The Gulf by Mike Richards

In the early 60s, a young journalist travels from the UK to The Arabian/Persian Gulf at the request of his editor and mentor.

He finds an atavistic society more corrupt than he had ever imagined.

He meets with woman such as Temptress, and enters the belly of the whale when he tries as honestly as possible to write the first rough draft of history, no matter what the cost.

He returns to the UK armed with a book that will change society for the better-but he is too late.

It’s all about the greed for oil. It spans the 40 years from the formation of OPEC, and the consequent fivefold increase in the price of crude oil that enabled the development of the region from a neglected backwater of the British Empire into a glittering modern geo-political arena of international significance awash with billions of petrodollars- and blood.

Like Isherwood’s Berlin Stories it is a series of snapshots highlighting dramatic events featuring strong but flawed characters as they try to cope in a rapidly changing world.

This book is the first of a planned trilogy.

Available from most major online booksellers including Waterstones,WH Smith and TheBookDepository.com

Book Review By Gabrielle Devon