Poison Pill: A Novel

by Glenn Kaplan

Caught in a war that pits greed and ambition against conscience and love, Emma Conway faces the fight of her life-to save her family, her company, and everything she treasures. Emma is finally living the dream-a happy second marriage and a great career. She has built Percival & Baxter's painkiller, Acordinol, into a huge success. But her dream becomes a nightmare when a Wall Street raider threatens a hostile takeover. Worse, the raider is no ordinary cutthroat but her ex-husband Josh Katz, father of their teenage son. P&B's Poison Pill defense implodes when a mysteriously tainted batch of Acordinol starts killing people, including P&B's CEO. Emma is put in charge as P&B's stock plummets. Her ex's game traps her in a web of secrets locked within secrets. A shadowy Russian oligarch behind Josh is lusting after the holy grail of drugs, the first Viagra for women. And a clandestine romance between Emma's son and the oligarch's estranged daughter puts them in the crosshairs of their parents' mortal combat.
New York Times bestselling author Glenn Kaplan looks inside the heart of today's business world to create page-turning suspense in a powerful tale of a woman who leans into success-and discovers deadly peril.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2013

Reviews

[Aditi · Rating 2 out of 5]

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”
----Mahatma Gandhi

That's incredibly correct. What will be left of us, if we all start to do that "eye-for-an-eye" thing- the world will be certainly doomed. But in this 21st century, we've clearly and proudly chose the road to doomed future rather than a better future- courtesy: thanks to revenge.

Well, sorry for drifting away from the topic, I mean that's what I was literally feeling after reading, Glenn Kaplan, a New York Times bestselling author's latest book, Poison Pill . Although my initial reaction after reading the book was WTF!?!! , still I felt it was something worth reading to have a reading-Robin-Cook-kind-novel-experience only till the mid-way of the book. And the ending was drastic, so w\out-of-the-world, and really crappy! End of story!

Synopsis:
Caught in a war that pits greed and ambition against conscience and love, Emma Conway faces the fight of her life—to save her family, her company, and everything she treasures.
Emma is finally living the dream—a happy second marriage and a great career. She has built Percival & Baxter’s painkiller, Acordinol, into a huge success. But her dream becomes a nightmare when a Wall Street raider threatens a hostile takeover. Worse, the raider is no ordinary cutthroat but her ex-husband Josh Katz, father of their teenage son.
P&B’s Poison Pill defense implodes when a mysteriously tainted batch of Acordinol starts killing people, including P&B’s CEO. Emma is put in charge as P&B’s stock plummets.
Her ex’s game traps her in a web of secrets locked within secrets. A shadowy Russian oligarch behind Josh is lusting after the holy grail of drugs, the first Viagra for women. And a clandestine romance between Emma’s son and the oligarch’s estranged daughter puts them in the crosshairs of their parents’ mortal combat.
The author Glenn Kaplan looks inside the heart of today's business world to create page-turning suspense in a powerful tale of a woman who leans into success—and discovers deadly peril.

Doesn't the blurb sound incredibly thrilling and intriguing! Well at least that's what I thought about the blurb. And once I started reading the book, I simply couldn't stop myself- only till the mid-way of the story!

From the well-developed characters to the smooth flow of narration to articulate prose- everything sounded and looked perfect in order to be the next best thriller. But alas, when the company's stocks became lower, the plot took a total 360 degree turn and fell in to the Devil's Sinkhole, logically speaking, the story went out of its pace- became slow, the characters lost its charm, except Emma Conway and wait the worst is yet to come, the most deadly Russian villain in the world falls for his daughter's sweet little trap! How cliché!

Anyways, I liked Emma a lot- determined, caring mother- for both her teenage son and her company P&B. Anyways, the beginning of the story was super-awesome- completely Robin-Cook-novel-type. I was scared too, sweating out in anticipation, and that stupid ending, especially almost mid-way in the book, I felt like, I cannot keep reading this. But for the sake of the author's hard work, I somehow managed to read it till its end. I already said, the book's writing won't disappoint you-simple and very narrative, and I can almost see the events unfolding right in front of my eyes. Well I wish there was something missing from the plot- the element which will give you an adrenaline rushing feeling.

