you weren’t an Ackers fan when you began the book, you will be by the time you finish.