A review by gregzimmerman
Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I picked this up on the advice of a bookstore colleague --  I love a good rock-throw at pseudoscience weirdos. 

This is a little like if The Circle and Gwenyth Paltrow's Goop had a love child. But a weird thing happens -- as the novel develops into a thriller/mystery, the author kind of asks us to root for the people we'd been making fun of before. 

It doesn't quite work and NO ONE learns a lesson. To me, corporate intrigue and office politics are about as interesting on the page as they are in real life -- which is to say not at all interesting. So this turned out to be not quite my jam, but it's a quick easy-to-read thriller with a lot of inside info about tech start-ups and San Francisco culture.