The characterization was very skillfully done. All the primary key characters were completely justifiable with the plot- a very ambitious corporate woman to the clueless, virgin teenager to a rich aristocrat! They could have charmed their readers only if they would have got opportunity to show off their hidden talents and charm in the story! But overall the revenge angle shown in the story was bit dull and not at all interesting!

Verdict: It was not at all a page-turning suspense, but in the beginning it managed to keep me in its intriguing loop!

Courtesy: I'm very grateful to the author, Glenn Kaplan, for proving me with a review copy of his book.

[Shana M. Essig · Rating 5 out of 5]

When trying to think about what aspects of the book I did NOT like, I couldn't. Thought the book was very good and characters were engaging. I read the book real fast, I'm not sure what one reviewer even means by it being too long or dragged out. It was just enough to keep you I your toes an turning the pages and the plot was intriguing and thrilling. Thank you 4 letting me review your book, I loved it!

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was around a 3.5 for me. There was a lot going on, much of what I found interesting. I think it could have been shorter, though. I did a combination of reading the print book and listening on audio; I thought the audio version helped bring the characters to life.

[L.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viktor Volkov is a user, he uses anyone to get want he wants and is not averse to using bribery, blackmail and even murder if necessary. A Russian oligarch, he seeks approval and acceptance from those in power, but wants more - always more. This time he is behind a takeover bid for a pharmaceutical company, Percival & Baxter, in search of a chemical compound to further increase his wealth. His methods are more than unethical, as he 'arranges' for one of the company's current best selling products to be poisoned and thus causing deaths and fear amongst both the general public and the shareholders. As a result, the stock tumbles and allows him to bid for the company at a heavily reduced price. However, the deal is being fronted by the ex-husband of the current CEO, himself a victim of blackmail and reluctant to sink to the depths required by the power-crazed Volkov. This leads to cracks appearing in the bid process, which are discovered eventually by the technical team at the company, but not before Volkov's own daughter turns against him. She has witnessed his dealings many times, but when he forces his will on her life, she is beyond enraged and sets out to destroy him herself.

The story has all the ingredients of a great mystery, although maybe it could be too predictable in its stereotypes. There is plenty of animosity on all sides, but Volkov's mistake lies in his own belief that he has full control of the situation. When he interferes in his daughter's life and takes the decision to terminate her pregnancy against her will, he unwittingly seals his own fate. As a young woman of immense wealth, accustomed to consorting with people in authority, she is able to dismantle his empire with the help of a fellow rich kid, Peter, who just happens to be the son of the CEO and the blackmailed frontman. Peter is seduced into helping her, his typical teenage lifestyle has been filled with video games and computers, giving him the skills to hack into his mother's company and get evidence to incriminate Volkov. His only concern is to clear his father of any blame.

All in all, the plot has many interesting and unexpected elements, it flows quickly and creates plenty of suspense. At times, it does seem a little far-fetched and the findings made by Peter come a little too easily. However, it's a fascinating story of good versus evil and shows how fragile the familial ties can be when stretched to the limits.

[Amy Lignor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glenn Kaplan has made sure to produce a story that will truly make the reader think as they have a whole lot of fun figuring out his fast-paced plot.

Emma Conway is the CEO of the large pharmaceutical firm, Percival & Baxter. This is a happy woman; not only is she excited about her company’s new ‘superpill’ that will help erase pain, but she’s also in a new marriage to a man she truly loves, Emma’s only drama comes from her teenage son. Peter’s a nice kid, but he’s severely hooked on video games and has no interest in working for a living seeing as that he has a healthy trust fund to fall back on.

Josh Katz is Emma’s first husband and Peter’s dad. Not exactly an upstanding, honest guy, Josh owns a home in the posh world of, Greenwich, Connecticut; however, he really can’t afford it. Josh suffered severely in the economic crash of 2008 and borrowed $500 million from Russian billionaire, Viktor Volkov. Oddly enough, Volkov is the man behind a very hostile takeover of Percival & Baxter. Seems that he is on the trail of another far superior ‘superpill’ that’s the female version of Viagra.

While Viktor’s busy with his takeover, his daughter, Tanya, meets up with Peter online. She wants him to be a sperm donor for her.

