Empire of Pain

The award-winning investigation from the author behind bestselling sensation London Falling

Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
The Sunday Times Bestseller
A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week'
One of The Telegraph's 20 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time

'There are so many "they did what?" moments in this book, when your jaw practically hits the page' – Sunday Times

‘You feel almost guilty for enjoying it so much’ – The Times

By the beginning of the twenty-first century the Sackler family had become one of the richest in America, their name adorning the walls of institutions like Harvard and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The source of the family fortune had long been vague, until it emerged that the Sacklers were responsible for making and ruthlessly marketing OxyContin – a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis which, to date, has killed over half a million people.

In this searing investigation, Patrick Radden Keefe tells the story of the Sackler family’s extraordinary rise and reveals a shocking story of greed and corruption at the heart of modern America.

Merging gripping storytelling with fearless investigative journalism, Patrick Radden Keefe is undeniably one of the great nonfiction writers of our time.

'I gobbled up Empire of Pain . . . a masterclass in compelling narrative nonfiction.' – Elizabeth Day, The Guardian

'[Keefe is] a gifted storyteller who excels at capturing personalities' – The Washington Post

'This book will make your blood boil' – John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood