Death by Placebo
About
Tucked away in a corner of Europe, a land-locked country is run by paranoid dictator Viktor Rachmanil who is in serious danger of losing his life as his liver slowly fails. Only a transplant can save him. Rachmanil is willing to go to any lengths to make sure he has a new liver from the right donor. As he sets his team on a search for the donor, deadly family secrets are revealed and a train of events is started that threatens Rachmanil’s iron grip on the country. The intrigue deepens as romantic sparks fly between Rachmani’s daughter and the Italian surgeon flying in to conduct the operation. The added interests of foreign agencies drive a thrilling story of power, corruption and a tyrant’s determination to survive.
Praise for this book
Death by Placebo by Nelson K. Foley was an intense medical thriller that captivated me immediately. The storyline moved quickly, and I could not turn the pages fast enough. The writing style was compelling, and the tension kept me fully absorbed. The detailed descriptions made it easy to feel involved in all the preparations. The characters were well-crafted and relatable. Rachmanil was extremely self-serving and would do anything to secure the liver he believed he was entitled to. The chemistry between Andrea and Danica offered a refreshing distraction amidst all the planning related to the transplant. The story was excellently written and maintained my focus throughout. The conclusion, featuring a significant twist, took me completely by surprise and was something I never anticipated.
Title: Death by Placebo
Author: Nelson K. Foley
Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Thriller
Audience: Adult
Word Count: 66000
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Death by Placebo is set in the Republic of Balrutan, an Eastern European nation that is ruled by a despicable dictator, Viktor Rachmanil. Despite his denials, he is facing liver failure, and is in desperate need of a transplant. The quest to find a donor sets in motion a riveting and darkly humorous series of events that shows the full depth of Rachmanil's deplorability. A sprinkling of romance and examination of the themes of tyranny, family dynamics, and reaping what one sows, leave a memorable impression.
Prose: Foley's forthright prose has a wry, candid tone. While dialogue and exposition sometimes do too much of the heavy lifting, the writing is ultimately efficient and effective if not always evocative.
Originality: Foley draws from tropes of bumbling, obstinate figures in positions of power and the work offers a number of modern day allusions. In moments, there's an almost fairytale quality to the work, and its fictionalized location allows the author to have great fun with a premise. Still, Death by Placebo maintains the solid pacing of an international thriller, keeping readers engaged as the quest to locate a viable liver for a hateful dictator unfolds.
Character/Execution: Rachmanil is fittingly vile: homely, hot-headed, bullying, unadaptable, and demanding. Befitting the archetypal, eccentric villain, he has no any empathy nor sympathy, the exception being for his pet ferret, Snowflake, who he carries around with him in his shirt. The broader cast of sycophants, family members, and others in Rachmanil's orbit, don't offer much warmth, but effectively round out the storytelling and do garner readers' sympathies.
Score:
• Plot/Idea: 8
• Originality: 8
• Prose: 8
• Character/Execution: 7
• Overall: 7.75
Report Submitted: September 16, 2025
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