A True Verdict

Rotstein’s stale latest (after The Out-of-Town Lawyer) dramatizes a wrongful termination lawsuit from more than 10 different perspectives. Through court transcripts and flashbacks, Rotstein spins a familiar tale of medical malpractice: after receiving FDA approval for Sophrosyne, a drug designed to end opiate addiction, pharmaceutical company MediMiracle is poised to dominate the market. Then researcher Ellison Ricard makes an alarming discovery during a trial study: Sophrosyne appears to increase the risk of stroke and fatal skin disorders among Black patients. After Ricard reports his findings and threatens to blow the whistle if they aren’t addressed, he’s fired by MediMiracle CEO Peyton Burke. Ricard files a civil suit against Burke and the company, throwing Sophrosyne’s future into question and putting the matter before an eight-person jury. Rotstein cycles through the well-rendered viewpoints of the jurors—an editor, a furniture magnate, a teacher, and a scientist among them—as well as those of the attorneys on both sides of the case, but the narrative structure does little to enhance the story’s themes, and it certainly doesn’t make the absurd denouement any easier to swallow. Even the author’s fans will struggle with this one. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Jan.)