Review: Nice Read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2014
Title:  Oil & CorruptionAuthor:  Gareth FloodReviewer:  George ShadowSummary:A Russian politician and high level Western Oil Executive have been assassinated within minutes of each other. Their murders become inadvertently linked through the everyday work of an oil analyst, Jonathan Marshall. A leak of Jonathan’s work causes consternation at the highest levels of Governments, business and beyond, sparking deployment of assassins and agents to silence the source and prevent the uncovering of global corruption in the oil industry. With his life in danger, Jonathan battles to discover the truth and stay alive . . .Social/Historical Context:Oil and corruption go together in this our world, so it is no surprise that books dealing with the two keep crossing the finished products line. However, there is something about this one, believe me. Just as in the real world, the number of sleazy characters running amok in the pages of Gareth Flood’s high-end conspiracy novel is staggering. Moreover, they are all serving someone for what they could get from the industry, just as in the real world.Book Cover & Formatting:The cover says all there is to be said about big oil and the countries that benefit. Many companies are willing to kill if it comes to this as long as their interests are safeguarded, and the figures on the cover address this known fact as well. The mask and the bullet are poignant reminders of this truth, and the US flag fluttering behind Big Ben is another reminder of who runs the global oil industry today. The book’s interior formatting is also good (from the kindle book I read) and the author must be commended for such a nice work. The interplay of colors (white and cream) in the formatted words hints at his decorative abilities, which is seldom seen in eBooks nowadays.Writing Style:Written in the third person, this story is action-packed. It begins with a bizarre game of will, but then the author really needs to do more editing. The opening pages could be better and the typos in these pages are just not necessary. They spoil the story for me, even though the dialogue is commanding and the characters are fully developed. The twist at the ending is also commendable, but then the author must edit again. I cannot stress this enough.My Thoughts:Nice read, despite the editing issue.George Shadow is the author of THE BLACK BOOK.