Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic
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- Author：Eric Eyre
- ISBN：1982105321
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Summary
From a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at the Charleston Gazette-Mail， a “powerful，” （The New York Times） urgent， and heartbreaking account of the corporate greed that pumped millions of pain pills into small Appalachian towns， decimating communities。
In a pharmacy in Kermit， West Virginia， 12 million opioid pain pills were distributed in just three years to a town with a population of 382 people。 One woman， after losing her brother to overdose， was desperate for justice。 Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country， ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country。 She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist， Eric Eyre， who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal that shook the foundation of America’s largest drug companies—and won him a Pulitzer Prize。
Part Erin Brockovich， part Spotlight， Death in Mud Lick details the clandestine meetings with whistleblowers; a court fight to unseal filings that the drug distributors tried to keep hidden， a push to secure the DEA pill-shipment data， and the fallout after Eyre’s local paper， the Gazette-Mail， the smallest newspaper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting， broke the story。
Eyre follows the opioid shipments into individual counties， pharmacies， and homes in West Virginia and explains how thousands of Appalachians got hooked on prescription drugs—resulting in the highest overdose rates in the country。 But despite the tragedy， there is also hope as citizens banded together to create positive change—and won。
“A product of one reporter’s sustained outrage [and] a searing spotlight on the scope and human cost of corruption and negligence” （The Washington Post） Eric Eyre’s intimate portrayal of a national public health crisis illuminates the shocking pattern of corporate greed and its repercussions for the citizens of West Virginia—and the nation—to this day。
In a pharmacy in Kermit， West Virginia， 12 million opioid pain pills were distributed in just three years to a town with a population of 382 people。 One woman， after losing her brother to overdose， was desperate for justice。 Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country， ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country。 She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist， Eric Eyre， who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal that shook the foundation of America’s largest drug companies—and won him a Pulitzer Prize。
Part Erin Brockovich， part Spotlight， Death in Mud Lick details the clandestine meetings with whistleblowers; a court fight to unseal filings that the drug distributors tried to keep hidden， a push to secure the DEA pill-shipment data， and the fallout after Eyre’s local paper， the Gazette-Mail， the smallest newspaper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting， broke the story。
Eyre follows the opioid shipments into individual counties， pharmacies， and homes in West Virginia and explains how thousands of Appalachians got hooked on prescription drugs—resulting in the highest overdose rates in the country。 But despite the tragedy， there is also hope as citizens banded together to create positive change—and won。
“A product of one reporter’s sustained outrage [and] a searing spotlight on the scope and human cost of corruption and negligence” （The Washington Post） Eric Eyre’s intimate portrayal of a national public health crisis illuminates the shocking pattern of corporate greed and its repercussions for the citizens of West Virginia—and the nation—to this day。
Reviews
John McPhee
，
TragicWell told story that is memorable and easy to grasp - one more reminder that there are large issues here in the United States when it comes to the trade-off between what is good for the community and what is good for the powerful large company that enables the community to thrive and survive。
Wendy
，
"Greed stood in the way。 As overdoses surged， the companies shipped an increasing number of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills- from 8。4 billion in 2006 to 12。6 billion in 2012。"Addiction seems hard-wired into human brains。 And I am not talking about addiction to drugs and alcohol。 Addiction to money and power determines the cultural context of many societies。Eric Eyre places a spotlight on the opioid crisis in the United States in this century， fueled by the psychopathy of greed in corporations， i "Greed stood in the way。 As overdoses surged， the companies shipped an increasing number of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills- from 8。4 billion in 2006 to 12。6 billion in 2012。"Addiction seems hard-wired into human brains。 And I am not talking about addiction to drugs and alcohol。 Addiction to money and power determines the cultural context of many societies。Eric Eyre places a spotlight on the opioid crisis in the United States in this century， fueled by the psychopathy of greed in corporations， institutions， and individuals。 The fact that "pain management" is such a necessary condition in our modern world， and that millions of people drown their suffering in the abuse of drugs and alcohol is an indictment of the skewed inequities in our modern life。 But the exploitation of that pain by corporations and the indifference of government institutions is the real horror story here。 Damn， that shit is just EVIL。This book is about a psychopathic society eating its most vulnerable people。 A horror story well toldbut also， way too familiar。 。。。more
