Snake Oil

“A brisk and fun thriller… This is a novel with a lively, churning plot, about which nothing more can be said without revealing its deftly constructed twists. Blending soap-operatic thrills and boardroom intrigue, Snake Oil is consistently satisfying, a reminder that it might be intoxicating to watch bubbles grow, but it’s always more memorable when they burst.” — San Francisco Chronicle

A razor-sharp corporate thriller about three women vying for power at a Silicon Valley wellness startup, where the cost of ambition might be deadly

One woman’s elixir is another woman’s poison

Rhoda West is Silicon Valley’s favorite female CEO: the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing startup Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Rhoda’s Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical’s secretive lab.

Dani Lang is a “quester,” as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself.

Cecelia Cole is a “quasher.” She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda’s smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows that the remedies Rhoda sells can’t cure real sickness.

Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the startup. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity?

Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a suspicious death, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder to what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company.

Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of startup culture, Snake Oil is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shining a revealing light on the wellness world.

Kelsey Rae Dimberg is the author of Girl in the Rearview Mirror. She received an MFA from the University of San Francisco. Before writing novels, she wrote copy for startups like Google and Groupon. She lives in Chicago.