Make It Stop: A Novel

Published April 25, 2023 by Rare Bird.
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A speculative tale of dysfunctional vigilantes and corporate healthcare run amok from the best-selling chronicler of LA punk Jim Ruland. 

Scores of detox and rehab centers across Southern California have adopted a controversial new conditional release policy that forces patients to stay until they pay their bills. And if they can’t pay? They don’t leave.

Enter: Make It Stop, a group of highly skilled recovering addicts dedicated to rescuing those trapped in these prison hospitals by posing as patients and getting them out by any means necessary. But when one of their top ops,gets killed on assignment, Melanie Marsh and her crew set out to avenge his death and unravel an unthinkable medical conspiracy that threatens to destroy the organization and cripple the city with a dangerous new drug. Melanie may be LA’s best hope but if, and only if, she can stay sober.

From decrepit rehab wards to beachside punk clubs, Make It Stop takes readers into LA’s darkest corners, exploring sobriety, sanity, and a society hell-bent on profiting off those who need its help the most.

PRAISE FOR MAKE IT STOP

“A bare knuckle, punk rock fever dream about American health care.”—Joshua Mohr, author of Model Citizen

“What starts as a compulsively readable futuristic thriller subtly turns into a character story about a woman finding herself, and finding meaning, in a deeply flawed world. Do not pass this book up; read it today.” —Sara Gran

“A scathing indictment of the rehab industrial complex, Jim Ruland’s Make It Stop is an intoxicating cocktail of crime and conspiracy, set to a SoCal punk soundtrack. A neo noir thriller I found impossible to put down, or forget.”—Elizabeth Hand

Make It Stop is a zany, heartfelt, hold-on-to-your-butts rollercoaster about vigilantism and sobriety and what happens when the institutions of healing are also happy to kill you. Welcome to Jim Ruland’s too believable near future of debtors’ hospitals and private police. Capitalism: it’s one hell of a drug.”—Steph Cha

“A punk rock thrill ride.” —Francesca Lia Block

PRESS

Los Angeles Times
“Everyone knows that healthcare in this country is broken, but no one has written a ripping crime thriller about it, until now. In ‘Make It Stop’ Jim Ruland takes his readers on an adrenalized thrill ride set in the near-distant future that in fact has a lot to say about our present health-industrial complex and its voracious appetite for profit at the expense of public welfare.”

Orange County Register
“Jim Ruland shifts from punk rock reality to sober vigilantes in ‘Make It Stop.’”

The Pensive Quill
“Infused with the anger and positivity that punk rock can offer, Make It Stop is both an excellent comic book style romp and a frightening look at what, potentially, lies ahead.”

Blood & Whiskey
“Great characters with messy backgrounds. Sharp, no-fuss prose. A steady pace. Funny without trying too hard. Loved it.”

KPBS Editor’s Pick
“A speculative look at a dysfunctional capitalist healthcare system and the underdogs, vigilantes and avengers who are (messily) trying to upturn the status quo. Ruland’s writing is a compelling mix of page turner thriller, humor and cerebral, wry insight into the darker corners of the human condition.” Tobias Carroll

Vol. 1 Brooklyn: Books of the Month April 2023
“Whether he’s recounting punk history or telling a harrowing tale of a haunted casino, Ruland’s work immerses you in a specific place and time. Make It Stop heads into speculative territory, with a near-future setting in which the costs of going to rehab or a detox center have taken on a surreal increase — and a secret society rises up to push back against it.” Julia Dixon Evans

PODCASTS & MEDIA

Vol. 1 Brooklyn (Interview)
Bookin’ with Jason Jeffries (Podcast)
Los Angeles Review of Books (Interview)
Largehearted Boy (Playlist)
Emo Brown (YouTube)
Spark (Podcast)