The United States' addiction to oil has meant that the country has to remain good friends with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - regardless of how the Arabs behave. The Kingdom has been proved to be bankrolling terrorist organisations, distributing enormous amounts to an indolent extended royal family so that they can enjoy a lavish lifestyle, buying up western industry, and of course, maintaining numerous Swiss bank accounts. So explains ex-CIA operative Robert Baer in his latest work, Sleeping With The Devil. 

Saudi Arabia is sitting on the world's largest reserve of crude oil, and that oil is much easier to extract in that country than anywhere else in the world. The Petrodollars pouring into the economy has seen massive investment in infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and of course - mosques. Yet in these holy places, the populace is exhorted to hate the United States, the western world, and non-Muslims. Some of the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 atrocity were from Saudi Arabia. But the United States, says Mr. Baer, desperately dependent on the flow of gasoline, still bows and scrapes...

Robert O'Keefe provides the narration, which totals just over six hours. This was another book that I listened to in one sitting, and thoroughly enjoyed. Mr. O'Keefe has a rich-voiced American accent, making for an easy listen despite, at times, being a difficult subject. The audio quality is superb, particularly at Audible Format 4, quite obviously a direct digital recording. This book is an interesting and enlightening way to spend six hours!

--Brad Jackson, UK