Crude by Mike Bond is a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller that explores the complex world of the global oil industry. When an explosion devastates Rawhide Energy’s offshore gas platform, CEO Ross Bullock must navigate a web of sabotage, political intrigue, and corporate battles to save his company. As investigations unfold and tensions rise, Bond delivers a tense, action-packed narrative set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and global power struggles.

What makes this book stand out is its blend of personal drama with broader geopolitical themes. Bond does a great job weaving the high-stakes world of oil, energy politics, and corporate maneuvering with deeply human struggles, creating a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. While the pace is relentless, the narrative offers a gripping glimpse into the power dynamics of the oil industry.

Crude is perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers and have an interest in the global implications of the energy sector. Although the book's rapid pace and expansive scope may be overwhelming for some, its engaging action and timely themes will appeal to fans of political and corporate thrillers.

I received this book as a pre-release through Netgalley, but it took me an entire month to read because it included many, too many complex international issues facing our nation. Given Mike Bond's work history and experience, he is an expert on international oil issues, it would have been better if he didn't stray from this, it would have been a 5 star read.

As you can see from people's ratings, if you rely on the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC or CNN, you won't be aware of anything the characters refer to, so don't bother reading, you will hate it. Given that the author was an international correspondent, he probably has cut through the issues which were covered up by the current administration and the news media, and isn't concerned about losing those readers.

On the other hand, this book covered a number of international issues that have not been addressed in the last four years, the situation in Ukraine and the proxy war we seem to be in against Russia, the situation between Israel and Hama/Hezbollah, the price of Crude, and terrorism against oil company operations. This needs to be addressed. If the new administration cannot do anything about these issue, there will be an all out World War III, which is why I believe the author included all these issues.

This is meant to be a fast-paced political thriller with a mystery at its core. It is a deep dive into the politics, corporatism, war and corruption that swirl around the oil industry. Indeed, Bond is knowledgeable in all of these areas and delivers on all counts. The plot is a whodunit on the sabotage of an oil platform in Asia and an oil rig in Wyoming. The protagonist, Ross Bullock, is a larger-than-life hero figure serving as the CEO of the targeted Rawhide Energy. This is one cool dude who is well connected, never seems to be flustered by all of the calamities he faces and does not suffer much angst about environmental degradation while making a comfortable living filling the air with carbon. Not unlike the rest of the large cast of characters who inhabit his world, Ross is a little too cartoonish to be believed as a real live person. Indeed, most of the other characters in the book either are unfailingly too good or irredeemably too bad. None are very nuanced.

The plot is sweeping and complex, involving granular detail on the stock market, sabotage, nuclear deterrence, crime, political intrigue, romance, etc. Unfortunately, Bond elects to follow several plotlines using brief vignettes (usually about a page or two). This builds tension and maintains a contemporaneous sense of the action but slows things down and presents challenges for the reader to keep track of the details in the various stories as they develop here and there in the narrative. Similarly, the settings shift all over the world, but the scenes are so brief that the reader acquires little of the flavor of any of these places.

Bond also mars the overall effect of his storytelling prowess by occasionally inserting his personal biases presenting unproven right wing conspiracy memes as proven facts, becoming a bit too didactic about the risks of nuclear war and devoting far too much space to the intricacies of stock market manipulation. This long book would have been improved by some judicious cutting.

This is an intense book based on current headlines and ideas. A potential nuclear war in Ukraine, global conspiracies, the self serving pathos of the ultra rich and oil mix together to form an explosive story. The protagonist is a owner of a rich oil company who refuses to honor the Russian boycott and seeks a middle ground in order to try to step away from the nearing nuclear war. His company begins to implode when an off shore oil drilling rig explodes in an act of sabotage

I found this book to be intense but lacking nuance and development of character and plot. It shouts the story line and plot in a staccato pattern which I found to be shallow and felt like the author was preaching to his audience. I stopped reading it as this was tedious and boring despite the book's intense nature..

Did not love this one as much as I thought I would. A bit too political for my tastes. Read like a good thriller movie in a way but I never connected to any of the characters.

First book I’ve read by this author. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Very fast paced and easy to read. It could be a bit over the top, but it was a fun read in the thriller genre.

MAGA will love this book.

The uber-wrought details about stock prices for an oil company… who cares.

The “Doomsday” plot drew me in, but this was no “Scott Harvath” type adventure. It was just hundreds of pages of MAGA-porn.

If you like that, fine. For me.. no bueno.

There was definitely the hint of a really good book in there - action, adventure... but also, just lots of yelling!

PS. Thanks for sharing, NetGalley. I really do generally like these types of books - I'm no raving liberal. I appreciate the effort, but it was definitely a bit over the top, even for me.

A work of fiction that could double as history. Many events are in the news daily but they are tied in with an exceptional fictional story. Two,thumbs-up!

Mike Bond takes us on a journey through the world of oil, business, and its effect on the global warfare and economies. Someone sabatoges an oil well and several must sort out the clues to even find out how it was done, then "who done it". In today's world full of intrique, international wealth, power and control, one must not forget the dangers and darkness that lurks in businesses like oil. Mike Bond's book is an excellent account of what could happen. A must read for those who enjoy the drama in today's volatile world.

I was mainly here for the dramatic corporate espionage and the businessman with the big ideas standing strong again the government that’s trying to screw him over… until he said Elon Musk is a wise man. I wasn’t going to let the MAGA conspiracy theories and revisionist history keep me from finishing because it’s important to read from a variety of viewpoints and I thought it would be good fodder for discussion with my husband and friends. But if Ross thinks Elon is smart, I can’t believe any of this other theories and won’t waste my reading time seeing if he wins or gets silenced for being “truthfully”.

