I really hoped I was going to love this :(

Reading "Artifacts" felt like I was standing behind a high fence, knowing something thrilling and interesting was going on at the other side—and sometimes I did catch glimpses of that but most of the time I had no idea what was going on. Honestly. No idea. What was the main plot about? Couldn't tell you. Something about artifacts and I think the mafia was also involved and some unresolved childhood trauma definitely played a part in it.

All of this should be the perfect mix for an exciting thriller, but I was just so bored the entire time. Whenever the (for me most interesting) topic of museums and their link to organised crime came up, it was handled like ticking of a checklist of "sentences that need to be said in a conversation about that topic" but it didn't feel very developed. The characters felt flat (especially the main character), the dual timeline wasn't compellingly presented, and I have the nagging suspicion that the protagonist also had no clue what was going on until the big dialog-that-reveals-everything in the last (chunky) chapter.

It didn't help that the lingo felt very exclusionary to me, someone who has never watched a law-show or knows anything about archaeology. My basic knowledge about ancient Rome and Greece only helped marginally, which also diminished my enjoyment by a lot.

A fascinating and very detailed recount of the rise and fall of "Theranos", a Silicon Valley-unicorn that turned out to be a boneless scam instead of the revolution in healthcare that CEO Elizabeth Holmes promised it would be.

The case itself is a frustrating and rage-inducing one, showcasing all too well that rich people really do destroy the world and that capitalism is at the scene of the crime every time (surprise). While listening to the audiobook, I felt inclined to slam my head into a pillow many times; in light of the sheer stupidity these ultra capitalists regularly paraded around.

The book itself was very well researched. In a few instances, I think the author went into a little too much detail (recounting places minor characters had visited or giving background information with no relevance to the actual story), which made it difficult to follow the already densely presented facts. This made me lose focus more than once and I can imagine that it could make this book a little difficult to stick to for people who are not the biggest non-fiction readers. For everyone, but especially for those readers, I'd recommend the audiobook!