Bad Medicine: Catching New York's Deadliest Pill Pusher

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Charlotte Bismuth gives us a bold and cinematic true crime story about her work at the intersection of medicine and greed. Bad Medicine is a gripping memoir that toggles deftly between the personal and prosecutorial. Beth Macy, New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick

Bismuth has written a brilliant account of prosecuting a doctor who became a drug dealer in a white coat. She is haunted by the voices of the dead and listening closely to the voices of the living. Nan Goldin, artist, activist, and founder of P.A.I.N.

Bad Medicine is a taut exploration of Americas deadly battle with opioid addictionan unnerving and inspirational firecracker of a book. Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park

For fans of Dopesick and Bad Blood, the shocking story of New Yorks most infamous pill-pushing doctor, written by the prosecutor who brought him down.

In 2010, a brave whistleblower alerted the police to Dr. Stan Lis corrupt pain management clinic in Queens, New York. Li spent years supplying more than seventy patients a day with oxycodone and Xanax, trading prescriptions for cash. Emergency room doctors, psychiatrists, and desperate family members warned him that his patients were at risk of death but he would not stop.

In Bad Medicine, former prosecutor Charlotte Bismuth meticulously recounts the jaw dropping details of this criminal case that would span four years, culminating in a landmark trial. As a new assistant district attorney and single mother, Bismuth worked tirelessly with her team to bring Dr. Li to justice. Bad Medicine is a chilling story of corruption and greed and an important look at the role individual doctors play in Americas opioid epidemic.

Reviews

"A gripping read tailor-made for the silver screen."
Kirkus Reviews
In what she calls a memoir from the trenches, former prosecutor Bismuth shares her recollections of working on the four-year investigation and 18-week trial of a pill-pushing medical doctor...The takeaways Prosecutors are human, and bad doctors can destroy lives.
Booklist
"Bad Medicineis altogether a personal, emotional, brilliant collection of reporting."
Shondaland
"A measured and powerful account of the landmark case that helped shape our ongoing national response to the opioid crisis. The story will leave readers angry, informed, and most importantly inspired to seek justice and change."
Former U.S. Rep.PatrickJ.Kennedy, founder of TheKennedyForum,New York Times bestselling author of A Common Struggle
"Aspellbinding story about bringing a deadly doctor to justice."
Patricia McCormick, two-time National Book Award finalistand New York Times bestellingauthor
Charlotte Bismuth gives us a bold and cinematic true-crime story about her work at the intersection of medicine and greed.Bad Medicineis a gripping memoir that toggles deftly between the personal and prosecutorial.
BethMacy, New York Times bestselling author ofDopesick
BAD MEDICINEis a taut exploration of Americas deadly battle with opioid addictionan unnerving and inspirational firecracker of a book.
Karen Abbott,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Ghosts of Eden Park
From the victims of unscrupulous doctors to the detectives who built the investigation to the nail-biting trial of the criminal doctor,Bad Medicineis a must-read.
Gerald Posner, New York Times bestselling author ofGods BankersandPharma
"Thispage-turning true detective storyblew my mind. Charlotte Bismuth shows, in brilliant detail, what happens when patients become victims. BAD MEDICINEis timely and important; I can't recommend it loudly enough."
Mona Hanna-Attisha MD MPH, author ofWhat The Eyes Don't See,Flint whistleblower
A vivid and powerful first person account of the investigation & prosecution of a criminal doctor who helped fuel the opioid crisis.
Patrick Radden Keefe, author ofEmpire of Pain

Author Bio

Charlotte Bismuth started her legal career at the firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP, and joined the New York County District Attorneys Office in 2008 as an appellate attorney. In 2010, she transferred into the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, which prosecutes felony narcotics crimes within the Citys five boroughs. She is a graduate of Columbia University, Columbia Law School, and the Instituts detudes politiques in Paris. She lives in New York City with her husband and children.