Bjornsen Pharmaceuticals is on the cusp of developing a revolutionary new drug, a neural stimulant made from the leaves of an ancient Norwegian tree, which will make our brains “operate faster and reflexes quicker” - a drug that could literally turn firemen, policemen and servicemen into superheroes. With the FDA about to approve clinical trials, the company finds itself immersed in a bitter lawsuit, a suit against itself; Bjornsen Pharmaceuticals vs. Bjornsen.

The company, built by brothers Gunnar and Karl Bjornsen, is at odds. Karl, through greed and deceit, has ousted Gunnar from the business. The problem is, Gunnar is the only one who knows how to germinate the seeds to keep the extinct tree from dying out. Without his trade secret, there will be no drug to manufacture. As the brothers square off and clinical trials begin, a black-market deal and an old Norse legend set off a chain of events that lawyer Ben Corbin finds himself trapped in the middle of. Is Neurostim the wonder drug it is believed to be, or will a brother’s greed ruin a life’s work?

Author Rick Acker pens a complex but satisfying legal thriller in Blood Brothers, a stand-alone sequel to Dead Man’s Rule. A brilliant novelist, Acker writes part-time on the train to his real job as Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice. His main character, attorney Ben Corbin, is not only a man of high moral fiber but also a genuinely likeable guy (unless you’re opposing counsel). In fact, all of Acker’s characters’ personalities seem strong enough to jump off the page, btut when all is said and done, the strongest man is the one with the most forgiveness.