The Biotech Murders

by Ronenn Roubenoff

Sergeant Maggie Thompson of the Massachusetts State Police is assigned to investigate a dead body, wrapped in blue lab-grade plastic, that is found in a state park near Boston. Soon Maggie discovers that the victim worked at a nearby biotechnology company, which just happens to be where Maggie’s estranged half-brother Benny works. Before long Maggie is undercover as Benny’s assistant. As they investigate the murder together, Benny and Maggie also slowly rediscover each other and their family’s own fifty- year-old mystery surrounding their father’s time in Vietnam during the war and a sister they had never heard of. Another killing and then another drive the fast-paced action in the present as they also grapple with secrets from their shared past.

Biotech has changed all our lives. Starting with now seemingly primitive tools of molecular biology in the 1970’s, through the Human Genome Project in the 1990’s, and to gene editing in living people today, this industry has invented cures for diseases that were previously death sentences. If you know anyone with cancer, arthritis, psoriasis, obesity, or colitis, they’re probably being treated with a biotech drug, and are better off for it.

But like any human endeavor, biotech has good guys and bad ones. There is greed, jealousy, pettiness, and hatred, alongside brilliance and creativity. This story is fictional, but the people and events in it are based on my experience during almost a quarter century in biotech. That was plenty of time to meet people one would like to knock off, but so far, no one has gotten away with murder. At least, as far as I know…

268 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2025

Reviews

[Ronenn Roubenoff]

Of course I like it. I wrote it!

[Maeve]

Some familiar characters!

[COLiN]

Read with the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club really enjoyed the pacing and originality here

[Cecile Christensen]

Lots of familiar terms and environments from my years in Dr Robert Brown’s ALS research lab at MGH. Local Boston places add area familiarity. Fun read.

[Paul Morrison]

Finished. What a great read. Not because I know a few things about biotech or that the murderer seemed to stalk where I walked, talked, rode my bike, and worked for the last forty years. Even if I had never left Woods Hole and had beome a used car salesman I would have still enjoyed the murder mystery.

It's a view of biotech in Cambridge that both a lay person or a hardened biotech nerd will enjoy. No need to even understand why I never let anyone touch my 1-20 µl Pipetteman (I'm not OCD) but I will mention he gets all the science right.

Now I need to go buy a package of Lorna Doones but first I have to tell all my science nerd pals to read it so I can talk about it without dropping a spoiler.)

I will be waiting for the sequel.

[Ethan Roubenoff]

Kirkus Reviews (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...) says:

In Roubenoff’s novel, reunited siblings investigate murder and conspiracy at a biotech company.
When a woman’s body, wrapped tightly in blue laboratory film, turns up in a park outside of Boston, Sgt. Maggie Thompson of the Massachusetts State Police and her detectives, Eddie and Jimmy, follow the trail to Quercus Therapeutics, a biotech company on the brink of going public. The victim, Lilly Zhao, was Quercus’ head of toxicology, a scientist whose work tested the safety of the company’s flagship ALS drug, QT-101. Maggie’s estranged half-brother, Benny Mason, whom she hasn’t seen since their father’s funeral three years earlier, also works at Quercus and knew Lilly.
The siblings’ reunion is awkward (“She was startled to see that Benny had grayed at the temples”), then practical: Maggie goes undercover as Benny’s assistant, infiltrating the company’s culture of ambition, secrecy, and, increasingly, danger. Flashbacks sketch their fractured childhoods and the mysterious life of their father, an Army captain whose diaries reveal the existence of a third sibling. Together, Maggie and Benny uncover a conspiracy inside Quercus. The body of another Quercus employee is found before a dramatic confrontation leads to tragedy. In the end, Maggie is left with another mystery: Is her father’s other child still alive?
Roubenoff, who himself comes from the biomedical world, has crafted an intriguing, sometimes romantic (thanks to Maggie’s new boyfriend, Brad), and pulse-pounding thriller that explores the
intersection of medicine and corruption. The author masterfully integrates the jargon and acronyms that pervade the biotech culture, and his characters are well-drawn and largely sympathetic, if flawed. Roubenoff also does a good job of balancing the murder and ensuing investigation with the less pressing—but no less engaging—subplots involving Maggie’s family and her love life. It all adds up to a compelling suspense yarn that’s easy to follow and will have readers guessing until the final pages.

