Crude
by Mike Bond
Pub Date: Jul 01 2024

Crude is a political story about the oil industry by author Mike Bond. I have to admit it is not my genre of books I choose to read, it starts with the explosion of a platform. The ramifications of war, sanctions. Stocks, loans, leases and news articles are the majority of issues written in the book. If this is something you would be interested in reading I would definitely recommend it. It's not something I myself am interested in reading as I see way too much of this on the news now. I will say the author did an excellent job researching his information.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #AuthorBuzz for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

I liked the pace of the book and the situation of a company being harassed by the government and competitors (I got strong "Tai-Pan" reminiscences).

I disliked the right-wing tract pandering conspiracy theories from real world, with barely veiled references to US politics, Ukraine war and COVID-19 origin debate. While I'm pretty flexible in accommodating fictional motivations, this one isn't subtle at all. Pity.

The whole submarine story and the rig survivor are stretching the suspension of disbelief to Dan Brown-esque levels.

This Could Actually Happen In Today’s World

An ocean oil drilling rig is sabotaged, causing it to explode and kill everyone on board except one woman. An oil and gas refinery in Montana blows up, killing all but one worker. Both of these are owned by Rawhide Energy, a successful oil company that has a spotless safety record. The owner of Rawhide, Ross Bullock, has made someone unhappy and they are planning to destroy his company.

Although a bit far-fetched at times, this novel puts forth a scenario that is very believable in today’s partisan political climate. False headlines, compromised politicians, and media darlings hammer away at Rawhide’s credibility day after day. Ross, though, is a fighter and he has loyal companions who are willing to do whatever it takes to find the truth and save the company. It’s a story that could be taken from today’s headlines. I enjoyed every page of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Mike Bond for an advance copy of Crude. This is my honest review.

This is an incredibly written book, fast paced from the beginning, Enlightening and enthralling.
A MUST read in my opinion! Order this one ASAP!

First time I read thus Author and wow , his story literally made me realize that alot of the stuff he was written about could happen in real life.

“Crude” by Mike Bond may be fiction but it feels and reads like non- fiction. How much does the average person know about what is really going on in the government - ours and others? What happens if reporters and newspapers and other news sources no longer care about the truth and can be bought by politicians and big business. This is a story about what could happen when we no longer pay attention and don’t hold our leaders to account for their actions and don’t stand up for the ideals on which our country was founded. Mike Bond makes you pay attention!

Wow!! This could be an expose on today's corrupt congressmen from the President on down. Realistic scenarios with a lunatic President who wants to start WWWIII. All shenanigans over billions of dollars of profit from crude oil. Mr. Bond seems to have the inside story! Recommended reading

Very standard thriller style of writing, I gave up after a couple of chapters. It starts with a description of a diver planting explosives on an oil rig (ecoterrorism), and on the way he has an encounter with a shark. Just completely over the top and unnecessary, plus not very accurate on shark behaviour. The explosion itself was described for maximum shock value, not my cup of tea! Then we get a long polemic on the dangers on how the Ukraine invasion was precipitated by the actions of the US and EU in the years preceding it. I actually think there's a pretty good argument for that, but what's it doing in a thriller about ecoterrorism? I've no desire to find out!

I am unable to finish this book. The first one I've given up on. The characters are not relatable or even interesting to me. I don't care for the premise of the novel and I just felt constantly confused about who was who. Usually I love thrillers no matter how complicated but not this one. Sorry but just not for me.

Crude by Mike Bond is a fabulous story that had me hooked from the beginning.
The author drew me in to an action-packed thriller that wouldn't let go.
The heart pounding scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. This well-written story kept me engaged throughout the entire story.

I’m sorry, just didn’t work for me. Conservative crank conspiracy politics.

Wish the author well though. Much thanks for the opportunity to read & rate though.

"Crude" can refer to a lot of things. It could refer to the oil pumped out of the rig that gets sabotaged in the opening chapters of this book. It could refer to the way the book's billionaire oil magnet/Elon Musk type protagonist views those who don't share his vision of how to save the world. Or it could be a reference to the author's own politics and writing style, which are so awful it feels like he's never read a novel himself and never given any critical thought to the issues he's chosen to engage with in his book. I do not give one star lightly! It's not because I don't share the author's politics or worldview, but because he has no understanding of character interaction, no idea how large companies are run, a conspiracists view of the media and a total lack of understanding on how the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution works. Or how the DEFCON system works for that matter. Or how people speak to each other. Or any critical thinking skills. Or how to properly end his book!

This is a harsh review because I don't want anyone to have to pay even the $0.99 to read this tripe. Please, please find other aspiring author's to give your attention to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy. P

A political thriller that read more like a MAGA novel. I couldn't get past that feeling of ick throughout this book. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

This is my first Mike Bond book and it was an experience! Parts of it I really enjoyed and other times I was really scared. Parts of it were too lifelike.

An interesting and political take on a possible path of the future. Although it seemed like it was definitely geared against the democratic party, I found it to be more of a story against big government no matter which party is in charge. The story is fast paced and has a lot of information being thrown at the reader so one must pay attention to what is happening. The main premise is a David vs Goliath type story - pitting one man and his company against big government. Not a bad read, and one that is sure to polarize the readers - you will either enjoy it or hate it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is straight out of today’s headlines! It begins with an American drilling rig blowing up in the south China Sea killing all on board except the geologist, then onward to Montana and an explosion of an oil and gas refinery killing all but one worker. Both are owned by Rawhide Energy who has been in business for 50 years and has never had any safety violations. From the Middle East to China, Russia, England and Washington, DC, 4 people are running for their lives trying to prove that both accidents were sabotage. This book may be fiction, but I’m sure there are plenty of facts or similarities to what is happening in our world today. I will tell you my eyes have been opened and I am disturbed and even disgusted even more with the current political views and the New York Times. It’s a very intense read!

This thriller had potential but got bogged down in political rants that overshadowed the plot. It felt more like a commentary on current events than a cohesive story, which was pretty disappointing.

After nine years and eight books, I'm starting to understand Mike Bond a little. A true contrarian and unconventional thinker, Bond consistently views the world from a different perspective, which contributes to his distinctiveness. He is drawn to characters who are solitary heroes with a clear, balanced outlook, often pitted against malevolent global conspiracies. This theme is particularly prominent in "Crude." The main character, Ross Bullock, who owns and operates Rawhide Energy—a major global energy firm started by his parents in Montana—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. It's a compelling narrative that resonates with our current era. And as Ross asserts, "The powerful are only powerful because we allow it."

It's been a long time since I've stopped reading a book because of the blatant crap being spewed. It's sad that it's obviously MAGA agenda pushing lies that are disproven by actual facts. And it also grossly distorts other facts in typical MAGA fashion.

There was a lot of the story I was really enjoying that I tried to push through. Unfortunately it just got really bad. If the story was rewritten to focus on the fiction rather than the distorted view of recent political events, it would be a worthwhile read.

The action was incredibly riveting and the characters extremely well defined.
Someone is trying to destroy Rawhide , a billion dollar world wide global company with
refineries and cutting edge oil production plants around the world.
Suspenseful.
But very political.
Too political for me.
I knew the content would be so but did not expect it to be as over the top, in my opinion, as it was.
I have liked several of his other books very much but this was just too much.
The story could have been told without the constant and much too repetitive political hammer to the head.