A review by fdallachy
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

informative medium-paced

4.0

I found this really interesting, knowing next to nothing about the history of the Sackler family or, indeed, about OxyContin. The tone is very journalistic, which means it's easy to read but, at times, feels slightly gossipy especially when trying to give an impression of the personalities of its protagonists. Nonetheless, there are pretty thorough end notes which helps support the veracity of even these comments (although then you have to wonder to what extent the author has selected those which fit the picture they're painting etc etc) The upside of this, though, is that it helps you remember all the names as you whizz through years of dubious business practices and stony refusal to egage with the consequences of those decisions.
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