The Trial: A Thriller

by Larry D. Thompson

A small town attorney is forced to battle a giant drug company in an attempt to save his daughter's life. She had volunteered for a clinical trial of a drug that both the company and the FDA knew was dangerous. When his daughter's liver starts to fail, and he realizes a liver transplant is out of the question, he decides to fight the drug company on the playing field he knows best…the courtroom. Discovering what was hidden from the public, he finds himself faced with a ruthless adversary willing to commit bribery, kidnapping and murder to keep the drug on the market.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2010

About the author

Larry D. Thompson is a managing partner of the Houston trial firm he founded. He is the proud father of three grown children and admiring brother of the late author Tommy Thompson. He lives in Houston, Texas"

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Trial, a legal thriller which pits a small town lawyer against Big Pharma and the FDA, has a compelling storyline,but the dull, stilted writing turns what could be an exceptional reresentative of the genre into a pretty pedestrian book. Thompson needs an editor and a dialogue coach.

[Lisarenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever seen those advertisements on the television that ask you to "Ask your doctor about (insert drug name here)". Do you ever wonder how much money those ads roll in for the pharmaceutical companies? If the drug turned out to have a deadly side affect to what extent would a company go to hide it? Thompson explores those very issues in his latest novel The Trial. A drug marketed as "revolutionary" that looks to be set on lining the pockets of the drug manufacturer has been found to cause liver failure in a high percentage of patients. A cover up persists and lives are endangered.

Samantha Vaughan is a healthy 19 year college student with her whole life ahead of her. She agrees to participate in a drug trial to earn some extra money. Several months later she's facing a liver transplant or death. Together with her father, a lawyer, they will take on one of the big drug companies and become closer than ever before. This one will make you think twice about those ads. In a book that had me reminiscing about novels written by John Grisham, which I totally saturated myself in years ago, I found the book highly entertaining. If you're looking for a good suspense filled drama, this one just might fill the bill. I highly recommend it.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC from the author. This book is a very suspenseful legal thriller. Small town lawyer takes on giant drug company when his daughter develops a fatal condition due to being a subject of a clinical drug trial. How far would you go to save your child? Though the writing was stilted at times I could not put the book down. I can see this novel becoming a blockbuster movie. Great book for a first time author!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

great plot, but kind of cheesy writing

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stress of being a Houston trial lawyer is getting to Luke Vaughn, so he decides a lifestyle change is in order. He and his teenage daughter, Samantha, move to his hometown of San Marcos, Texas. There, he works in an office at home, mainly on wills and contracts. He develops a romantic interest with a girl from his school days, and his relationship with his daughter improves dramatically. Small-town life seems to agree with the pair until Samantha gets sick. She's diagnosed with hepatitis as a result of a clinical trial she participated in for money. When Luke gets the news that she needs a new liver, he decides to sue the pharmaceutical company for enough money to pay for Samantha's care. With each passing day, Luke and his team (which includes his girlfriend and an eccentric history professor, Whizmo)uncover more and more dark secrets about Ceventa, the pharmaceutical giant that produced the drug. The plot includes murder-for-hire, kidnapping, payoffs to the FDA, and other twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night.

It's hard to read this book and not compare it to John Grisham. The small-town trial lawyer who goes up against a big-city firm is a common theme. What makes this book so outstanding are (1)the characters, and (2)the suspense. Larry Thompson has gathered an interesting group of characters who are so real, it's hard not to become absorbed in their story. Whizmo is unforgettable, and the kind of history professor I wish I'd had. As Samantha's condition deteriorates, it is described in such detail (particularly the scene where the doctor has to remove fluid from her abdomen) that as a reader, you now have a vested interest in the trial's outcome.

The conclusion (for both the trial and the novel) comes as no surprise, but all the same it is satisfying. I fell in love with these characters and would gladly read another story about a father-daughter practice involving these same characters (hint hint, Mr. Thompson?).

[Ronald Roseborough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luke Vaughan gave up his fast track, ulcer causing career as a trial lawyer to start a small practice in his home town of San Marcos, Texas. When his teenage daughter, Samantha rebels at the lifestyle changes, Luke finds he has traded an ulcer for a major headache. Years of alienation follow until Samantha starts college. In order to make a few dollars, Sam signs up for a clinical drug trial of a major new medication being administered through a rather shady local doctor"s office. The drug is touted to be a promising rival to the current crop of antibiotics on the market. In a matter of weeks, Sam starts exhibiting signs of illness indicative of liver failure. As the symptoms rapidly worsen, Luke convinces Sam that they should sue the doctor and the drug company to recover enough money to pay for a liver transplant. What they don't know is that the drug company fronted by Dr. Kingsbury, is risking billions of dollars on this new drug and will stop at nothing, including bribing an official in the Food and Drug Administration, to see it succeed. Lies, bribery, threats, violence and perhaps worse are all options in his quest for success. The trial that ensues will test the limits of friendship and family for Luke and Samantha. I found the scenario interesting, even compelling. The small town lawyer fights the multinational drug company in order to get his dying daughter enough money to pay for a liver transplant. I thought the relationships as expressed through the dialog were weak at times. I didn't find any singular twists or surprises that would raise the story above an average courtroom suspense drama. The story was solid, but I just didn't feel it had the spark to make it exceptional. The book was provided for review by the author.

