Customer Reviews

Blood Brothers (Dead Man's Rule Series #2)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
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I read this book because a friend sent it to me, even though I don't much care for legal thrillers, and I loved it.
The author is a litigator and people who have more clue than I do about what happens in a courtroom have said that Rick's courtroom scenes are believable - what I like about them is they're not obscure. There's not so much verbiage that I can't figure out what's going on, and there's a lot of the protagonist (Ben Corbin's) internal dialog as well, so we know not only what he's saying, but what he's thinking, and we see, sometimes rather entertainingly, the difference between his internal and external dialog. As I am perpetually curious about how other people live and what their jobs are like, I loved that. I looked forward to the courtroom scenes.
The plot is intricate and yet accessible. There are at least three separate physical locations, all with their own people, and then a few PI's who Know All thrown in, but they were remarkably easy to keep track of.
I was curious to see what made this book a Christian legal thriller, as opposed to a legal thriller. I got to the end of the plot, all threads tied up neatly, and there will still several pages left. Why? You'll need to read it for yourself, but those few final pages are what lifted this book for me, out of the legal thriller genre in the arena of Christian thriller. Instead of walking away feeling like I'd been peeking into the seamy underbelly of the world we live in, I walked away thinking about the way God changes lives and hearts.

Legal and medical thrillers are staples of the fiction market, as are suspense novels with historical twists. Rick Acker blends all three and gives us "Blood Brothers," an engaging story on a number of levels.

The legal angle involves two brothers, both vying for control of a company and the new miracle formula that awaits FDA approval. The historical angle involves the source of this new stimulant, derived from an extinct plant rediscovered in the mountains of Norway. The courtroom scenes play out well, with lawyers on both sides giving credible arguments. The author's own experience in this area is clear. As a legal thriller alone, "Blood Brothers" would be enjoyable. For me, the interest went up a few notches with the historical info regarding the berserkers, a wild, much-feared group of Norwegian warriors who may have been accessing the same plant now up for grabs in the courtroom battle. Concerns soon surface that this stimulant will not only increase productivity and mental sharpness, but it may also spike levels of aggression to killer levels.

The prose is functional, almost workmanlike, but flows smoothly, and the details of law and medical elements are divvied out nicely. The plot moves along at a nice pace. I was surprised that a scene as important as one particular arson was told only through second-hand accounts, but the author gives us the necessary info through other means. He also wraps up the story with some spiritual lessons that are applicable to daily life, and a few mild surprises that have emotional weight.

At times, "Blood Brothers" reads like Grisham meets Crichton meets James Rollins. Acker moves his story from Chicago to Oslo, Norway, from courtrooms to laboratories to North Sea trawlers. Although it lacks the focused punch of any of those three perennial best-sellers, it throws its own three-punch combo with the same cumulative impact. I had no trouble keeping up with the characters, despite having missed book one in the series. If anything, the few hints at previous relationships and subplots increased my interest in going back to read the first. Let's hope Acker has more stories in the works, because I'd also enjoy reading book three.

Ben Corbin is enjoying being semi-retired, then he takes on a high-profile case and ends up stuck in the middle between brothers Karl and Gunnar Bjornsen. Both men are fighting for control of the pharmaceutical empire they built. Gunnar has discovered a billion dollar formula for a new drug called Neurostim, which increases strength and intelligence. Karl has Gunnar removed as president of the company and tries to force him to reveal the formula. Ben digs into the case, discovering charges of embezzlement, corrupt accounting, and even murder, and the drug has some terrifying side effects that are just beginning to show up.

Blood Brothers is a suspenseful story of greed and hatred between two brothers who once loved each other. It is also a powerful story of love and forgiveness, of faith in God, and a determination to do what is right. Great conflict, and loaded with tension. Keeps the reader hooked until the last page.

Blood Brothers by Rick Acker is the second book in the Dead Man's Rule series, but you don't need to have read the first one to enjoy this rip-roaring thriller. Mix John Grisham's legal suspense with Michael Crichton's supernatural twists and you have Blood Brothers. Gunnar and Karl Bjornson, owners of a pharmaceutical company, have discovered a "wonder" drug that makes the reflexes faster and the brain smarter. But Karl's coup tosses Gunnar out of the company, and to add insult to injury, then sues him to force him to reveal the secret of creating the drug. Ben Corbin is hired as Gunnar's attorney not only to protect the secret, but to upset Karl's overthrow. But tendrils of suspicion about this drug are starting to surface: research animals are tearing each other apart, human subjects start to snap, and there's a connection to the berserkers of Norwegian folklore. Wow, that's a lot of plot! But Acker takes all of the different elements and makes them work with style. His disparate tales of lab workers, lawyers, and accountants build a terrific foundation for this fast-paced novel. The story is solid, definitely enjoyable, and the denoument adds extra depth showing the true meaning of faith, love, and family. Kudos to Acker!

Rick Acker's "Blood Brothers" is a fast-paced courtroom drama. This story of the feuding Bjornsen brothers is worthy of sitting on the same bookshelf with legal master authors Grisham and Turow! This intelligently written tale of scientific breakthrough and shady corporate business practices will keep the reader riveting to the edge of their seat until the final page!

