The Rx Factor by J. Thomas Shaw

I was pleasantly surprised with this book.  It isn't generally the type of plot lines I usually read, but it kept me hooked until the end.  The political intrigue is set from the start.  We get actual news articles about drug trials gone bad in the prologue.  The scene being set, I knew I was in for a journey filled with power struggles and cover ups.


The RX Factor is well written.  Perhaps helped along by a similar series of events that happened with an ulcer cure, but in the end the United States government is viewed as a bit corrupt when it comes to corporations willing to pay for their desired outcomes.  So, we learn with Ryan and Jordan about the ins and outs of drug trials and why a particular drug may be blacklisted by the FDA.
Like the bureaucracy of government, the plot of this book has layers of truth.  Each time a new fact is revealed it paves the way for more information to be uncovered.  In the end, these truths allow for some shocking twists as our characters try to survive while  hoping to save the lives of others.
Ryan is a medical researcher down on his luck and taken to the bottle for comfort.  He meets Jordan after her aunt and uncle are killed (within the first few pages so it's not a spoiler).  They both want answers when it is deemed not to have been a mere accident.  The race begins to find answers and prevent more deaths as Jordan wants to open a clinic that will help people receive a cure for various terminal illnesses.  Only it seems that Jordan may be challenging the wrong group of people.



Even more surprisingly, my Mom actually loved this book.  She devours mysteries and thrillers, but is extremely critical.  She's hard to win over and I have to agree with her that the plot unfolded at a wonderful pace to keep the reader hooked.  We get just the right amount of information to keep us interested and reading until the final sentence.


So, if you also enjoy reading James Patterson, John Grisham, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, or Lincoln Child then chances are you will probably enjoy this book!
Honestly, I enjoyed the ending.  Political thrillers usually end with some unsavory business and this one was not too far off the mark.  There is a good amount of arm twisting and death threats to keep us alert.  Along with our main characters we're not surely exactly who we can trust and who might get killed by the bad guys.  When a book starts off with murder, you know you're in for a twisting narrative as we try to solve the puzzle before the bad guys catch up with us. 

If you want to learn more about the book and the author you can go to www.therxfactor.com 


Author's Bio:  John Thomas Shaw was born in Quincy, IL, attended college at Illinois State University in Normal, IL and relocated to Chicago after his graduation. Following a successful career with a national mortgage company, he co-founded Guaranteed Rate, Inc. which is one of the fastest growing independent mortgage banks in the United States. The author now lives in the San Diego area with his wife and two children. Prior to his relocation to California, Mr. Shaw lived six years in Durham, NC followed by two years living in the families rustic log cabin in Cotopaxi, Colorado and has traveled extensively throughout the Bahamas', Caribbean and Mexico. The scenes throughout The RX Factor take place in the various locations that the author has lived or experienced in his travels.  Throughout the process of writing The RX Factor, the author consulted with his good friend, Johnny Powers Ph.D.

Dr. Powers holds a bachelor degree in Chemistry from Wake Forest University, a masters in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University, a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Dr. Powers has over 20 years experience in the biomedical field, with extensive experience in developing and marketing new diagnostic tests for the early detection and management of cancer. Dr. Powers most recently served as the President of TriPath Oncology, a North Carolina-based biotechnology company focused on developing innovative medical tests for ovarian, cervical and breast cancer. TriPath imaging was sold to a major multi-national medical diagnostics company in 2006. In his career, Dr. Powers has dealt extensively with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and various government agencies, and has published numerous scientific research papers and holds medical patents in both the US and Canada. He now resides in the New England area with his wife and two children.

I was given this book to review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.