Yet another crisis occurs when Emma’s new super painkiller starts to actually kill people. Dealing with this fiasco, as well as her son falling into a situation where he’ll be in the sights of some very bad people, and believing that her former husband wants to take over the company - Emma’s happy life turns into a great big mess.

Not only will this book keep all readers riveted to the unfolding drama, but they will also walk away with a new view on the ease of ‘pill popping’ when it comes to health. The concept of exercise and a good diet will never look better!

[Lance Charnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poison Pill has the bones of a good corporate-takeover potboiler, an underexplored genre. However, repellent characters, amateurish writing and a loss of focus on the main action make for a missed opportunity. Two stars.

Since I reviewed this book for Criminal Element, I can't reproduce it all here. However, you can read the entire review -- and a bunch of other good stuff -- here.

[Jovdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma is the sort of CEO I would want in charge of a company I either worked for or had shares in. She is honest, content to earn “enough” money, but does not make money her god.

When her company, P&B, becomes the target of an unscrupulous Russian Oligarch, Viktor, this man threatens all she values. His under handed thievery, to get the share prices down, include: moles in the company, murder, sabotage- really anything goes.

Viktor uses Emma’s ex, Josh, as the tool to undertake the hostile takeover. Josh is the antithesis of Emma - money, and the accumulation of wealth, is all that matters to him. He is in Viktor’s debt and, because of this, Josh cannot stand up to Viktor, even if he doesn’t agree with the tactics Viktor uses.

A sideline to the main storyline is the romance between Viktor’s daughter, Tanya, and Emma and Josh’s son, Peter. These two play an integral part in the conclusion of the plot.

The best part for me was Emma’s impassioned plea to the board. When the stock price plummeted, Emma appealed to the board members: she asked them to look at their lifestyle, their money situation, and to think about what was more important - making a quick buck by selling the shares, or cutting their bonuses and pay to save the company and the jobs of their employees in the short term. If only all companies would consider this - get away from corporate greed, say “enough is enough; let’s pay our workers appropriately - wouldn’t the world be a better place?

There were some issues at the end of the novel that I can’t explain because I don’t want to spoil the book for other readers.

[Gerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating is closer to a one start but because the first several chapters were promising, I've made the rating 2 stars. When I learned that my local library was closing indefinitely due to COVID-19, I went in and grabbed a few books; this being one of them. I didn’t bother to read the jacket cover and I was not familiar with the author so went into this novel blind. Having said all that – what a mess this story quickly became. Started off pretty good but soon went downhill and became so unrealistic (especially the last several chapters) that it was almost humorous. Horrid, disappointing, unrealistic ending!

[Aimee Prentice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t a bad read per say, but it was slow in sections.
It was interesting that there were 5 different characters this book followed with a few other secondary ones throughout.
Often I felt like I was on a boat with a strong fast approaching and then suddenly the weather would be perfect. It could be a little infuriating at times.

The last 200-100 pages were the best and of course the story then progressed quickly.

[Perkimom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I love in a medical mystery!

[Halifax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. An easy listen, but not realistic.

[Lynne Block · Rating 1 out of 5]

Characters trite. Predictable.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. It sounded like it was right up my alley - suspense, intrigue, etc. And it got off to a promising start. But by the end it had gone off the rails for me a bit - I can suspend disbelief with the best of us, but this one just required a little more than even I could manage. The plot was an interesting idea, the characters were fine, the writing was good, but there were just a few too many coincidental connections between characters for me personally to keep it believable. I didn't hate it, and I could see a lot of folks really enjoying it, just a little disappointing for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

[Luke Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I was mislead in desiring a novelization in the vein of Michael Mann's incredible movie The Insider with the appropriate twists and tweaks, with the real meat of the story resting on the fulcrum of balancing family values and the heroic defense of the truth, but Poison Pill served nothing in the way of atmosphere, as does the grit of Mann's film, or complex characterization, as does Russell Crowe's portrayal of the whistleblower exposing the truth of a harmful product, or any of the other fringe delicacies of Pacino's circumventing arc involving a third party. I didn't particularly care about any of the characters, though I applaud a solid concept and extremely eye-catching trade-paperback jacket. I don't know how many times I walked by Poison Pill in the supermarket, but every time I did, my eye went straight to its graphic simplicity and perhaps it's my fault as a visualist to have expected a moody conspiracy with a compelling lead character torn apart by doing the right thing.

