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The Rx For Murder (A Vega and Middleton Mystery Book 5) Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

Afraid for his life, David Pine, long-time reporter with the Los Angeles Daily, drops a thumb drive in the snail mail for friend and colleague, TV news correspondent Beatrice Middleton.

Three hours later Pine is found murdered.

At the same time Bea, with partner photographer Lucy Vega, cover the developing story of a military vet shot by police for throwing cement blocks off a freeway overpass killing a young driver and injuring others. The man was supposedly off his meds. His parents swear it wasn’t true. No one believes them.

Later that day, one of Bea and Lucy’s rookie staff members flees a story meeting mid-discussion, tearfully confessing a problem with her antidepressants. Was she going crazy or was there something wrong with the prescription?
When Bea receives Pine’s files, she discovers information about a master plan to manufacture generic drugs with dangerously low levels of active ingredients imported from Asia.

The center of this sick scheme is a former L.A. County District Attorney now running for the U.S. Senate seat in California. Lucy and Bea have no doubt he’d go to any extreme to protect himself and his cabal, including putting his own psychologically vulnerable daughter in mortal danger.

Bea Middleton, Lucy Vega, Detective Pete Anthony and TV news rookies, go undercover to stop Doyle and his squad of international thugs from manufacturing and distributing empty medicines before more people suffer and die.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite 5-19-22
This thrilling novel unpicks a tapestry of intrigue, corruption, drugs, and death. Author Sue Hinkin really triumphs in her character development, especially in the relationship between the central duo, Bea and Lucy, as they give everything they've got to battle corruption and bring justice to a very dark predicament indeed. The plot has plenty of fast-paced twists to keep readers interested but also pauses in just the right moments to deliver deeper details of the case and allow readers to reach their own conclusions without spoon-feeding them everything. Overall, this makes The Rx for Murder a satisfying read that fans of any kind of suspenseful thriller novel are sure to enjoy.
5/5 Stars

Reviewed by David Dunnough for OnlineBookClub.com
When you think you've figured the story out, the author releases new jaw-dropping twists that will leave you stunned.
4/4 stars


Reviewed by Bella Wright BestThrillers.com
After the murder of a veteran reporter David Pine, amateteur sleuths Bea Middleton and Lucy Vega are drawn into the likely reason for his death: an in-progress story about big pharma selling generic medicine with little or no active ingredients to the poorest countries, states and counties.

Pine was so convinced his life was in danger that he dropped a thumb drive with mountains of material to a confidante just hours before his death. Horrified at the thought of more people suffering and dying, and at the thought of Pine's murder going unsolved, Bea and Lucy get hold of the data - some of which will require the assistance of a Chinese translator - and decide to go undercover.

While Hinkin's followup to
The Mermaid Broker reveals much of the villainy in the book's early chapters, she creates sweat-inducing tension through the substantial risks her heroines take to right a global wrong. Along the way, Bea and Lucy prove their savvy at persuading others to put their lives on the line as well (Lucy: "This isn't a movie starring one of your clients. This is the real deal. No theme music, no popcorn, just messy possibilities").

Those risks are amplified by the humanity Hinkin brings to the duo. That's especially true for Lucy, an Emmy winner who also teaches photojournalism at Santa Monica High School - all while being a mother. Adding to the considerable weight on her shoulders, Lucy is faced with a personal dilemma that forces her to choose between her life in LA and a new one in New York. The decision adds stress to her friendship with Bea, who becomes increasingly emotional by the possibility of her BFF leaving for good ("I have two exes that're history, kids who have moved on, and now my best friend is abandoning me"). While Hinkin's mystery is gripping enough on its own terms, Bea and Lucy's personal lives take center stage in this poignant story about friendship and loyalty that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next series installment.

