ERIC EYRE
Death In Mud Lick
Death in Mud Lick is the story of how a crusading lawyer, newspaper reporter and a local woman with a secret past uncovered massive opioid pill dumping in small towns by some of the largest corporations in America. The book lays bare the corporate greed and government corruption that ignited the worst man-made public health crisis in U.S. history. It's also a clarion call for the critical importance of strong, local journalism.
Praise for Death in Mud Lick
"[Death in Mud Lick] is a stunning story, and Eric Eyre tells it with compassion, grit, deep knowledge and the 'sustained outrage' (as he puts it) that is the rocket fuel of great journalism."
—Dan Fagin, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Toms River
"Death in Mud Lick is simultaneously a gripping account of the corporate interests who started the opioid epidemic and a vivid illustration of the power of scrappy, relentless, investigative journalism."
—Keith Humphreys, former White House drug policy adviser to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama
"With searing storytelling and deep investigative reporting, Eric Eyre has written an indispensable book that you won't be able to put down."
—Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money
"A riveting drama of crime, collusion, coverup … Death in Mud Lick attaches names, stories, and vivid characters
to the major public-health
story of our times."
—James Fallows, author of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America
“A uniquely American tale and heartbreaking account that will leave every reader certain on how we got into this nightmare otherwise known as the opioid crisis."
—Ryan Hampton, nationally recognized recovery activist and author of American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis — and How to End It
"Eric Eyre represents the absolute best of newspaper reporting… Death in Mud Lick is a riveting, intimate look at the corporate greed, regulatory failure and lobbying shenanigans that led to pill mills complete with “courtesy snacks” and cash registers so full they wouldn’t close."
—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America
"At a time when real journalism is under attack, Death in Mud Lick stands as a clenched fist
of rebuke … Eyre’s book is a thrilling recounting of how it all went down in the tradition of Call Northside 77 and Spotlight."
—Brian Alexander, author of Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town