Book review: The Term Sheet

Book cover for The Term Sheet by Lucas Carlson

Goodreads tells me I’ve finished 29 books so far this year, but the pace has been very uneven. Some have been a slog that felt more like work. I almost gave up on one or two, which I rarely, if ever do. Others have been a breeze. Fortunately, my latest read, The Term Sheet by Lucas Carlson, fell into the breezy category. It took me less than a week start-to-finish, which is a good pace for me.

Even though I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with Amazon, the history it keeps is awesome. I purchased The Term Sheet in September 2016 through an Amazon Daily Deal. Like so many other books I’ve purchased that way, it languished on my reading list which is stuck at over 200 no matter how many books Goodreads tells me I’ve finished. Simply put, I have a problem adding more books to my list than I take off of it.

Anyhoo, getting back on topic, The Term Sheet categorizes itself as a Startup Thriller. It lives up to its billing. It revolves around a young entrepreneur who is looking for a way to strike it rich with his programming skills. When the jellyfish aquarium website he blows his life savings on doesn’t pan out as expected, his girlfriend and best friend encourage him to pursue a true startup focused on security and encryption.

Unlike jellyfish aquariums, users are very interested in his encryption business, and not all of them are upstanding citizens. When David is approached with a term sheet to buy his business, he feels like he’s made the big time. Unfortunately, things are never as they seem, and the offer sends David on a while ride through startup land that includes an appearance on a Shark Tank look-alike show, presentations to venture capitalists, and surprise visits from the Secret Service. Since I don’t like to give away spoilers, I’ll stop there.

Is The Term Sheet a book you must read? I wouldn’t go quite that far. It was a little too light on the technology side for me to place in that category. However, I would consider it a Fun Read. It’s well written, moves quickly, and engages you. It’s one of those books that gets hard to put down, henceforth why it took me less than a week to read. I’m sure you’ll have the same experience should it reach the top of your reading list.

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