This is a wonderfully entertaining book. Acker has thought through each story point and character and recorded it on the page so well that I was mentally stimulated and exhausted at the same time. Although the second in a series that began with the novel "Dead Man's Rule", this book can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

A Book Review by Audrey Hebbert
Blood Brothers
By Rick Acker
June 2008,Kregel Publications
ISBN-978-0-8254-2007-8
Trade $14.99

This intense sequel to Dead Man's Rule grabs the reader from the first word. Neurostim is a new drug that dramatically increases productivity and creativity. The implications for the drug are staggering. Neurostim could potentially save thousands of lives, but there is a problem: Initial tests produced maniacal, homicidal behaviors in monkeys. No side-effects were reported, however, and the FDA authorizes human trials. Tests appear to go smoothly, but there are signs of embezzlement, black market deals, bribery and eventually the grisley consequences of the new drug begin to emerge.

Karl and Gunnar Bjornsen war for control of the family-owned company, and Gunnar hires Ben Corbin, attorney, to defend him. Gunnar alone knows the secret formula and he's not giving it to anyone. The case takes a violent turn in Norway, where Ben goes to investigate accounting discrepancies with the company's Norwegian branch. Personal attacks and intrigue keep the reader spellbound. Can the FDA stop the human trials before it's too late?

Rick Acker has done it again. Readers are raving about this legal suspense novel with a strong biotech backdrop. Acker pecks out pages every day on the commuter train to his "real" job as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice. Besides Dead Man's Rule, Rick has written the Davis Detectives series for grades 4, 5 and 6.

Review:

Reading this fast legal suspense story, "Blood Brothers" was like being buckled into an intense thrill ride. You know the kind. The extremely amazing roller coaster ride with all its surprises, twists, turns, ups and downs. I just couldn't put this book down. I kept reminding myself "This is just Fiction" (breathe)! What was so unnerving to me was the story line about the pharmaceutical companies and how they rule the world! (or would like to). It was fascinating and scary all at the same time when Rick Acker describes the internal workings of a large pharmaceutical company and how they interact with the FDA. All the court room drama in the story was just as powerful. It reminded me of the TV show Law and Order "Criminal Intent" on steroids, very vivid and deep.

Two brothers start a pharmaceutical company so both could use their talents and work together to build something they could be proud of. The company becomes more successful than either of them could imagine. The struggle for power and control of the money begins when they both think they have discovered the wonder drug of the century. The results of the animal testing is almost done, what do they have to show and tell the FDA to start human testing? The Bjornsen brothers start to see the billions that could be made if this drug was FDA approved.

I'll leave you with a quote from Blood Brothers "Love does call, you know. He calls us to do what we cannot do alone. He asks us to give without counting the cost, to walk through the furnace, to love the unlovable. He asks everything of us, and He has the right to expect it...Because He gave everything for us!" Rick Acker unveils an example of this thru the story that will knock your socks off. This is one riveting story you won't soon forget.

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Family is supposed to look out for one another right? "Blood Brothers" is a tale of a business gone exceptionally horrible. Karl and Gunnar Bjornsen made themselves rich with a pharmaceutical empire. With the introduction of a new drug and potential for further profit than either have seen, Lawyer Ben Corbin finds himself stuck between the two. Business turns dirty, far less civil than one would expect between brothers. "Blood Brothers" is a riveting thriller of drugs and business gone bad, a grade-A pick.

Together Gunnar and Karl Bjornsen built a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical company. However, disagreements between the two brothers resulted in a nasty family feud with Karl eventually forcing Gunner out of the company. When Gunnar left though, he carried in his head the knowledge of how to grow the plant necessary for their new breakthrough, blockbuster drug. Determined to obtain the secret, Karl sues Gunnar for stealing trade secrets from the company and Gunnar countersues claiming Karl is unfit to run the company. Hired by Gunnar, Ben Corbin finds himself in the middle of this tense battle between brothers.

Blood Brothers offers a lot for the reader to enjoy. It has a nice tight plot with some good surprises. While the legal drama is unfolding, there are multiple plots to keep the reader engrossed. From smugglers to good Samaritans, there's no lack of characters and some of them are very surprising.

One of my favorite aspects is the Norwegian history and references to the sagas. It adds a nice depth to the story that's both entertaining and enlightening. While it took a disappointingly minor role in the book, this history really enhanced the overall plot and tied in nicely with the main story.

At the center of Blood Brothers is the question of what is truly important. From the relationship between Sergei and Elena to the motivation behind Noelle's charity work, in a noninvasive way, the reader is routinely confronted with this question. It brilliantly portrays the blessings of positive choices and the consequences irresponsible ones, while not letting the reader forget where our treasures should be stored.

I loved this book. It made a wonderful two week stay at Lake Tahoe even more fun because I could enjoy this book too, just the kind of book I love best. We get to see Big Pharma at work, the huge problems with FDA drug reviews, corporate false accounting, biotech advances that also threaten, and some great litigation scenes, all in one book. The plot is enhanced with lore and myth from Norway. Through it all, and what I think I loved best, you have characters who understand what love and family are, and who choose those values in extremely difficult circumstances, and when most people would falter. Great book.