Bad Blood

Why I'd hand it to you

John Carreyrou, a Wall Street Journal reporter, tells how Elizabeth Holmes built Theranos into a hugely valued company on the promise of blood tests from a finger prick, and how the technology never worked as claimed. It is a tense story of deception, pressure on employees and powerful investors who never asked hard questions. Holmes was later convicted of fraud. Know that if you have seen the documentaries or the TV series, much of the story will be familiar, and the book focuses more on events than on Holmes's inner life. It is a cautionary tale about hype and accountability.

— Matt Jordan