Dr Malcolm Kendrick has been researching cardiovascular disease (CVD) for decades. He has long been critical of the cholesterol hypothesis, and wrote two books, The Great Cholesterol Con and A Statin Nation to outline why cholesterol does not cause CVD, and statins are not the answer to reducing risk. But he did not really know what did cause it. A chance discussion with the sadly departed Professor Paul Rosch triggered a completely new approach.  ‘Don’t look for causes, look at the process.’ This freed up Dr Kendrick’s thinking and set him on a journey in place and time. Starting in 1852, with Karl von Rokitansky in Vienna. And moving through those unsung heroes who have been this way before, tracking the Ghost in the Machine. In the end, the answer was surprisingly simple. CVD is a process, and once you understand that, you understand everything. This led to Dr Kendrick’s latest book. The Clot Thickens where he explains what the process is, what factors help to drive it, or slow it down and what you can do to reduce your risk.