Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat

Author Jeff Benedict's investigative account chronicles the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak that sickened 732 people across four Western states and killed four children, featuring Bill Marler as a central figure in America's pivotal food safety moment. Benedict conducted over 250 interviews and reviewed thousands of documents to capture how Marler's representation of victims—including young Brianne Kiner—resulted in Washington state's largest class action settlement and revolutionized meat industry safety standards. The book profiles Marler's "audacious and unconventional tactics" that challenged Jack in the Box and helped establish E. coli O157:H7 as a regulated adulterant. "The Jack in the Box outbreak is considered the meat industry's wake-up call," says Benedict. "As soon as hamburgers killed kids, everything changed."