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The Clot Thickens: The enduring mystery of heart disease Paperback – November 2, 2021
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“Malcolm Kendrick's masterly survey of the enduring mystery of heart disease reads like a detective story. With great verve he marshals the evidence for the two main contending theories, exonerates the presumed suspect and makes a formidable case for thrombogenesis (blood clotting) as the perpetrator. Witty, provocative and entertaining, 'The Clot Thickens' packs a powerful scientific punch. Highly recommended.”
Dr James Le Fanu
Doctor, journalist, author of ‘The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine.’
“Malcolm Kendrick's new book brings to mind the quote from Thomas Huxley when he first learned of Darwin's theory of evolution: ‘how extremely stupid (of me) not to have thought of that’. What Kendrick presents is nothing less than a unifying theory of heart disease, that explains why everything from sickle cell disease to diabetes to a stressful lifestyle increases cardiovascular risk (and he does it with a large dollop of humour). After decades stuck in the blind alley that is the LDL hypothesis, this book is a revelation. It should be read by anyone with even a slight interest in understanding heart disease and what they can do to protect themselves from it.”
Dr Sebastian Rushworth
M.D. Sweden
This is a 150-year detective story with a cast of unrecognised heroes who may, finally, become known for their work on the true causes of heart disease. Exploring the truth about cholesterol - the apparently tried, and convicted, cause of millions of deaths from heart disease - with billions spent each year on lowering cholesterol with diet and drugs.
Is it possible that our villain was simply left holding the gun whilst the true culprits ran and hid? Have they escaped our clutches?
Dr Kendrick also introduces us to a range of other lesser known characters in this tale of selective reporting, data manipulation and intrigue. The true story of heart disease is out there, and the evidence has been brought together here - a scientific mystery for our time that is ready to unfold.
- Print length332 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 2, 2021
- Dimensions6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101907797769
- ISBN-13978-1907797767
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Product details
- Publisher : Columbus Publishing Ltd
- Publication date : November 2, 2021
- Language : English
- Print length : 332 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1907797769
- ISBN-13 : 978-1907797767
- Item Weight : 3.53 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #27,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Cardiovascular Diseases (Books)
- #8 in Cardiology (Books)
- #14 in Heart Disease (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book well-researched and easy to understand, presenting an alternative theory of cardiovascular disease while exploring numerous risk factors. The writing style is entertaining and wittily presented, with customers appreciating its compelling hypothesis and practical advice. They value the book's credibility, with one customer specifically praising the author's clear explanation of the thrombogenic hypothesis.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book provides excellent and well-researched information, with one customer noting how it ties together various aspects of the topic.
"...Very enjoyable read. More importantly, a very informative read. Information to your benefit. Clear, concise, and a sprinkling of humor...." Read more
"...Both were wittily written, well researched, and enjoyable to read. Of course, the information conveyed are dead serious...." Read more
"...has hit the sweet spot with a book that is well-presented facts and research spiced with dry humour...." Read more
"...Still, The Clot Thickens does have good information on the role of diabetes, smoking, and other risk factors which do seem to be universally..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read, particularly appreciating how it explains complex topics in an engaging manner.
"...If you're open minded and skeptical about mainstream medicine it's worth reading." Read more
"I never leave book reviews. This book was so fascinating and entertaining that I had to give it a review...." Read more
"...are into this, not much news in it, but very well written and easy to understand. I really like the author. The narrator is very good on Audible." Read more
"...Information to your benefit. Clear, concise, and a sprinkling of humor. Do yourself a favor, read this book!" Read more
Customers find the book highly informative about heart disease, presenting an alternative theory and exploring dozens of cardiovascular risk factors, including the real causes of heart attacks.
"...Clarifies a lot of terminology and physiology...." Read more
"...Very reassuring to find my actions align with your suggestions for the most part, and to have the reasons why clearly articulated - some things I..." Read more
"...Useful for anyone trying to understand what is important to good heart health and how to give your body the best chance to improve it without..." Read more
"...many books on this subject I find this one to expertly explain the many causes of heart disease and found it very educational. Highly Recommend" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's humor, noting its witty and sarcastic tone, with one customer highlighting how the author explains complex topics in an entertaining manner.
