LAW & CRIME

Doctor Dealer: A Doctor High on Greed, a Biker Gang High on Opioids, and the Woman Who Paid the Ultimate Price

by George Anastasia & Ralph Cipriano
Berkley. Sept. 2020. 304p. ISBN 9780593097762. $27. CRIME
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Journalists Anastasia (The Last Gangster) and Cipriano (Target) delve into the murder of April Kauffman and the dark world inhabited by her husband, James Kauffman, the well-respected doctor accused of arranging her murder. After April’s death, her husband’s criminal activity came to light, including a history of fraud and a prescription drug trafficking operation with an area motorcycle club. The book spans the many years it has taken to establish connections between the crimes and find answers for April. The authors rely heavily on insight from two central figures in the case, but there is a considerable amount of speculation throughout, making it a challenge to distinguish fact from theory, but nevertheless, Anastasia and Cipriano distill a sensational, complex case into a clear narrative.
VERDICT An entertaining story with broad appeal for true crime fans. Readers looking to contextualize the ongoing opioid crisis may also enjoy Sam Quinones’s Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic.
Reviewed by Kate Bellody, SUNY New Paltz , Aug 01, 2020
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