Action/Thriller

732

BLACK OCTOBER is a fast-paced thriller that reveals how dependency on oil from the Middle East has caused the Western world to compromise its historical culture, democracy, and tradition. That dependency led to reciprocal agreements with, and support of undemocratic and repressive monarchies beholden to religious fundamentalists.

The story exposes the frightening susceptibilities of Saudi Arabia's oil supply and facilities to terrorist attacks. It asks the question, what would happen if a large portion of the supply was interrupted for an extended length of time?

Excerpt
Price to be revised World leaders are worried about the impending shortage of the world's oil supplies, the "Peak Oil" phenomenon.

Black October is a thriller incorporating Peak Oil that will stun readers. Policymakers, intelligence analysts and military leaders worldwide will intensify their efforts to protect oil facilities.

One of the finest thriller writers, Ralph Cates has woven experiences from his time in the Middle East into a novel. A former Texas businessman, Lionel Hunt, flees the United States to await the expiration of the Statute of Limitations on his convictions. He winds up selling self-distilled whiskey to Saudi royal family members. Among his business contacts, he is introduced to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Intelligence, Prince Mohammad al Rashid. After the September Eleventh attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hunt finds himself in an Arab prison near one of the worlds harshest deserts. At the same time in Afghanistan, former CIA Non-official Combatant (NOC), Kurt Valdez, hunts Al Qaeda leaders. After 9-11, he is assigned to find Osama bin Laden and his co-conspirators, including Saudi royal family members and Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) officers. Valdez eventually crosses paths with a former Russian general turned arms dealer. He suspects General Antonov, Rhino, sold nuclear weapons to terrorists.

Filled with breathtaking turns of plot, Valdez joins forces with Prince al Rashid, Lionel Hunt (pardoned because of his invaluable expertise in the oil industry), and SEALS to stop al Qaeda. The terrorists intend to destroy the Saudis prolific eastern oil facilities, the jugular and lifeblood of the world's economies.

The final mind-bending sequences will leave readers aghast. 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 era.