"...He is the absolute KING of wry wit and sarcasm -- his blog is massive proof of this, as are all of his books, including this newest one...." Read more
"Great info, well written, funny and fascinating...." Read more
"Great book, engaging, funny at times, easy to understand...." Read more
"...Information to your benefit. Clear, concise, and a sprinkling of humor. Do yourself a favor, read this book!" Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it witty and entertaining, with one customer noting how it explains complex medical processes in an accessible way.
"This was very well written and an easy book to read for a layman. I learned a lot. Have recommended it to many people." Read more
"...I am still smiling and happy that he is truly an engaging writer!" Read more
"...I must admit his writing style is fun with just the right amount of snark...." Read more
"Dr. Kendrick is an excellent writer and does make complex biochemical systems understandable...." Read more
Customers find the book provides valuable practical advice and is educational, with several noting it is a must-read for cardiologists.
"...There is also a very respectable section with practical suggestions for reducing the risk of developing heart disease , diabetes, hypertension etc..." Read more
"...heart disease is rightly described for the first time and with sound advice. However, it’s not the most entertaining reading...." Read more
"...It was enlightening and disturbing to learn of the obstruction and obfuscations from Big Pharma, Big Government and Big Research...." Read more
"...He gives great advice, but it's contrary to the advice and practice of many (most) in the medical field...." Read more
Customers appreciate the plot of the book, finding it a compelling hypothesis that moves the narrative along at a good clip, with one customer noting it takes the side of the low-carb argument.
"I loved this. Like a detective novel, I couldn’t wait to get to the end. The writer is funny and knows his stuff...." Read more
"Reading this book was like reading a Nelson DeMille book. The story is good but the sarcastic wit even better." Read more
"...The theory is intriguing. I know its the message, not the delivery system that counts. But in this case, the messenger should be shot...." Read more
"...This book gives an alternative, very compelling hypothesis for the primary cause of heart disease, that answers all these questions, and many more...." Read more
Customers find the book credible, with one customer specifically praising the author's clear explanation of the thrombogenic hypothesis.
"...: he takes decades of scattered evidence, discarded insights, and paradoxes, and weaves them into a cohesive theory of cardiovascular disease...." Read more
"Facts are truth. Big pharma & the medical conglomerate have become so greedy that truth no longer has any meaning to them...." Read more
"Enjoyed your humor, believe the science and hate the villains in white coats that have chosen profits over truth...." Read more
"heretical theory overthrows ascvd stronghold..." Read more
Reviews with images
This book will save your life!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis is a very informative book for anyone interested in learning about health and cardiovascular disease. He spells out why his belief that CVD derived from blood clots is true. Though he does not go into all the mechanisms, this is a relatively easy read. He goes through his reasoning about how this version of CVD pathogenesis is more correct than the prevailing mainstream model of CVD. However, he does not go into all the details as to why this occurs nor does he go into all the ways it can be prevented or treated. However, I think this book is an important resource for those who want the truth about health.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseDr. Malcolm Kendrick deserves to be remembered not only as a physician but as one of the few true scientists of our time. In this remarkable book, he does what the so-called experts and elites never managed: he takes decades of scattered evidence, discarded insights, and paradoxes, and weaves them into a cohesive theory of cardiovascular disease.
What struck me most is not just the brilliance of his thrombogenic model, but his method. Kendrick never tried to defend a dogma. He did the opposite — he spent years actively searching for the “black swan,” the contradiction that would disprove his theory. That is the essence of real science. And yet, everything fits. Smoking, diabetes, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, even psychological stress — each risk factor aligns with a single underlying process: endothelial injury, clot formation, and repair.
By contrast, the cholesterol hypothesis has been riddled with contradictions for decades — more black swans than white ones — yet it still dominates medicine. Kendrick shows why this is not science but inertia.