AP
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book brought me to tears。 The author， Eric Eyre， worked as an investigative reporter in WV， in one of the last， independent， family-owned newspapers。 His long-form articles on the opioid crisis， how big pharma enabled and covered up the massive amounts of opioids in WV， won him a well deserved Pulitzer prize。 This book went deeper into this issue。 As someone who sees many patients suffering from opioid addiction every single day at work， this book gave me the broader history of how big phar This book brought me to tears。 The author， Eric Eyre， worked as an investigative reporter in WV， in one of the last， independent， family-owned newspapers。 His long-form articles on the opioid crisis， how big pharma enabled and covered up the massive amounts of opioids in WV， won him a well deserved Pulitzer prize。 This book went deeper into this issue。 As someone who sees many patients suffering from opioid addiction every single day at work， this book gave me the broader history of how big pharma， distributors， with unethical pharmacists and physicians， unleashed the opioid epidemic on our most vulnerable people。 How can the executives， the pharmacists， "wellness/ pain management" physicians even look themselves in the mirror？ And the posh lawyers defending， obfuscating the dumping of huge quantities of opioids on the public。 How about the DEA turning a blind eye， then also helping big pharma in the cover-ups？ How can the WV AG， Patrick Morrisey， claim to work for the people of WV when he was taking donations from Big Pharma？ When his wife was a highlu paid lobbyist for Big Pharma？ Thank you very much， Mr。 Eyre， for your tenacity and integrity。 。。。more
Melissa
，
This is my second nonfiction （in addition to three compelling fiction） book about the opioid epidemic。 This story is further proof that the truth is stranger than fiction and the love of money is the root of all evil。 The opioid epidemic is multilayered and complex which makes neat linear stories difficult so don't expect that， but the themes are very constant。 A subplot （as the author told me） is the plight of the local newspaper。 So this book is also about the critical need for investigative j This is my second nonfiction （in addition to three compelling fiction） book about the opioid epidemic。 This story is further proof that the truth is stranger than fiction and the love of money is the root of all evil。 The opioid epidemic is multilayered and complex which makes neat linear stories difficult so don't expect that， but the themes are very constant。 A subplot （as the author told me） is the plight of the local newspaper。 So this book is also about the critical need for investigative journalism and small newspapers - another compelling and unfortunately tragic story in the end。 I would argue that the autonomy of such is also necessary and another takeaway。 If you want more reason to read Death in Mudlick， the author is a Pulitzer Prize winner "For courageous reporting， performed in the face of powerful opposition， to expose the flood of opioids flowing into depressed West Virginia counties with the highest overdose death rates in the country。"Don't let the fact that it's nonfiction or about a tough topic intimidate or ward you off。 This is an easy read， clear and understandable。 I recommend this highly。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Super quick read that provides amazing insight as to the origin of the Opioid crisis in West Virginia。 I love books written by journalists， and Eric is great at telling a story。 If you have any interest in the Opioid crisis， pharmaceutical companies complicity， the government’s complacency， or a small town getting some justice - this book is for you。 Eric tells the story from every angle and doesn’t spare the details。 It is super triggering for anyone that may have lost someone to addiction， or Super quick read that provides amazing insight as to the origin of the Opioid crisis in West Virginia。 I love books written by journalists， and Eric is great at telling a story。 If you have any interest in the Opioid crisis， pharmaceutical companies complicity， the government’s complacency， or a small town getting some justice - this book is for you。 Eric tells the story from every angle and doesn’t spare the details。 It is super triggering for anyone that may have lost someone to addiction， or struggles with addiction。 。。。more