From the Back Cover

Afraid for his life, David Pine, long-time reporter with the Los Angeles Daily, drops a thumb drive in the snail mail for friend and colleague, TV news correspondent Beatrice Middleton.
Three hours later Pine is found murdered.
At the same time Bea, with photographer Lucy Vega, cover the developing story of a military vet shot by police for throwing cement blocks off a freeway overpass killing a young driver and injuring others. The man was supposedly off his meds. His parents swear it wasn't true. No one believes them.
Later that day, one of Bea and Lucy's rookie staff members flees a story meeting mid-discussion, tearfully confessing a problem with her antidepressants. Was she going crazy or was there something wrong with the prescription?
When Bea receives Pine's files, she discovers information about a master plan to produce generic drugs with dangerously low levels of active ingredients imported from Asia.
The center of this sick scheme is a former L.A. County District Attorney now running for the U.S. Senate seat in California. Lucy and Bea have no doubt he'd go to any extreme to protect himself and his cabal, including putting his own psychologically vulnerable daughter in mortal danger.
Bea Middleton, Lucy Vega and TV news rookies, go undercover to stop the former D.A. and his squad of international thugs from manufacturing and distributing empty medicines before more people suffer and die.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09YQ6CZ7C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Literary Wanderlust (July 1, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 859 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

About the author

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Sue Hinkin
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Voted Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year for 2021-22, Sue Hinkin was raised in Chicago and is a former college teacher and administrator, TV news photographer, and NBC-TV art department manager. She was also a Cinematography Fellow at the American Film Institute. Her thrillers, featuring Los Angeles TV news journalist Bea Jackson and photographer Lucia Vega, have been recognized with multiple awards. Book 5 in the series, The Rx for Murder, will be released in July 2022. See more at www.suehinkin.com. Sue Hinkin now lives in Littleton, Colorado where she is the new grandmother of twin girls who already love a good book.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
23 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2022
    I love a novel that educates as well as entertains. Author Sue Hinkin does both in RX for Murder. Generics were created to save lives and ease the expense of purchasing named brands. in this novel Hinkin once again shows the hard work she'll do to write a novel. I will never swallow another generic without wondering what fillers were used, where the generic came from, and what oversight was used to produce it. Hint: Made in USA doesn't mean much when the fillers are produced overseas, but the pills are merely assembled in the states.

    in RX for Murder, Lucy and Bea have their hands full, professionally and personally as life decisions collide. A slow-burn build-up and nail-biting saga. Looking forward to the next Middleton/Vega adventure.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2022
    In this 5th thriller with female investigative journalists Middleton and Vega, mystery novelist Sue Hinken delivers the goods once again in a fast paced thriller kicking off with the murder of long time Los Angeles journalistic colleague who, suspecting he would become a target, mailed his files on a thumb drive to Bea Middleton. The story soon leads to a sleazy politician with a past of unconvicted sexual assaults on underage girls, who is now running for an open California Senate seat. Middleton, Vega, and some companions soon uncover a dark plot concerning cheaply manufactured generic drugs from Asia which are killing unsuspecting consumers. This may be one of Hinken's most timely and frightening novels leading us to wonder are the prescription drugs we receive reliable and safe. Kudos to a great mystery novelist and can't wait to see what plot she comes up with next.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2022
    Sue Hinkin keep ‘em coming!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023
    The author had many twists and turns untill the end. Interesting digs at today's politics. Some difficulty in following characters if you haven't read previous books in the series
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2022
    I love the way the characters are connected throughout the book. The past is part of the present and surprises are every which way. Murder mystery keeps on giving in this plot with perfectly paced action. The use of Los Angeles settings from the sea to the mountains, to the valley, and the streets keep the reader fully engaged. I very much enjoyed this read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
    The author does an excellent job of weaving the elements of a timely thriller with the lives and families of the series characters, Bea Middleton and Lucy Vega. You can't help but root for Bea and Lucy as they confront a dangerous group of corrupt scientists and politicians setting up a counterfeit pill factory. I'll be watching for the next book in this excellent series.

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