[Darren Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished THE TRIAL by Larry Thompson. Exaccia, an antibiotic for treating respiratory conditions, waits to get approved by the FDA, but with the help of Drs. Boatwright and Kingsbury, from the Center of Drug Evaluation & Research, who start a study near a regional college paying students to participate in the study, under the direction of Dr. Challah, paid a $25,000 stipend to run the study, who has his subjects sign a consent form exonerating him should anything happen to them, it gets approved. Luke, an attorney, pulls his daughter Samantha, who participated in the Exaccia study, from college because of failing grades. She has developed a jaundiced look and spends much of her days sleeping, and has a failing liver that needs to be replaced. Luke files a lawsuit against Coventa, the pharmaceutical company that created Exaccia. After presenting the situation on hand better than Coventa's defense, showing the jury that Kingsbury wired Boatwright $700,000 to get Exaccia approved, even though Coventa offers to settle out of court for $5 million, the jury awards Luke and Samantha a verdict of $1.1 billion and Samantha gets a liver replacement.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast read with an interesting storyline of a corrupt clinical trial and regulation of a drug. The premise is great. With a different author and the same storyline - this could be a five star book. However.....

The dialogue is horrible. I felt like I was reading a Fern Michaels book. I found "good ol' boy - golly gee" / "This is how we do it in Texas" talk a bit off putting and really lowered the integrity of the book. The asides from the Judge and the little comments/interests sprinkled here and there from and about the characters did not endear me to them....I just found it plain annoying. Truly the dialogue made me double check that the author was a lawyer with trial experience. Also just throwing up anything that will stick and even breaking the law by hacking to get evidence for the courtroom doesn't give the storyline credability. Not confusing, but annoying was the way the first part of the book jumped all over the place in timeline. Was the author on a page limit and couldn't flesh out the story properly?

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the stilted writing style The Trial is a compelling read. A small town lawyer, Luke Vaughn, takes on a multinational pharmaceutical company that manipulates clinical trials in order to get a new drug approved by the FDA. Luke's college age daughter joins a clinical trial to get a few dollars to but her dad a Father's Day present but has a bad reaction to the drug that causes her liver to fail. Luke sues the doctor, adding the drug company later, and then all sorts of bad things happen to all who take on the drug company and the FDA findings.

It's a classic David vs Goliath story that is worth investing a few hours on--especially if you are a fan of David.

[Maria Calleja · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked how the book showed a real relationship that a father can have with his daughter. you see how this lawyer wants a simple life but it ends up being complicated and then you see that his daughter who at first had a bad relationship with him is needing him more than ever. this book is a really fast read because it makes you want to know what will happen as the case continues. i recommend it to anyone that likes to watch law and order svu type of things. one of my favs.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Thompson's first novels, if not THE first. Set in San Marcos, Texas, The Trial goes after a large drug company through a lawsuit over liver damage a new antibiotic seems to be causing to too many of the patients in a trial group. The book reads like a John Grisham novel and actually is a bit tighter in spots. I would have rated it from a 3 to a 5 in various parts of the book, but the characters and the plot make it a very enjoyable book. Pages turned themselves in many places!

[Larry Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am The author of The Trial. A small town lawyer is forced to fight a giant pharmaceutical company and the FDA to try to save his daughter’s life in Thompson’s edgy legal thriller. When his lawsuit uncovers fraud and corruption, he is confronted with an enemy who will resort to bribery, kidnapping and murder to win.

[Becks · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a complete waste of my time.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

FDA's Ryan Sinclair wants to stop a bad drug from entering the market.
Ceventa Pharmaceuticals want to put the new ABX (antibiotic) on the market, knowing that it causes liver problems and death.

[Sarahb. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story--how sad that it is probably based on true happenings within the FDA, CDC and other "honorable companies". A must read!!!!

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was good, and I got a book that I think was an equivilant of an ARC, and it was good. I liked the plot, and the characters, and their struggles. Yep :)

[Jackie]

It's a fast read and I'm liking it so far.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting pharmaceutical/lawyer/trial book. a quick and enjoyable read.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

FABULOUS READ!

[Mickey Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got tired of reading about the protagonist's family, but the basic plot was okay, even if it's not at all unique.

[LILLIAN C. KNOCKE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physician's and pharmaceutical

great read could not put it down.....Love courtroom drama too. all of this in one great story made a good read

[Jean Vasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the advanced, uncorrected copy of this...will definitely read his next book!

[Caroline Mcphail-Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always up for a great legal thriller, and this certainly fit the bill! Medical trials and legal trials come head to head in this fast-paced, action packed story of little guy vs. conglomerate!

[Jane Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much. It is similar to trial books by J. Grisham.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read...good character interaction.

[Kari Beh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!