The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich by Daniel Ammann

A biography of Marc Rich, the man who transformed the oil trade but perhaps is best known as controversially being pardoned by Bill Clinton in his final days in office.

Marc comes off as being a respectable man who operates on the outer fringes of the law, but nonetheless always within the law. His was apt to trade with almost any regime as he thought the benefits to the countries outweighed the costs.

But perhaps in today’s day of fake news the coverage of his tax fraud trial in the 1980s shows how powerful and treacherous the media can turn on a single person, no matter his or her innocence. A few individuals who crave the spotlight can blow the simplest of accusations out of proportions at the expense of others. It servers as a reminder to know the sources not only of the news but of the motives behind the participants.

3/5 stars.