This book is more than a theory of atherosclerosis. It is a lesson in intellectual honesty, persistence, and courage. A humble Scottish GP has done what entire institutions failed to do: move our understanding a step closer to the truth.
If you care about heart disease, or about how science should truly be practiced, you must read this book. It is both brilliant and profoundly important
- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseOne should exercise caution, when reading this book. You may learn things. Things that can change the course of your life; for the better.
Very enjoyable read. More importantly, a very informative read.
Information to your benefit.
Clear, concise, and a sprinkling of humor. Do yourself a favor, read this book!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseWant to know how the whole process on why arterial sclerosis happens?
It's not caused by "high cholesterol".
As we may know, cholesterol is a necessary component in the human body as it's performs many functions to keep the mechanics of our body working right.
In addition, there are many different components of cholesterol, High density, low density, very low density, buoyant, and more, and the breakdown helps us to understand that it's really not how much cholesterol is in the body, but the "inflammation" process that starts arterial injury with the repair process following that can turn into an arterial plaque or clots.
The author's teaching process has a fair amount of satire to make understanding the whole process fun and easy in addition to explaining how arterial plaques build up, what are the real causes, and, how to prevent it from happening.
Moving on, he explains how
statin drugs can reduce the amount of cholesterol your body makes, but it also how it hinders some important physiological processes that your body should be doing.
After reading this book, you may find yourself asking a few questions about your diet, lifestyle and medications that you have been using.
A very informative read to say the least.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2021Format: KindleVerified PurchaseOverall this book is very interesting. The author, a doctor, definitely has other ideas about heart issues, cholesterol and medications than mainstream doctors. He gives great advice, but it's contrary to the advice and practice of many (most) in the medical field. He has a good sense of humor, but at times it was a bit aggravating too. I'm quite sure that a lot of the current medical practitioners wouldn't appreciate or endorse his research and ideas. If you believe your medical provider is right up there with God, don't buy the book. If you're open minded and skeptical about mainstream medicine it's worth reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2024Format: KindleVerified PurchaseDr. Kendrick’s other book, The Great Cholesterol Con, led me to this book. Both were wittily written, well researched, and enjoyable to read. Of course, the information conveyed are dead serious. My recently blood work showed cholesterol reading of 210 and LDL reading of 130. My doctor quickly prescribed simvastatin for A YEAR. That led me to the first book. After reading both books, I tossed away the prescription and happily moved on with my life. I believe both my cholesterol and LDL readings are just fine. Thank you very much. Dr. Kendrick. If you have a similar cholesterol reading as mine and received an statin order from your doctor, read these books first before taking any action.
Top reviews from other countries
DrzeebiotechReviewed in India on April 9, 20255.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis book gives you detailed deep dive into the genesis of atherosclerosis. This is a must read for those who want to understand the genesis of plaques.
Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on March 31, 20255.0 out of 5 stars Great resource
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseExcellent book. Great info in regards to heart health and the outdated info we’ve been told. Written with a cheeky British humour which made it enjoyable to read as well as being such great info.
Bernard BelReviewed in France on September 30, 20245.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseAn excellent book, very well documented, in a language that is accessible to non-native readers. And the author has an amazing sense of humour!
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AdamReviewed in Poland on April 23, 20245.0 out of 5 stars Kiedy szukasz odpowiedzi
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseTrafiłem na tą książkę przez przypadek pod jednym z filmów na YT. Autor w bardzo ciekawy i prosty sposób dzieli się doświadczeniem swojego życia na jakże ważny temat jakim są przyczyny chorób układu krążenia. Po jej przeczytaniu jeszcze bardziej boli świadomość jak jesteśmy oszukiwani przez lobby farmaceutyczne oraz lekarzy, którzy zamiast pomagać pacjentom mam wrażenie pomagają zarobić odpowiednim firmom.
Warto przeczytać i zrozumieć.
Kindle CustomerReviewed in Australia on April 30, 20255.0 out of 5 stars Clear explanation. Wonderful book.
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseIt is the best book explaining CVD. The author uses his professional expertise to challenge the mainstream medical advocates, providing plenty of evidence.










