Bonus Content
The Trial
Prologue
Luke got the bad news on a Friday. On Monday he and Samantha
drove to San Antonio to see Dr. Shepherd Stevens. They worked their way through the maze of buildings at the UT Health Science Center to the hepatology department and signed in. When they were escorted to the treatment area, they were met by a distinguished-looking physician with a calm, gentle demeanor. He invited them to take a seat.
“I’m pleased that you could come on such short notice, I’ve been
following your case and advising Dr. Hartman as necessary. After looking at your last blood work, I thought it was time for a full workup.”
“I don’t understand, sir,” Samantha replied, her voice cracking
with alarm.
“Samantha, your liver is still failing, even with the interferon. We’ve been following the results of your blood work. Now it’s time to do more testing.”
“Doctor, I’m only nineteen. Am I going to die before I’m twenty?”
Samantha asked.
It was dusk when the red sports car turned into the upscale suburban
neighborhood. In the driveway, the driver killed the engine and rested
his head on his hands, which were clenching the steering wheel. His mind drifted back through the disturbing events of the past few months.
When the young executive finally entered the house, he kissed his
pregnant wife and talked briefly with her before he excused himself
and headed to their bedroom. He sat at a small desk and extracted
several computer discs from his briefcase, the same ones he had been studying all afternoon. Absentmindedly flipping through them, he continued to mull over seemingly random events from the recent past. Finally, he picked up the phone and placed a call. After a brief discussion he confirmed an appointment for the next morning and walked back to the kitchen to tell his wife that he would be out of town on business for a couple of days. Before she could ask where he was
going, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and excused
himself. This time he shut the door to the bedroom. He listened to the
caller, nodded his head several times, and clicked off the phone.
He replaced the discs in his briefcase and was about to close it when
he suddenly changed his mind. Instead he turned to his computer and burned a duplicate of each of the discs. When he had a complete second set, he put both in his briefcase and grabbed his coat. Leaving the house, he called to his wife that he had forgotten a business appointment and would be back in about two hours.
From THE TRIAL by Larry D. Thompson, copyright © 2010 by the author, and reprinted by permission of Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.
The Trial
A pharmaceutical giant’s disregard for human life spurs to action a small-town lawyer in Larry D. Thompson’s stunning courtroom drama, The Trial. Luke Vaughan’s rage stems from the fact that, unbeknownst to him, his daughter, a rebellious teenager, volunteered for a clinical drug trial that’s left her in desperate need of a liver transplant—and he can’t afford it. So Luke decides to make the culprits pay, and he chooses to do so in the venue he knows best…the courtroom. When Luke discovers what he suspected all along—that the drug company and the FDA knew the pill carried potentially lethal side effects—he thinks the case is won. But his adversary’s prescription for silencing the opposition calls for bribery, kidnapping…and murder.
Hardcover : 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martins Press, Llc ( March 29, 0201 )
Item #: 13-180865
ISBN: 9780312607357
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.72inches
Product Weight: 12.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
not bad 
February 19, 2012
I liked the story concept and the characters, but I did think the pace was a bit plodding and predictable. Maybe because I spent years working for an attorney, there weren't lot of surprises and I could have predicted the end from page one.
Reviewer: Jc
GREAT Book
January 01, 2012
I enjoyed this book from start to finish almost as much as a John Grisham book. If you read a lot, and I do, most books rarely surprise you. This book kept my attention. I would read another book by Larry Thompson. Must remember that name!
Reviewer: E H
good effort
April 29, 2011
I didn't agree with the first reviewer. I thought this book had character and depth even though the ending was predictable. Imagine your docter prescribing a drug that does more harm than good just to pad his pocket.
Reviewer: Durango
Needs to go back to writing school
April 26, 2011
Soap opera of no value. Everything was telegraphed, dialogue was forced. A boxer who telegraphs this much gets the dog beaten out of him and that is what this author needs.
Reviewer: Dennis S
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