The Side Effect

by Bob Reiss

It’s the night the President has resigned. In a Manhattan town house, the head of Lenox Pharmaceuticals, the world’s most powerful drug company, lies dead. Through the morning darkness, security chief Mike Acela drives his BMW to the scene. Mike’s job has been to defend the Chairman against all enemies. But this street-smart, battle-hardened former FBI agent is about to find out how little he knows about his mentor, his job, or the dangers swirling all around him.

Somewhere within Lenox’s global web of government contracts and cutting-edge medications, the Chairman kept a terrible secret. A secret that has already started changing the world. To find out how the Chairman really died, Mike must uncover the truth behind Project HR-109. But what the Lenox scientists discovered is worth killing for. And the killing has just begun.

Genres: Mystery Thriller

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Bob Reiss (born 1951) is an American author of nonfiction and fiction books. Reiss, who also writes under the pen-names of Scott Canterbury, Ethan Black, and James Abel, has written more than a dozen books, including Purgatory Road, a murder mystery set in Antarctica, The Road to Extrema, a study of the destruction of Brazilian rain forests, and The Coming Storm, which focuses on global warming and catastrophic weather. Many of his books and articles are based on his travels to Hong Kong, Somalia, South Africa, Antarctica, and other locations around the world.

As the writer Ethan Black, Reiss has penned a series featuring Conrad Voort, a New York City police detective.

Reviews

[Jyoti Dahiya · Rating 2 out of 5]

One man to save the world, and all hands turned against him, as usual.
What would you do if you knew one drug could doom the world?

A review from Aug 2014

The head of security for a pharma company finds his Chairman dead, presumably suicide. In the meantime, the President of the USA resigns, and is replaced by a hardliner. Other resignations happen. What's the connection, if any?

Investigating, along with his faithful team of security guy and computer hacker, our man teams up with the daughter of the Chairman and his personal assistant, both ravishing beauties to whom he is deeply attracted, though wary of involvement almost as a principle. For a change, they are not described as large-breasted. Still, their breasts are very much described. Bleargh. Don't male authors think women read, or do they not care how shallow they seem?

In the meantime, powerful people, including the new Chairman and the company's lobbyist, both friends of the dead man, want the case closed. Our hero is threatened with death, which only makes him more determined. The daughter of the Chairman says he was awfully manipulative and elitist, while our man thinks of him as just and honest. The Chairman was wary of an army Major, and the Major takes an immediate dislike to the protagonist, too. A dangerous enemy is made.

It emerges that the Chairman had been approached by a freelance researcher who had found a 'side effect' in a drug being tested (uselessly) for arthritis.

The rest of the book is about this side effect. Since it is revealed in its full glory only halfway through the book, it would be a spoiler to tell you what it is. Suffice to say it sits on the edge between science fiction and fantasy, and is well worth all the efforts to gain exclusive control over it. All in the national interest, of course.

Fortunately, the entire government is not compromised, and the evil doers are not (yet) all powerful. The new drug is being mass produced, but only in one location. Our team attacks the location, and the finale is achieved. Credit roll.

There are formulaic elements in the book. Which of the two women, equally in love with the protagonist, will eventually live with him? (As per formula, the other one has to move conveniently aside, either through sacrifice or death). Children exist, but they are neither seen nor heard. The sidekick is utterly loyal, competent, but follows the leader unquestioningly. At a critical moment, he is injured, and the boss has to do all the rest of the 'action'. The evil doers claim to be doing good. The really nasty killers get their just desserts. Fanatics suffer.

A fair lazy Sunday read.

[William Kozy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a quick read, a nice sign that the writer has a good handle on pacing and plotting. I really did zip through it, and I think part of the reason was that in addition to it being an easy read, it had sufficiently compelling questions the reader is eager to have answered. One of those questions, is what exactly is the side effect to a certain drug that the Lenox Pharmaceutical company is researching and developing? It is a side effect that is apparently so valuable that the defense department wants claws in it as do other companies and politicians, but it is a side effect that is being kept very secret for fear that other countries and/or terrorists might get a hold of it. Murders have been committed to protect the secret. So yeah, you wonder what the heck it could be. The answer when you find out is pleasingly unique, but you also wonder, "Come on now, how really is that possible?" And fortunately, there is a scene whereby our protagonist, ex-FBI agent now pharmaceutical company head of security, Mike Acela, meets with a scientist who explains the theory behind why/how the side effect works. The explanation is very well-handled for us laypersons in the science of how the brain works. You come away thinking, aha, well, that's very interesting, and heck who knows, anything's possible. But as later scenes occur involving the drug's use in a real situation, you can't help but feel, "Aw I dunno if it would work THAT easily, now would it?"

Mike has a team of supporters in his quest to solve the mystery including Danny (his second in command at the company), Kim (his boss's secretary and potential love interest), Hoot (his gifted computer hacker, which nearly every thriller requires), Gabrielle (his boss's daughter and potential love interest), and eventually another ally who at first was not an ally. At all.

There are a LOT of good scenes in this book. A clever turn the tables on the surveillants scene, an escape scene from the scene of a crime that the character did not commit but will surely be suspected of, an escape scene from a platoon of rogue soldiers, another climactic scene with a rogue group of soldiers, so yeah the book has a lot of good scenes for the movie. But I think it would be the kind of book that would have other troubles if a producer tried to make a movie of it. There's a lot of interior thought that the plot depends on that would be hard to depict visually for a movie.

[Bibiana Dear · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilled thriller. Truly enjoyed it.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery. When you think of a side effect, you usually think negatively. What if it makes your life better?

[Shubhamendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delves into what human greed can end up in. The responsibility that comes with acquiring great power must be handled well but is it possible? We find out in this race against time with Mike Acela.

[Steve Mount · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book before Nanowrimo in November, and finally finished it in mid-December. Part of that long read-time was my fault (namely that I was too busy writing in November to read), and part was the novel's fault. The premise is fascinating, especially what the side effect was, but it took too long to get there, I felt. The first-person story telling work alright, but I wasn't enthralled by our narrator, just interested. The conclusion was satisfying, but some of the details of the whys, like why, exactly, the president resigned, could not be fully answered with the first-person (or, rather, they could have been, but weren't).

I'm happy to be done with the book, glad I read it, but was so ready to move on.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline for this book had me really interested but about sixty pages in I had to stop reading. The author dropped the F Bomb five to six times just in that many pages! Now, if that kind of language doesn't bother you, you will probably really like this book. It was fast paced enough to keep me going but I have my limits as far as how much foul language I'm wiling to overlook. Would it really be that hard to put your mind to finding other ways to express strong emotion? It is possible you know. Disappointed.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, fast thriller about government corruption and a new drug that enhances your ability to determine the intentions of people around. Quick read.

[Stacey Pace · Rating 4 out of 5]

good. fast paced but ending wasnt as good as rest of the book

[Diane Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read