[Elle]

Working in the industry, this was interesting and appreciated. Captures biotech world well. Fun story. Decent pace (got a little slow 3/4 through then picked up again). Lost me at how Maggie got “hired”- just not plausible in an otherwise “trying to stay true to reality” type book. Would like to explore Benny’s and Maggie’s past more…. Could do without Brad- seemed unnecessary in a book with already a lot of characters. Nice debut. Looking forward to the author’s next one!

[Rose]

I discovered this through Read for Fun Book Club Seattle and was immediately hooked. The biotech setting feels authentic and refreshing. A short video trailer for this book would honestly pull in so many crime readers.

[Allcla Selfert]

Picked this up after our Read for Fun Book Club spotlight and loved the blend of investigation and moral tension. I kept visualizing scenes while reading. A quick video trailer would be perfect for this.

[Bryan]

I came across The Biotech Murders through Silent Book Club Toronto. It’s a gripping thriller that blends cutting-edge science with a fast-paced murder mystery, keeping me guessing until the end. The mix of biotech intrigue and suspense made it a hard book to put down.

[Lillian Kline]

As a member of Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society, I found The Biotech Murders gripping from the first chapter. The pacing and tension kept me fully invested and made our discussion incredibly lively.

[Fillp]

As a reader I could clearly picture scenes playing out visually. Members of Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society agreed that a cinematic trailer could really help this book reach an even wider audience.

[Lauren]

Lots of threads woven together in this little thriller - biotech, long lost family, good food references in Cambridge, evil HR lady and more. Agree with another commenter that this would make a nice Netflix/streaming series.

[Sabina Nawaz]

A page turning thriller well developed with the author's knowledge of biotech and the greater Boston area. Roubenoff's vivid descriptions balanced with well-developed characters transported me back to my days in the area though I hope I wasn't in the vicinity of some of this book's characters!

[Scott Orencole]

Engrossing storyline- reinforces the adage, "write what you know". Looking forward to more!!

[Bella Monroe]

I joined the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club recently, and this was my first read with them. Amazing start

[Sandy]

One of our members picked this for the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, and I’m glad they did. Such a great read

[Ivy Scott]

From a Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club reader: Fantastic story, engaging from start to finish. Highly recommended.

[Ben M]

I discovered this through the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club. Completely worth it, the story pulled me in right away

[Bridget]

Several of us in the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club finished this faster than expected. Couldn’t put it down

[Simran]

I’m part of the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, and this was one of our most enjoyable picks lately

[Clarke]

A club member said this would be “a ride,” and they weren’t kidding. Loved the energy.

[Ari Gibbs]

I discovered this through the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club. Completely worth it the story pulled me in right away

[Sophie Robert!]

Read this with the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, and it quickly became one of our favorite picks this month

[Andrea!]

Read this with the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, and it quickly became one of our favorite picks this month

[Alexis Seattle]

I’m a member of the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club, and this book sparked such an exciting discussion for us

[Juliet!]

Several of us in the Charlotte Sci-Fi Book Club flew through this story, totally gripping!

[Alice]

Read this as part of our book club and was pleasantly surprised by how personal the stakes became. The sibling relationship added real depth.

[Ava Richardson]

Our Read for Fun Book Club discussion brought out how layered the characters are, especially Maggie. She feels grounded and believable.

[Ruby Stevens]

This is smart crime fiction. The science never feels forced, and the family history adds real weight. Our book club kept saying this story would shine in a short cinematic trailer.