RIDE THE GOLDEN TIGER

Black's Oil (1974) was swamp-bottom dreck and his second novel goes downhill from there. Not that his sales may not go up. Centerpiece of this effort is a faintly angry depiction of a 1974 attempt by Anglo-French banking interests to corner the gold bullion market. Something like this did happen, of course, with American and Arabian bankers also competing. Black adds a kicker--his millionaire prospector hero Matthew Rutledge has just uncovered the world's richest lode in Sakhana, a country much like Tibet. While attempting to round up $20 million to begin mining operations and upset the coup, he finds himself financially stonewalled by the banking community. As the story moves from London to Manhattan to Sakhana, Rufledge is given several opportunities per chapter to display his massive member and set of countless apocalyptic orgasms among ladies East and West. To be fair, the research on gold has its interest but the so-called exposure of financial double-dealing is herbal oolong compared with Matt's King Kong ding dong.