Jane
，
Excellent book about drug companies and the opioid epidemic。
Moira Allbritton
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Like Dopesick， this book lays bare the entities -- here， elected officials， regulators， distributors-- that have contributed to the opioid crisis。 Eyre's focus is WV。 A 4。5 star rating bumps to 5 stars because Eyre also illustrates the process of investigative journalism and notes the industry pressures facing smaller newspapers *without* diverting the reader's focus。 Read in a day so， yes， damn compelling。 Like Dopesick， this book lays bare the entities -- here， elected officials， regulators， distributors-- that have contributed to the opioid crisis。 Eyre's focus is WV。 A 4。5 star rating bumps to 5 stars because Eyre also illustrates the process of investigative journalism and notes the industry pressures facing smaller newspapers *without* diverting the reader's focus。 Read in a day so， yes， damn compelling。 。。。more
Devin Fortenberry
，
America fucking sucks。
John Wiley
，
This is a fiercely tenacious book--an exciting， important read。 If you love an underdog fighting the good fight， you have to love this spitfire little WV newspaper with a "sustained sense of outrage" fighting corrupt and moneyed power。 Amazing to see how the DEA--living， like so much of our government， well down the slippery slope--finds itself on the wrong side， even as they regret it。 So glad to see these companies get a little sunshine here。 They deserve it。 Honestly， I don't know how this bo This is a fiercely tenacious book--an exciting， important read。 If you love an underdog fighting the good fight， you have to love this spitfire little WV newspaper with a "sustained sense of outrage" fighting corrupt and moneyed power。 Amazing to see how the DEA--living， like so much of our government， well down the slippery slope--finds itself on the wrong side， even as they regret it。 So glad to see these companies get a little sunshine here。 They deserve it。 Honestly， I don't know how this book could have been better。 The truth is， the Opioid Crisis is a great story （a very dark one）。 Another example of an author rising to the narrative possibilities of what happened is Sam Quinones， author of Dreamland。 。。。more
Jeff Macey
，
Amazing book of real life journalism！ The numbers are astounding and show that corporate scum （my words not the book's） could be that callous and arrogant！ Must read。 Amazing book of real life journalism！ The numbers are astounding and show that corporate scum （my words not the book's） could be that callous and arrogant！ Must read。 。。。more
Christina Conte
，
Incredibly well written， and despite the genre， is a very enjoyable read。 I feel that this should be required reading for everyone in the US。 We should be made aware of such dire and desperate situations that our fellow citizens are subjected to， and how politics and money can easily curtail any sort of consequences。 Eric is a talented author， and I truly recommend this book。
Sheri
，
Eyre takes you inside the opioid scandal and how the pharmaceutical companies， who made billions of dollars from opioids that killed & disabled thousands of Americans， managed to stave off discovery of their misdeeds and lies as long as they did。 Truly a shocking book， even if you think you already know a good deal bout this topic。
Caleb
，
Bravo to Eyre for diligently working through his personal battle to expose the root of the opioid crisis。 The opioid epidemic was allowed to continue by the DEA。 Politicians who were supposed to prevent corruption were lobbied/paid off to look the other way。 This book really shows how Nixon's DEA was founded on corruption and is still releasing venom 30+ years later。 Bravo to Eyre for diligently working through his personal battle to expose the root of the opioid crisis。 The opioid epidemic was allowed to continue by the DEA。 Politicians who were supposed to prevent corruption were lobbied/paid off to look the other way。 This book really shows how Nixon's DEA was founded on corruption and is still releasing venom 30+ years later。 。。。more
Lara
，
Eyre’s retelling of his investigation of the West Virginia opioid crisis is compelling not only as a courtroom drama but also as a story about a struggling small-town newspaper and its determination to tell the truth。 Eyre weaves together the personal stories of the people of Kermit， WV with the dramatic legal battle against the pharmaceutical companies in a way that clearly depicts what’s at stake in the investigation。 The story is quite slow-going due to all the red tape the journalists and la Eyre’s retelling of his investigation of the West Virginia opioid crisis is compelling not only as a courtroom drama but also as a story about a struggling small-town newspaper and its determination to tell the truth。 Eyre weaves together the personal stories of the people of Kermit， WV with the dramatic legal battle against the pharmaceutical companies in a way that clearly depicts what’s at stake in the investigation。 The story is quite slow-going due to all the red tape the journalists and lawyers had to wade through in order to get information， but Eyre still manages to build tension and suspense despite all the bureaucratic barriers。 Reminded me of All the President’s Men， or an earthier， less elitist Sorkin film。 。。。more
