Charlotte Kostelecky and Stephanie Hershberger interact during story time at the Warsaw Community Public Library. Photo provided by WCPL.

By Melissa Chapman
Cataloging Supervisor

How does one take down a multi-billion-dollar company led by a CEO and her partner who tell lies and mistreat their employees? A company that takes millions of dollars under false pretenses from wealth investors. A corporation that puts the lives of their customers in jeopardy because the technology that they claim to have engineered does not exist nor is it FDA-approved or tested.

“Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup” by John Carreyrou exposed the company Theranos, with the help of sources who worked or were connected to the CEO, Elizabeth Holmes; and her partner, Sunny Balwani, of their secrecy and deception. The two designed a Potemkin village that fooled investors, as well as public figures and consumers. Without a trace of guilt or regret, Holmes influenced people of lucrative careers to come work for Theranos, knowing the whole thing would eventually collapse.

When skeptical board members asked to see data affirming the effectiveness of Theranos’ product, Holmes would defer, make excuses or divert them. Employees who dared to question the company or were deemed disloyal were abruptly fired.

“Bad Blood” is an alarming true story of a determined entrepreneur whose only goal was to become insanely rich and get there by any means. This is a tale of corporate greed and lack of regulatory oversight gone awry.

How does a psychopathic killer get away with murder? “Bone Deep: Untangling the Betsy Faria Murder Case” by Charles Bosworth Jr. takes readers through the perfect storm of inaccuracies and errors that led to an innocent man’s conviction—and tells the successful battle to have that conviction overturned. With Russ Farias’ (the accused’s) cooperation, this is the story of what happens when police, prosecutor, judge, and jury all fail in their duty to protect the innocent, and let a killer get away with murder. The twists seem never-ending.

The incompetence and ineptitude of a justice system that allows a murderer to kill repeatedly is unreal. It is a well-written, true account of one of the most bizarre murder cases ever. It’s an insight into a legal system that can go horribly wrong, if key investigators and prosecutors make inaccurate assumptions. “Bone Deep” is a cautionary tale that lets the reader know innocent people are sometimes found guilty and go to jail.

These two books are currently available at Warsaw Community Public Library.