... a tightly focused and insightful account of how a company that went public in the most successful IPO of 2013 soon ended up a poster child for corporate greed and chicanery, a firm so corrupt that prosecutors brought it to heel using federal statutes created to fight the Mafia.

... fast-paced and maddening.

Hughes’ compact retelling of the Insys saga unfolds like a blockbuster film. Fans of Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (2018) will be captivated by this story of unbelievable greed and hubris. A must-read..

Does the world really need another book about the opioid crisis?...The Hard Sell by Evan Hughes proves a worthy addition to the collection.

... revelatory.

An account of the inner workings of a pharmaceutical company could have been dull in the hands of another author, but Hughes brings it to life beautifully. He weaves together a vivid cast of characters—doctors, sales reps, and executives—with key commentary illustrating the connections between a relatively small drug company named Insys Therapeutics and the broader opiate epidemic. As compelling as a true crime documentary, the book details Insys’s relentless quest to corner the drug market with its version of fentanyl and chronicles the resulting federal trial.