Title: The Lyme Conspiracy
Do you or does someone you know have a chronic illness which has no known cause, definitive test, or cure? This description would include such diseases as Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, ALS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Parkinson’s, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Bipolar Depression and others. If this relates to anyone you know, I would strongly suggest that you read The Lyme Conspiracy by Joseph Bradley. It is a fast paced fictional thriller, which is not only very entertaining but also educational in respect to the real life political aspects surrounding Lyme disease. Lyme is often misdiagnosed and given labels which only describe the symptoms. The underlying cause of the symptoms is being ignored. However, interest in Lyme disease is not a requirement for the enjoyment of this book. If you like murder mysteries then The Lyme Conspiracy is for you.
The author, Joseph Bradley, is a former police officer and has a Master’s degree in criminology. Bradley has written several mystery thrillers before this one, which includes The Last Season, Ticket To Paradise and Bottle Park. His firsthand experience in navigating the shark infested waters of what appears to be the intentional misdiagnosis and under treatment of Lyme disease, is what motivated him to write his newest book, The Lyme Conspiracy. I was interested in learning how his education and experience in criminology may have influenced the writing of this book….so I decided to ask him! This was Bradley’s response. “My experiences as a Police Officer have helped me with all my novels in regards to the thought process behind the investigations, crime scenes, forensics, and just understanding how the investigative and criminal mind works. In my novel, I think like a criminal when I'm in that character and I think like the detective when I'm writing that piece. With 12 years experience as a City Police Officer, I've been able to allow for many twists and turns in my stories. Crime is seldom simple and is usually complex.”
The story takes place on the Connecticut shoreline and on Long Island, N.Y, which mirrors the real life history of the emergence of Lyme disease. Detective Taylor Marshall, who works for the Connecticut State Police, is assigned to investigate two murders which involve retired government scientists who once worked at Plum Island ( an actual government run animal disease research center). Detective Marshall begins to suspect that the two murders are connected. Marshall teams up with an investigative reporter, Gary Mitchell of the New Haven Register, and together they try to solve the mysteries of who killed the Plum Island scientists, who hired the killer and what secrets were these murdered scientists privy to? As Marshall and Mitchell get closer to the truth, the murderer first tracks down Gary Mitchell and then aims his sights on Detective Taylor Marshall. Will they survive? Will the covert information pertaining to the Lyme disease conspiracy be uncovered?
Bradley skillfully weaves together a plot of murder, intrigue and romance. The story takes many twists and turns and he keeps the reader guessing throughout the whole book. As I briefly mentioned before, the author masterfully captures the interest of the average reader while at the same time educating those who are unaware of the serious subterfuge surrounding this spreading pandemic.
I asked Bradley to sum up his concerns surrounding the Lyme disease paradox which is causing thousands upon thousands of citizens to be misdiagnosed and left minimally treated or totally untreated for the underlying cause of their chronic illness. He shared the following thoughts:
1. Drug companies are making billions in revenue off of Lyme patients by promoting symptomatic treatments rather than ones that cure. There is no continued profit in curing disease.
2. Lyme disease imitates many different diseases and doctors are not taught that Lyme is a serious systemic disease that can affect all parts of the body.
3. 60 to 70% of patients who have Lyme are testing as False Negative
4. There is a strong false pronouncement by the mainstream medical community that Lyme disease cannot become chronic or result in death. This misperception is causing untold suffering. There is valid research available which shows that Lyme disease can become chronic but it is being ignored.
The Lyme Conspiracy
