Black Label Paperback – July 20, 2021

In Black Label, author James L'Etoile transports the reader to San Francisco, for an intriguing thriller that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.The story centers around Jillian Cooper, VP of Marketing for Dynalife Pharmaceuticals, who finds herself setup to take the fall for the murders of her Dynalife bosses, Jonathon Mattson, CEO, and David Paulson, COO. Suffering from a blackout and losing two days of her life, Jillian is confronted with evidence that she committed the murders, and to make it worse, she fears that she has inherited her mother's history of mental illness. Jillian is determined to find out who is setting her up to take the fall, especially as her investigation uncovers shady black market drug dealings between the Mexican Mafia and Dynalife Pharmaceuticals. Can Jillian uncover the truth and prove her innocence, or is she guilty of the murders, and descending into the murky world of mental illness?Author James L'Etoile weaves a fast-paced and suspenseful tale written in the third person narrative that follows Jillian as she tries to make sense of what has unexpectedly gone wrong in her life, all the while dealing with anxiety and paranoia, wondering if she has inherited her mother's mental illness. As Jillian investigates the murders of her bosses at Dynalife Pharmaceuticals, she uncovers the shady black market dealings between the Mexican Mafia and Dynalife, and these revelations make her an easy target as threats of danger are around every corner, and someone is determined to silence Jillian for good.The reader is easily drawn into this well written story with its richly descriptive plot and setting. It is filled with enough action, drama, secrets, motives, betrayals, deception, and intriguing twists and turns that definitely keeps the reader guessing until the surprising conclusion.The author does a wonderful job of providing enough intrigue to engage the reader, and I found myself so caught up on trying to figure out how Jillian was going to prove her innocence when there was so much evidence pointing at her guilt. You can't help but wonder how much of her mother's mental illiness she may have inherited, as her actions / reactions during the investigation makes the reader definitely think twice. I really enjoyed how Jillian's investigation leads her into the dark undercover world of big Pharma dealings with the interconnection between the Mexican Mafia and Dynalife Pharmaceuticals. As Jillian puts all the pieces of the puzzle together, the reader will be stunned by the conclusion!Black Label will definitely take the readers on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

Pharma Exec Jillian Cooper’s worst fears come true when she awakens in a strange room with no memory of the last two days – and finds herself accused of two brutal murders. Is she innocent? Or a murderer? On the run, chased by both the police and chilling, vicious criminals, she has no one to trust – and nowhere to turn. But in spite of her self-doubt and terror, this strong female character refuses to give up, descending into the dark world of black market drugs as she fights for her freedom, and the truth. Former warden, negotiator and prison consultant James L’Etoile tells a fast-moving, complex story that rings with authenticity, touches us with his empathy for the victims, and asks important moral questions – are greed and great wealth worth lives lost? And how far will we go to make things right?

Loss of memory can be a problem, particularly when Jillian's mother died of dementia and she fears she may die similarly. But what causes her loss of memory has nothing to do with her genes and everything to do with the pharmaceutical firm where she's been working for years.What she learns after she wakes up is almost enough to make her wish she was insane: her CEO boss is dead and she's accused of having killed him; then the second-in-command also turns up dead and someone's after her.Where will all this end as she hides in the dens of the homeless in San Francisco? Who can she trust and should she? After all, she trusted those men at the company where she'd worked so hard and they'd tossed her away and into prison, if they have their way. But will they succeed or will she?

Things go from bad to worse for Jillian Cooper when she wakes up in a dead man's bed and can't remember how she got there, why she was there, and what she'd done over the weekend. The horrific migraine she wakes with is the least of her concerns.James L'Etoile's BLACK LABEL, takes Jillian and the reader on a wild ride of mind-bending suspense as both try to unravel what Jillian did––or didn't do––in those lost hours. Your heart will break for Jillian as one obstacle after another makes her question her own sanity. Accused of something she knows, or at least she thinks, she didn't do, she's on the run from a determined detective who wants to send her to prison and the dead man's widow who wants her dead. This is psychological suspense at it's best.

Fast paced, lots of action, and full of twists, but it's more than that...the main character, Jillian, is fascinating and very richly drawn. Highly recommend!

Greed and betrayal propel this fast-paced novel by James L’Etoile. When pharmaceutical executive, Jillian Cooper wakes up in a strange bed with blood all over her she has no memory of what’s happened over the last two days. Accused of two murders, that of her bosses, Jonathon Mattson, CEO, and David Paulson, COO, she goes on the run, determined to prove to herself that she’s not crazy. As she outwits both the detective and criminals pursuing her, she uncovers the truth about who’s set her up and what they’ve been hiding at Dynalife Pharmaceuticals.

In today’s cultural climate, who isn’t interested in what’s going on behind a pharmaceutical manufacturer’s doors? In Black Label, plenty!! And these guys will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Love the pace, the descriptions, setting. Love Jillian, the ousted insider, who is on a mission to find the truth…and protect her life!

Black Label is the epitome of a thriller from paragraph one when Jillian awakes in a strange bed with no memory of how she got there and realizes she is wanted for murder. Alone against a powerful pharmaceutical company, she questions everything, including her own sanity. The pages turn themselves!