Black October by Ralph L. Cates

From the Publisher

At present, world leaders are worried about the impending shortage of the world's oil supplies, the "Peak Oil" phenomenon. Black October is a tension filled and foreboding novel incorporating Peak Oil that will have readers on the edge of their seats. It will cause policymakers, intelligence analysts and military leaders throughout the world to rethink and intensify their efforts to protect vital oil supplies.

Ralph Cates is an astute analyst of international political and financial intrigue, one of the finest thriller writers to come along since Robert Ludlum and John Le Carre. He has woven stories he heard during his time in the Middle East into a spellbinding novel.

A former Texas businessman, Lionel Hunt, flees the United States to await the expiration of the Statute of Limitations on his convictions. He finds the easy road to wealth selling self-distilled whisky to Saudi royal family members. Among his business contacts, he is introduced to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Intelligence, Prince Mohammed al Rashid.

After the September Eleventh attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hunt finds himself in an excruciating predicament: incarcerated in an Arab prison near one of the world's harshest deserts.

At the same time in Afghanistan, former CIA Non-official Combatant (NOC) turned private contractor, Kurt Valdez, hunts top Al Qaeda leaders. After 9-11, he is assigned to find Osama bin Laden and his co-conspirators. This includes those among the Saudi royal family and Pakistani intelligence service (ISI). During his quest, Valdez crosses paths with a former Russian general turned arms dealer known as 'Rhino', whom he comes to believe has sold nuclear weapons to al Qaeda.

Filled with breathtaking turns of plot, Valdez finally joins forces with Prince al Rashid and Lionel Hunt to try to stop al Qaeda. The terrorists intend to destroy the Saudi's prolific eastern oil facilities, the jugular and lifeblood of the world's economies. Hunt's expertise in the oil industry earns him a pardon and makes him invaluable in the joint efforts.

The final mind-bending sequences will leave readers shocked and worried. Not only is the work timely and informative, it illuminates the most daunting challenges for political, intelligence, and military leaders in the post Peak Oil ear.

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