About James J. Farley

James J. Farley began writing books after he was well into a long career as a pharmaceutical chemist and Laboratory Director in industry and at the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

If this background resembles that of Tom Keenan, the protagonist of THE PLACEBO EFFECT: Counterfeit Drugs – A Crime Novel and ADVERSE EVENTS, that should surprise no one. As Jim says:

“Authors write about the subjects they know best. Lawyers write novels about the law; doctors write about medical issues; psychologists write about the psychological aspects of criminals and their crimes. I am a pharmaceutical chemist, and I write about the pharmaceutical industry.”

Jim says his goals are to tell a good story, educate the public about real-life problems such as counterfeit drugs, and to erase some of the mystery about how the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA work.

THE PLACEBO EFFECT: Counterfeit Drugs – A Crime Novel grew out of Jim’s experiences seeing counterfeit and adulterated drugs while at the FDA. He wants the public to know that counterfeiting does occur and can continue to occur unless stronger laws and regulations are instituted.

In It All Comes Around, Jim presents 8 short stories that show a kaleidoscope of humanity, people’s foibles, and the twists and turns of life—some more deliberate than by chance.

Jim’s works of fiction are his more recent writings. Before the novels and short stories, he wrote two management books, The Executive MBA for Engineers and Scientists and Effective Financial Tools for Scientific Managers, both of which were based on real life observations and his conclusion that there was a need to find a “common language” between the science and the business functions in a company. Jim taught college for 22 years at night and felt it important to convey these basic principles to his students.

What can Jim’s readers expect in the future?

“Definitely more of Tom Keenan. He has many more calculating criminals to catch,” says Jim.

“I think that THE PLACEBO EFFECT: Counterfeit Drugs – A Crime Novel would make a good movie. The topic is timely, the action takes place in several well-known locations, and the characters are interesting and memorable.”