The Body Brokers

by Brian Cuban

Overview

BOOKFEST AWARD–WINNER, BEST CRIME THRILLER

When his girlfriend dies of a drug overdose, lawyer Jason Feldman goes undercover to ground zero of the fentanyl epidemic to prove she was murdered.

“A darkly, disturbing tale that stands as one of the best thrillers of 2024....Not to be missed.” — Book Trib

“A suspenseful and emotional thriller that perfectly combines personal tragedy with a shocking inquiry into the dark underbelly of addiction treatment.” — Suspense Magazine

Disgraced attourney Jason Feldman's world is shattered when his girlfriend dies of a fentanyl overdose. Learning the truth will take him into the belly of the beast, where life is cheap and the reality, catastrophic.

When the police write Emily’s murder off as accidental, Jason and Emily’s roommate, Delaney, begin their own investigation. Together, Jason and Delaney uncover a dangerous secret that endangers not only their lives, but the lives of those around them. Their journey catapults them into the corrupt addiction treatment centers that will go to any lengths to keep them from learning the truth.

Their only chance of survival lies in Doc, a former physician, who holds the key to Emily’s past and Jason’s future. Will they be able to uncover the truth and expose the powers that be?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888451588
Publisher:	Post Hill Press
Publication date:	12/03/2024
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Brian Cuban, the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, is a Dallas-based attorney, author, and person in long-term recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. He is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

His book, The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption is an unflinching look at how addiction and other mental health issues destroyed his career as a once successful lawyer, and how he and others in the profession redefined their lives in recovery and found redemption.

Brian has spoken at colleges, universities, conferences, non-profits, and legal events across the United States and in Canada. His columns have appeared—and he has been quoted on these topics—online and in print newspapers around the world. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife and two cats.

Editorial Reviews

A riveting thriller of a read from start to finish, in The Body Brokers, author Brian Cuban demonstrates a distinctive and compelling storyteller style.

Midwest Book Review

A darkly, disturbing tale that stands as one of the best thrillers of 2024.

Booktrib

A page-turning thriller with enough emotional heft to keep readers intrigued until the last line.

Kirkus Reviews

A suspenseful and emotional thriller that perfectly combines personal tragedy with a shocking inquiry into the dark underbelly of addiction treatment.

Suspense Magazine

2025-03-26
In Cuban’s novel, a down-and-out former lawyer searches for answers about his girlfriend’s sudden death.

Jason Feldman is an erstwhile attorney in long-term addiction recovery working as a security guard in a Pittsburgh department store. He hates the boss (a former cop) he works under, and he’s been professionally disgraced—Jason was disbarred after lying to the FBI during a murder investigation in which he was, at first, the prime suspect—but he is slowly putting his life back together while he waits for his suspended law license to be reinstated. The main thing keeping him together is his girlfriend Emily, another former addict and current employee of an organization that aims to help those affected by drugs. When Emily turns up dead in her own home, the police suspect an overdose, but Jason and Emily’s best friend, Delaney—an ER doctor and also Emily’s roommate—think it is nearly impossible that she has relapsed. It just so happens that the detective in charge of the investigation, Jeanette Keane, is the same person who put the squeeze on Jason years ago during the investigation Jason obstructed. When the autopsy reveals a fentanyl overdose, Jason is still skeptical—all the more so when Emily’s former employer begins hounding him, offering a preposterous cash reward for her company-owned electronics (which have gone missing). As Jason scrambles for more information and tries to convince Delaney he wasn’t involved in Emily’s relapse, he notices he’s being followed by a mysterious crew-cut man in a black Lexus. Cuban’s protagonist is richly drawn, and readers will find themselves sympathizing with his success-turned-self-sabotage-turned-recovery arc, especially in moments when he laments his lost relationship with his son. While there are some descriptions that misfire (“the blemish-free skin and rectangular facial structure are a cross between Halle Berry and Rosario Dawson”), Cuban’s prose is generallysolid enough to keep readers moving through his well-plotted and compelling narrative.

A page-turning thriller with enough emotional heft to keep readers intrigued until the last line.

Kirkus Reviews