[Amy Thorleifson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The term "poison pill" usually refers to the defense a company establishes when a takeover is threatened. There is a double meaning here as the drug company set up for takeover is forced to recall all of their most popular medication when it causes several deaths. Emma Conway is the new head of the drug company and the takeover is managed by Josh Katz, her ex-husband. But behind the scenes is a Russian billionaire and gangster who wants the drug company only to take over the development of a female orgasm pill. Other characters are Tanya, the Russian's headstrong daughter, and Emma's teenage son Peter.
The characters did not read as real people, and some most unlikely events led to the resolution of the story.
Not recommended unless you like stereotypical characters and unrealistic endings.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma is living the corporate dream. She continued the business set forth by her Father. She is getting ready to release a new pill that will help thousands of women. However, just as she is poised to release the drug, her business is raided by a corporate raider. This raider happens to be her ex-husband. They share a son which presents many complications. Unfortunately her ex is tied in with the Russian mob. The contaminated a batch of the miracle pill and people start to die.
This was a strange book for me. I liked it, however, I felt like I just kept reading it and reading it. So I gave it three stars. It is not the best written novel I've ever read. This book closed out the year 2014.

[DrMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an advanced copy from Netgalley. Percival and Baxter is a very successful pharmaceutical company until it's pain killer, Acordinol, is linked to several deaths. One lot has been tampered with and cyanide found inside. Anglia, a mergers and acquisitions firm, attempts a hostile takeover as the stock price drops. Why takeover a company in financial trouble? Who is really behind the attempt, and what possible motives might they have? Pitting ex husband against ex wife, daughter against father, can two unlikely people expose the crime and save their families at the same time? Go for a read.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of plot twists and I did not see the ending until close to the end of the book.

I was, however, amazed that the author of this book was a New York Times best seller previously. I felt it read like a newcomer, but that did not deter from the story for me. I just thought it was a debut novel.

It read to me more like an YA novel, but that's not a bad thing.

I would recommend this book.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should really be 1 1/2 stars but because it does have some very exciting moments I will give it two instead of totally bashing it with one. That being said, there is not a single formula in the mystery writing world that Kaplan has left untouched here. Good and evil stuff, family stuff, teenage angst stuff, big business stuff, even Russian stuff. It basically is all too much. I should know better than to pick up a book because I liked the ads.

[Addison Public Library]

Emma is a top executive of the pharmaceutical company founded by her grandfather. All is well until a batch of poisoned Acordinol(their number one painkiller) is poisoned and people die. At the same time, Emma is facing a hostile takeover spearheaded by her ex-husband's company. JL



Check out this book today!

[Ron S · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very conventional, formulaic thriller featuring a criminal Russian oligarch using murder and subterfuge to take over an American pharmaceutical company. For readers of James Patterson or perhaps Janet Evanovich, that like their thrillers light with happy endings guaranteed.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this good from Goodreads giveaways. I thought the majority of the book was engaging and suspenseful. However, it seemed like the author rushed through the ending to wrap things up making it a bit unrealistic.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ughhhhh.... This book is purely awful. I read it for book club and it was a new low. It's a good thing I love those ladies so much.
As an aside, do these mass-marketed books not have editors? This one had a record breaking number of typos and grammatical errors.

[Jim Stennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't tell you to read it, but I won't tell you not to read it. Kinda just another novel to me. Either he got tired of writing or his editor called for the final because everything just wraps up in a nice bow over the last 50 pages or so. A lot of incredible coincidences drive the story.

[Tom Leland · Rating 2 out of 5]

By page five two things were clear: the story's moral (greed & ambition that really aims only to feed the ego: bad; principles, family and following one's heart: good), and why I never read books like this. I left it on the plane for the cleaning crew.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read Glenn Kaplan's books, but I thought this was too long and it just did not make me want to read his other books.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too pat. Good story, though.

[Michelle's Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book cover is on my Pinterest board and my blog, Michelle Dragalin’s Journey.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally predictable, with so many instances of serendipity, it's hard to believe events could unfold the way they did

[Pat Malon]

Good read.