Black October ~ synopsis
by Ralph Cates
Ralph Cates is an astute analyst of international political and financial intrigue, one of the finest thriller writers to come along since Robert Ludlum and John Le Carre. He has woven stories he heard during his time in the Middle East into a spellbinding novel.
Ralph lived in Southeast Asia for a year, Dubai for another year, Saudi Arabia for twenty months, and in India for one year. He also lived in Iran for a year during the early stages of the downfall of the shah.
On those overseas projects, he came into frequent contact with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. He had contact with SAVAK, the shah’s intelligence agency, and the Iranian military, and once met a future president of Iran, Mr. Rafsanjani. At one point, he unknowingly befriended for more than six months, Ali Turkoman, a lower-level cadre leader for the forces marshaling to overthrow the shah.
Black October tells the story of world leaders that are worried about the impending shortage of the world’s oil supplies, the “Peak Oil” phenomenon. This tension filled and foreboding novel, incorporating Peak Oil that will have readers on the edge of their seats. It will cause policymakers, intelligence analysts and military leaders throughout the world to rethink and intensify their efforts to protect vital oil supplies.
You can get Black October from Mystic Publishers here.
A former Texas businessman, Lionel Hunt, flees the United States to await the expiration of the Statute of Limitations on his convictions. He finds the easy road to wealth selling self-distilled whiskey to Saudi royal family members. Among his business contacts, he is introduced to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Intelligence, Prince Mohammad al Rashid.
After the September Eleventh attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Hunt finds himself in an excruciating predicament: incarcerated in an Arab prison near one of the world’s harshest deserts.
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At the same time in Afghanistan, former CIA Non-official Cover or Combatant (NOC) turned private contractor, Kurt Valdez, hunts top Al Qaeda leaders. After 9-11, he is assigned to find Osama bin Laden and his co-conspirators. This includes those among the Saudi royal family and Pakistani intelligence service (ISI). During his quest, Valdez crosses paths with a former Russian general turned arms dealer known as ‘Rhino’, whom he comes to believe has sold nuclear weapons to al Qaeda.
Filled with breathtaking turns of plot, Valdez finally joins forces with Prince al Rashid and Lionel Hunt to try to stop al Qaeda. The terrorists intend to destroy the Saudi’s prolific eastern oil facilities, the jugular and lifeblood of the world’s economies. Hunt’s expertise in the oil industry earns him a pardon and makes him invaluable in the joint efforts.
The final mind-bending sequences will leave readers shocked and worried. Not only is the work timely and informative, it illuminates the most daunting challenges for political, intelligence, and military leaders in the post Peak Oil era.
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Ralph was educated in San Diego and received his teaching credential
from UCLA and completed work on one-half of a Masters in Literature
from UC Santa Barbara. |
Ralph
Cates
Thanks Ralph for the sneak preview... John Wolf
Ralph's book was advertised in the April issue of Harper's Magazine
