Book of the year? Maybe. Certainly one of the best.
John Carreyrou’s riveting account of the Theranos scandal reads like a thriller. Only if this was fiction, you might question the plausibility of such duplicity and malevolence. The fact this happened — that Stanford dropout Elizabeth Holmes got away with so much, for so long — is astounding. The mere fact she convinced people like Kissinger and Murdoch to invest too is insane.
Not familiar with Theranos? Neither was I, really. It was on the periphery of my memory. Basically, it was a multibillion dollar biotech startup that promised to revolutionise the medical industry. What it actually did was deceive investors and retail partners, and endanger the health of patients who utilised its technology. Pretty reprehensible stuff.
Carreyrou recounts the rise and fall of Theranos with incredible tempo. The narrative pulsates; the pages demand turning, one unbelievable what the f*ck?! moment leading to the next. Bad Blood is as riveting as any novel; a masterful untangling of unbelievable corruption.
ISBN: 9781509868070
Format: Paperback / softback (234mm x 154mm x 27mm)
Pages: 320
Imprint: Picador
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publish Date: 29-May-2018
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Simon McDonald 
I’m pretty sure this will end up being one of my top nonfiction reads for the year too! It really was engaging and nearly unbelievable story. Because I work in biotech, I had followed the story in the news, but this was a much better look at the people side of the story than in any of the articles I read.