Conundrum

“I approached this novel about AIDS cautious, but threw my hesitance to the wind when I started reading. You will quickly become immersed in this look at greed and corruption in the pharma industry as seen through the eyes of a young scientist.”
-Rosemary Mason, former feature writer, Florida Times-Union

When is a book about sex not about sex? In Tom Bleakley and Marcia Lange’s novel, the puzzling question is asked: What is the real cause of AIDS? This question meets the very definition of “conundrum.” Webster’s Dictionary defines the word as “any puzzling question or problem.” The reader will find out that there is no satisfactory answer as drug industry greed, a publicity-seeking scientist, and powerful government interests combine to shunt aside a competing claim for what causes this terrible malady. This conundrum is definitely not about sex. But it is about sex when the fame-seeking scientist exerts his dominance over a female subordinate as a means of keeping her quiet about the real cause of AIDS.

Tom Bleakley is a trial lawyer who specializes in cases against the pharmaceutical industry as well as pro bono cases involving constitutional issues and matter of public interest. He has an extensive background in medicine and pharmacology, a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and has represented many children with prescription-caused birth defects in his trial experiences against the drug industry. In addition to previous novels dealing with the dangers of prescription drugs, Tom has co-authored a two-volume textbook, “A Teaching Program in Psychiatry.”