Daniel Annechino - Hypocrisy

“So, just in the spirit of goodwill, do I get an advance?”

“Afraid not, Ed. Not a penny until we’re up and running. And you’d better hope that nobody applies to the FDA before we do.”

“Trust me. No one’s even close.”

Mason picked up the folder. “I’ll have these contracts back to you by the end of the week.”

Just as Mason was about to open the door and leave, Taylor said, “I do have one question, Ed. Why didn’t Adelman, Gallo, or Hansen implicate you to get lighter sentences?”

“We thought it best to keep Hansen in the dark. Although she served her purpose, she was high-strung and unpredictable, so we led her to believe that I was as pure as the driven snow.”

“But what about Gallo and Adelman? Why didn’t they finger you?”

Mason’s facial expression hardened. “I guess they kept their mouths shut because they love their families and wouldn’t want anything terrible to happen to them.”

February 21

Utterly shocked, Dr. Edward Mason watched the CNN special report, his hands moist and clammy, and his heart pounding out of his chest.

“ Breaking News from CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Sanjay Gupta. This may be the most astounding announcement in medical history. Century Nutritional Clinic located in Tijuana, Mexico, in partnership with Summit Laboratories, the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world, have just announced that the FDA has tentatively approved a revolutionary new treatment for cancer, rumored to be nothing short of miraculous. Pending a series of routine tests, none of which are expected to jeopardize the approval, they project that the drugs and treatments will be made available worldwide by the end of the year .

Many of you may remember Dr. Lauren Crawford, the brilliant research scientist who pioneered the research but tragically was murdered…”

Mason turned off the TV, and slammed the remote against the wall.

“Even from the grave, you got the best of me, Lauren.”

As is the case with almost every book ever written, there are a lot of people behind the scenes who transform an idea from vision to reality. In many cases, readers give the credit to the author, but there are many others to recognize. I would like to thank the following people for their invaluable contribution to Hypocrisy .

Jennifer Ann Chasser, Anthony Annechino, Paula Brandes, and Steve Auguston for their insightful editorial comments and advice. Charlotte Herscher, the best content and line editor on the planet. Her critical evaluation and discriminating appraisal transformed a good book into a much better one. Taryn Fagerness for her efforts in marketing this book to foreign publishers. A special thank you to Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and her entire staff for their well-crafted marketing plan. I am also grateful to Russell Douglas of Create Space and Stacy Shabalin of Amazon KDP for holding my hand through the entire publishing process. They made a daunting task a walk in the park. Last, but certainly not least, kudos to Jen Talty for her technical wizardry in designing the cover, and a gazillion other things, including a boatload of advice. She’s a dear friend and a hell of a writer herself.

I would also like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support. And of course, an author’s most valuable asset is his or her readers. Many thanks to all of you.

I truly hope you enjoyed, Hypocrisy , my fourth novel. I have a few questions for you. Did you find the book engaging—did it make you want to turn pages? Were Dupree and T.J. fully developed? Who was your favorite character? What did you think of the plot? Was the story plausible, original? Did any plot twists surprise you? Overall, what did you like and dislike about Hypocrisy ? Please post your questions and comments on my website. The address is: www.dmannechino.wordpress.com I’ll do my very best to respond to each and every comment.

I would also like to ask you for a favor. If you liked Hypocrisy , I would greatly appreciate it if you took a few minutes to write a review. Positive reader reviews have a strong influence on prospective readers searching for a new book. If you’d be kind enough to write a review, it would really make my day! Please go to www.amazon.com Search for Hypocrisy , and at the top of the page just click on “Customer Reviews” and then click on “Create your own Review”. I thank you in advance for helping me out.

One last thing. Hypocrisy , like my other three novels, delves into murky waters. We all have theories about everything from religion to politics to medicine, and my novels have explored all three topics. My books are controversial by design. For a novel to be compelling and engaging, it needs to make the reader think, and in many cases, feel a bit uncomfortable. If a novelist doesn’t evoke emotions in his or her readers, then he or she has failed as a writer.

I have the deepest respect for the thousands of dedicated people in healthcare who work tirelessly to develop new treatments and possible cures for cancer. I also applaud the scores of volunteers who unselfishly donate time and money to help rid the world of this awful disease. That said, please bear in mind that Hypocrisy is a work of fiction. In no way is it intended to question the integrity and goals of anyone associated with cancer research and treatments. I tip my hat to each and every one of you.

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor specializing in full-length fiction, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money , in 1992 while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly . His second book, Resuscitation (Thomas & Mercer 2011), a follow-up to his first novel, hit #1 in Kindle sales in the UK and reached #26 in the USA. He is also the author of I Do Solemnly Swear (Thomas & Mercer 2012). Hypocrisy , is Annechino’s fourth novel.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Text copyright © 2014 Daniel Annechino

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1495931242

ISBN-13: 9781495931246

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of D. M. Annechino.

They Never Die Quietly

Resuscitation

I Do Solemnly Swear