Barbara Van loenen
，
Wow。。。Mr Eyre crafted a page turner that will make you sad and mad at the cavalier way so many greedy people poured pain pills into rural areas。 The devastating effects are counted in lives lost。 Corruption knows no boundaries。Recommend
Michael Koh
，
An engrossing account of the opioid crisis in WV。 Where I think the book suffers and cost itself a fifth star is in the chapters devoted to the history of the paper itself， which I found dragged a little， and not incredibly pertinent to the story。Nevertheless， Eric Eyre deserves major props for taking the time to write this book all while battling Parkinson’s。 My best wishes to you Eric！
Sloane Mayberry
，
I am interested in this topic but found the writing too detailed and clinical to keep me engaged。 Might be more of an assessment of me than the book！
Aidan
，
I very much enjoyed this book it offers an in-depth perspective of the opioid crisis in West Virginia。
Linda Liu
，
Death in Mudlick chronicles the opioid epidemic in West Virginia and the legal battles fought to hold the perpetrators accountable and to secure recompense for the hundreds of thousands of victims。 Over the last two decades， drug distributors have pumped billions of opioid pills into American pharmacies， knowingly fueling a steady rise in addiction cases and overdoses in exchange for profit。 A true - and terrifyingly familiar - nightmare of capitalism where the rich get richer off the backs and Death in Mudlick chronicles the opioid epidemic in West Virginia and the legal battles fought to hold the perpetrators accountable and to secure recompense for the hundreds of thousands of victims。 Over the last two decades， drug distributors have pumped billions of opioid pills into American pharmacies， knowingly fueling a steady rise in addiction cases and overdoses in exchange for profit。 A true - and terrifyingly familiar - nightmare of capitalism where the rich get richer off the backs and lives of the working class。 The sheer audacity and inhumanity of the CEOs， lawyers， and other representatives of the pharmaceutical distributors are demoralizing。 Eric Eyre weaves together the personal， corporate， and governmental and gradually builds a rich and complete picture of a system that is designed to benefit the rich and award bad actors。 The American school system taught me that drugs were bad， and addicts and dealers were criminals， that addiction is the failure of the individual。 Narratives like Death in Mudlick， Transcendent Kingdom， and 13th work hard to dismantle this picture; they remind us that addiction is a health issue， not a criminal issue。 Addiction is a symptom of the systemic failure to support this country's working class with adequate health and social care systems and a failure to provide avenues of growth for the people living in poverty。 It reminds us that these systems profit off the hardship and lives of the poor and， disproportionately， people of color。 The cure to addiction is not the criminalization of the addicts， but the dismatelizing of the system which values wealthy corporations and capitalistic greed。 。。。more
Chinook
，
This was a fascinating story about the opioid epidemic and in particular about the struggle to access information about the outrageous number of opioids being sold in small town pharmacies and how that failed to trigger any of the warning systems before people started dying of overdoses。 One thing that particularly struck me was that it was all mom and pop pharmacies and not the ones found in big chains that were involved。 With the present climate being very pro-small businesses during the pande This was a fascinating story about the opioid epidemic and in particular about the struggle to access information about the outrageous number of opioids being sold in small town pharmacies and how that failed to trigger any of the warning systems before people started dying of overdoses。 One thing that particularly struck me was that it was all mom and pop pharmacies and not the ones found in big chains that were involved。 With the present climate being very pro-small businesses during the pandemic as if they can do no wrong， this was a timely reminder of how it’s really down to the people involved - small businesses can absolutely be run by greedy assholes who put profit over the health and safety of their communities just as easily as a big chain can， clearly。 。。。more
Mary
，
Death in Mudlick reminds us the important work that investigative journalists do by informing us about the big， but unknown， stories that affect our lives。 Eric Eyre tells us about the devastating effect of the opioid crisis on individuals， families， and communities and the corporate greed that created the demand for opioids。 The book is well-written， interesting， and timely。 Reading it is a first step in dealing with the opioid crisis in the US。
