Rigged

I have read all of Mezrich's non-fiction, and this is another along the same lines as Ugly Americans, BDTH etc and is an interesting listen. I would probably review the book higher than the audio version though - Mezrich reads this like he is rereading it to himself to make sure everything makes sense (or maybe he is rushing through it). I think the book would be better served by a professional narrator. It is worth buying though, and I look forward to more of the same from one of my favorite authors.

Slow moving, manufactured drama, and often prose that is straight out of a junior college fiction writing course. Never realized are constant expectations that something big is about to happen. It never does. By the way, the title indicates only a subject of "oil". There is no exchange malfeasance here. Many things that could be interesting are never explained. Descriptions of the traders and action in the pits on the NYMEX are interesting but much too brief. Really, it's a simple story about how a commodities exchange got started in Dubai, certainly unusual but so are hundreds of other business deals that happen every year. The book just hypes up the action with banal treatments of beautiful women ("porcelain features", I was waiting for "heaving breasts" but luckily spared that one), private jets with paper shredders (wow), BMW limos (six of them!), champagne (Cristal no less!), mysterious photographs (oooh, someone's watching!!). With the exception of the traders' description and the Dubai description, just kind of silly.

I have worked on trading floors before and have even traded NYMEX and I found this book kind of boring. Would prob be of more interest to someone who is clueless about the rise of Dubai as business and tourism hub or the fraternity like mentality and behavior of a trading floor. This book held my attention but I kept waiting for something more.

I really like this author and have listened to Ugly Americans (one of my favorites) and Busting Vegas (another favorite). This book is less complex and doesn't reach the depth of the two books mentioned above. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining book, very well read, and I recommend it.

torturous description of ridiculous details,not worth listening to.