Reading this book to me was a very intense and powerful story. The messages of how dangerous the drug industry is (I could see the similarities between the fictional drug and other real world drug advertisements) which made this story more hard hitting for me. The humour in the book is really good and I loved these characters so much they felt realistic and I found myself cheering on them as they worked out this mystery.

Jennifer Oko’s Head Case is a razor-sharp, darkly funny thrill ride. With unforgettable characters, biting wit, and a twisted plot fueled by ambition, pharma, and betrayal, this book is both hilarious and haunting. A wickedly smart page-turner that’s equal parts satire and suspense—I couldn’t put it down. Five stars!

★★★.5

Olivia Zack has been murdered, but she isn’t exactly dead. It appears her spirit has left her physical body, and it’s out for revenge. Her new state of being, she quickly realizes, has several benefits. And as a neuroscientist, she is fascinated! She’s now able to rewind time, slip into other people’s minds, understand any language, and use what she calls “tricks” to let those who are still alive know that she is still alive.

So let’s rewind! Olivia is a smart and hardworking neuroscientist, quite nerdy in her educational and career path. But she is by no means a wallflower. She loves fashion, something she and her best friend Polly have in common. Polly is a publicist, but very unfulfilled. Perhaps she needs therapy, but growing up, she was exposed to lots of pills, so she chooses pills instead of therapy. Luckily, her father (a psychiatrist) has lots of pharma reps visiting and dropping off loads of “fun” pills, which she starts to distribute among her celebrity friends.

A wild tale of pill-popping grannies, big pharma, and even the Russian mob begins and ultimately leads to Olivia’s murder. Can she seek redemption from the afterlife?

The book started well, lost me a bit in the middle, and ended just as well as it started! I agree with Jennifer Oko, this rerelease feels timelier than ever. She did a fantastic job highlighting the generational shift both in mindset and in access to prescription drugs, as well as the challenges within the pharmaceutical industry. From focusing more resources on marketing than research, to purposely covering up side effects, and a general lack of accountability when it is finally exposed, Jennifer Oko used dark humor and some unhinged situations to show just how corrupt big pharma really is.