Taking a look at recent headlines, The Gambit by Gary Nunnally, is a perfect fit. Oil prices soar then fall, pirates take over container ships and terrorism is on the rise. You would think that these are part of ordinary life but, imagine that it is all being orchestrated by a few powerful and wealthy individuals. Reading this thriller, I kept referring to recent news and thinking was this truth or fiction? Well written, but a bit wordy in places, Gary has an entertaining plot line that takes us to a world most do not know about and the few cunning and sinister characters that may truly be living there.

Set in recent times, The Gambit by Gary Nunnally, explores the dark underbelly of oil price manipulation. The novel centers around a wealthy Lebanese banker named Michel Antoun and his desire to manipulate the price of crude oil to over $100 a barrel. Sound familiar? When I first read this book, oil was well over $120 a barrel and it had me thinking, was this fact or fiction? The character of Antoun is well developed throughout the novel with convincing tie ins to a corrupt Saudi Prince wanting to take over the throne and a Texas oil tycoon that will do anything to keep his name in the limelight.

The minor characters keep the plot moving quickly, but I had to refer back a few times to keep sub-plots straight. It seems Gary took his time developing The Gambit as the interwoven storyline holds a good twist. His bio states that he was involved in the oil industry for 30 years and it shows with the thorough knowledge of a commodity we use daily but rarely contemplate.

For the most part, The Gambit is a plausible thriller that holds the readers attention. It poses questions about oil prices rising and related news. What if it was not just fiction? What if Antoun or someone like him really had the power to affect all of our lives? Does Gary Nunnally know something that we don't?