Sam Cooke
，
3。5 stars rounded up。 Actual review coming soon！
Barbara
，
And it's all trueA true pandemic in America， far more deadly than COVID and completely preventable。 This is a must read for everyone。 And it's all trueA true pandemic in America， far more deadly than COVID and completely preventable。 This is a must read for everyone。 。。。more
Jim Sarjeant
，
A bit of a slow read about a story we now know。
Andrea Stoeckel
，
Why didn't this story get more press？ I'm an avid watcher of CBS and I barely remember when David Axelrod reported this。 I was in turns devastated at the losses and angry that yet again "David" ran up against yet another "Goliath"， and that the red tape was just too difficult to get there。 The question I am left with is this book getting press because of the recent PurduePharma bankruptcy？ And， right now， with all the "other issues" confronting the US， is there an epilogue to the epilogue out th Why didn't this story get more press？ I'm an avid watcher of CBS and I barely remember when David Axelrod reported this。 I was in turns devastated at the losses and angry that yet again "David" ran up against yet another "Goliath"， and that the red tape was just too difficult to get there。 The question I am left with is this book getting press because of the recent PurduePharma bankruptcy？ And， right now， with all the "other issues" confronting the US， is there an epilogue to the epilogue out there somewhere？ If you like nail-biting reporting， you'll be captivated by this book。 High Recommended 5/5{disclaimer:I received this book from an outside source。 I voluntarily read and reviewed it] 。。。more
Lisa Toledo
，
Eric Eyre， a journalist at the Charleston Gazette-Mail， takes the reader through the struggles to hold opioid distributors， doctores， and pharmacies responsible for the outrageous number of pain pills circulated to poor communities， all while keeping the stories of those affected by the opioid epidemic at the center。 This book helped me better understand the reasons why this was permitted to go on for so long， and how many different actors took part in the operation。 Would highly recommend！
Maureen Quinlan
，
Interesting dive into how the opioid crisis was fueled by corporate greed。
Paisley Green
，
I sat in my car， flipping through the pages。 Nothing was blacked out， nothing was redacted。 Cardinal was the top seller of prescription painkillers in West Virginia。 It had saturated the state with hydrocodone and oxycodone--a combined 240 million pills between 2007 and 2012。 That amounted to 130 pain pills for every resident。 - p。 156 Death in Mud Lick is， at its core， a love letter to the power of investigative journalism to act as a gadfly to the rich and powerful。 Charleston Gazette-Mail jour I sat in my car， flipping through the pages。 Nothing was blacked out， nothing was redacted。 Cardinal was the top seller of prescription painkillers in West Virginia。 It had saturated the state with hydrocodone and oxycodone--a combined 240 million pills between 2007 and 2012。 That amounted to 130 pain pills for every resident。 - p。 156 Death in Mud Lick is， at its core， a love letter to the power of investigative journalism to act as a gadfly to the rich and powerful。 Charleston Gazette-Mail journalist Eric Eyre recounts how one death in the titular Mud Lick， WV sparked a movement of uncovering the truth about the opioid epidemic: that profit-hungry and indifferent pharmaceutical corporations pumped millions of pills to states， leading to mass addiction and overdose deaths in just the last 15 or so years。 It's a narrative of journalistic research at its finest--following lawyers， finding anchor "characters" to illustrate a wider issue， calling and corroborating sources many times over， bothering powerful politicians with lobbyist ties， experiencing setbacks and victories， dealing with the financial struggles of the newsroom， and ultimately speaking truth to power。 （Side note: I love that Eyre won the 2017 Pulitzer for his reporting on the opioid epidemic that's detailed in this book， but mentions of that are maybe a line or two at most。） I first picked this book up because it was on the New York Times' year-end list of best books of 2020， and I absolutely see why。 If you like movies like Spotlight or All the President's Men， this book is likely up your alley。Although much time is spent recounting legal cases， this book is anything but dry。 It's short and written with compelling momentum， focusing clearly on key characters。 Definitely recommend for anyone wanting to understand some causes behind the current opioid crisis， especially in the Southeast。 （And if you want to see the Washington Post database that's referenced at the end of the book， look no further。） 。。。more
Cheryl Runsdorf
，
Definitely not beach reading but really interesting。 If you are curious about how we are in an opioid crisis， this is a good read。
dennis cantrill
，