Review: The Railway Man

The Railway Man by Eric Lomax
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Moonlight Mile

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A splendid and a fabulous account of the demise of a much-touted tech start-up and its larger-than-life persona of its CEO. The book reads like a thriller and there is never a dull moment when you feel like putting away the book for a couple of days. The story is about the rise and fall of Theranos, the rising unicorn in Silicon Valley.

The author, a Wall Street Journal investigative reporter had first published the story in the reputed newpaper. He has meticulously collated the details and put together a very detailed account of how the CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her COO Sunny Balwani lied their way to the top, misleading their investors, customers, patients and the regulatory authorities to set up a multi-billion dollar enterprise which eventually collapsed like a pack of cards. At the end of this saga, I felt that Elizabeth Holmes was never lured by money but the thought of succeeding in a man's world to the extent that she disregarded to her moral conscience in pursuit of fame and success.

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Review: Separation of Power

Separation of Power by Vince Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Fifth Woman

The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My first Henning Mankell and I am not impressed. Whether I would read another Mankell ? Yes I would. Kurt Wallander is interesting considering that it is one the most popular Nordic detective around. The series shows some promise.

This book is set in cold and wet Sweden, as I am given to understand most of Mankell's books are. The hunt is on for a serial killer who is on a killing spree of old gentlemen. There were some characters or instances placed in the book which did not seem to have any connection to the ongoing plot and neither could I comprehend their role. The book started off smoothly with the tension building up, plots thicken leading to the elusive killer and finally the climax is sort of a slight letdown.

I took a long time to finish off this. But did I enjoy the book ? Yes. I will try one more Mankell given the choice.

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Review: Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The moment I saw this book on GR, I put it on my list. I was always intrigued by the growth of this terrorist organisation and its origins. This is a definitive and exhaustive account of the origins and rise of ISIS and its most famous leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and some background on his successor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The book also delves on the political scenario in the Middle East especially Jordan and its neighbouring countries, Syria and Iraq and how the ISIS laid its foundation in these countries exploiting the strife of the Shia-Sunni sects. Fantastically written and thoroughly engrossing.

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Review: Bottle of Lies : Ranbaxy and the Dark Side of Indian Pharma

Bottle of Lies : Ranbaxy and the Dark Side of Indian Pharma by Katherine Eban
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a long time I read a book that was captivating and enthralling right till the end. Katherine Eban has done full justice to her years of painstaking research on the pharma industry. This book has brought to light the various malpractices the pharma industry indulges in to pass the muster in FDA books and the key to US markets. The book highlights the lax drug controls in developing countries like India and China to manufacture generic versions of branded expensive drugs. It has detailed how Ranbaxy flouted good manufacturing practices and permeated a system of corruption and record manipulation in their company. It took a whistleblower like Dinesh Thakur to bring out the malpractices to the attention of FDA. To compound his problems, including living in constant fear for his family, the FDA also took its own time (around eight years) to finally take action against Ranbaxy. This was only because of a few officials' dogged persistence to pursue justice. The FDA is also not spared with questionable practices, high pressure lobbying by the US govt in cahoots with the drug industry and corrupt officials walking its corridors.

This book brings out the fact that poor, inferior quality drugs are pushed to African, Eastern European and South American countries where the drug controls are lax and corruption is more widespread. Kudos to the author, this book definitely is an eye-opener and a mindblowing read.

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