A review by lhenric22
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

5.0

I loved Keefe's previous book, Say Nothing, and so had a high bar going into this. Easily met if not exceeded. In Say Nothing, Keefe uses the kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville not as the subject (as the book's blurb suggests) but more as a frame narrative to outline the Irish Troubles as a whole and its major players. Although more focused than Say Nothing, Empire of Pain follows a similar structure, taking the rise of the Sackler brothers and Purdue Pharma as a frame narrative, to not only tell the Sackler's story but also show how the individuals and institutions around them intertwine and depend on each other. Couldn't recommend any higher.