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lhenric22's review
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.
laura_corsi's review
5.0
Patrick Radden Keefe is a journalist who does very excellent research but also knows how to tell a story. I loved this narrative about The Sackler Family. Keefe makes you cry with them and laugh with them even as you seethe at them for their many misdeeds. A masterwork of nonfiction!