Ohh how I love a good geopolitical thriller! The good – no great – thing about books is you can argue about it, shut it, love it or share it. Sometimes books cut a little too close to home and current events. The oil market it cutthroat, complex, politically driven and fueled by money and power. In Crude, an explosion occurs at Rawhide Energy’s Indonesian Mahakam offshore gas platform in the Makassar Straight. Geologist Liz Chaplin is the only survivor. Shortly after, Rawhide’s Wyoming oil refinery is blown.

Ross Bullock owns and operates Rawhide Energy and he does NOT believe that these instances were an accident. Ross finds himself in peril after voicing concerns about a potential global nuclear war instigated by self-interested politicians and the military-industrial complex. Suddenly, he becomes a target of the very powers he criticized, who seek to neutralize or eliminate him.

This is a thriller rooted in politics, corruption, power and government. The very delicate balance to keep the world from reaching the point of a nuclear war is a fine line and a lot of people have their hands in the cookie jar. There are a lot of players and a lot of locations in this one. Do not let that deter you. If you want a book with issues that are a little too close to reality, tucked inside of the pages of a thriller, this is a must read.

"CRUDE" is a must-read for fans of political thrillers and anyone intrigued by the delicate balance of global power. Bond's storytelling prowess ensures that readers are left questioning the fragility of our world and the thin line between peace and annihilation.

This book reminds me a lot of the television show, Yellowstone. You have a powerful oil company (instead of a mega awesome sauce cattle ranch) that everyone is trying to screw over, including other oil companies & the government. A huge bias in the news reporting depicts the owner of the oil company in question as public enemy #1. Or is he?

The story is a combination of recent historical facts, current facts & fiction. The overall theme is mainly of the possibility nuclear war & the death of humanity. The author is pretty hard on the Left, pulling no punches in presenting facts & also creating fictional bad behavior. However, he doesn't hold back on the Right either. They get the same combination of actual facts & fiction. They just don't get hit as often. After all, this is a book about the government & mega corporations. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Very entertaining.

I read this courtesy NetGalley and Big City Press. In this thriller by Mike Bond, the world is on the edge of World War III. The US made a critical error in an ongoing battle in Eastern Europe and nuclear war is imminent. With reelection on the line, the president wants to distract the public. Considering everything that’s going on in the US at the moment, this story made me very wary because it seems to be too possible.
#Crude #NetGalley

I suffered through it. I couldn't really get into it. Too major action.. not enough subplot. Maybe if you really like action books you'll find this enjoyable. It was just not for me

Thank you for Netgalley for a copy.

This book was nothing short of AMAZING! I found myself thinking, "OMG, some of this is SO REAL; the actual premise could actually happen. " This is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat, page-turner that addresses real-life issues and gives you some real aha moments. Likable characters, those you love to love and love to hate, with characters that are easily identifiable in today's political arena—on top of that, the reader can hear these conversations happening in their mind while reading. Plenty of action at every level in this well-written novel that has a good ending and just plain sucks the reader in. I will say, there are a few places where the narrative is a bit run-on and boring, but I promise you, you'll get past it quickly.
I had never read any books by Mike Bond before this, but now I'll be sure to go back and read others.
Even if you've ever thought that political thrillers were not your cup of tea, I think this book will change your mind if you give it a shot. I was NEVER a fan until now.

This action-packed thriller starts with a sabotaged offshore oil platform off Indonesia that is just the beginnings of an oil company's woes. The company has taken an unpopular position that runs counter to the American policies. The author has an interesting point of view -- what if the US is more complicit in the world's wars and conflicts than we usually assume, and what if the bad actors aren't so easily identified? While the drumbeat of politics isn't too far from the book's narrative -- which gets a bit tiresome -- the characters have some well drawn moments and the action shifts all over the world, from NYC board meetings to wildcatter wells in the western US to plenty of overseas locations. There are lots of rough edges which detract from the story, which is why I didn't give this novel top marks, but if you are a fan of lots of hardware -- think Clancy -- and support the politics you will find the novel worth your while.

Thank you for this great read. Grabbed me from the beginning and kept me turning pages! Will look for more by this🧐l author.

CRUDE
Ukraine, Oil and Nuclear War

CRUDE is a geopolitical thriller based on current day events in the complex economic and political world of oil. An explosion occurs at Rawhide Energy’s Indonesian Mahakam offshore gas platform in the Makassar Straight. Geologist Liz Chaplin is the only survivor. Shortly after, Rawhide’s Wyoming oil refinery is blown.

Ross Bullock, CEO and owner of Rawhide Energy, has recently expressed his views on Russian sanctions and the continued war in Ukraine, which run contrary to those of the current US administration. And so begins the battle: faulty maintenance by Rawhide Energy or sabotage.

“Our platform’s destroyed with 131 people dead, our hydrocracker’s blown with 4 dead and another in the hospital, our refinery’s shut, the Indonesians are trying to steal our leases, the insurance pool’s accusing us of negligence, the banks are pulling our loans, people are breaking off negotiations on our new deals, social media’s screaming for boycotts, CNN and all those other assholes are spreading lies, everyone’s selling us short in every market, and EastPac’s trying to eat us alive. And you think it’s accidental?”

Investigations and charges from several regulatory agencies, foreign competition for oil drilling leases, and political pressure all threaten Rawhide’s very existence. With operations and offices in Jakarta, New York, and Wyoming, and other business dealings in London, Moscow, Sudan, Wuhan, and Mongolia, the story has a great international presence.

A little over the top, and a little hectic especially near the end, overall it was very entertaining and educational. Gives a good insight in the world of Crude.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Mike Bond, and Big City Press for the opportunity to read and review this book

This book has a gripping plot. It has a lot of characters but the unraveling of the plot kept me focused. It took me to the past, the present and a little scary what if future! Highly recommended.