Mohammed bin Salman convinced the world that his desire to reform the kingdom was sincere. Then he began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants and public relations experts. Allegations of his extreme brutality and excess began to slip out, including the brutal assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Hope and Scheck show how MBS' precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain that had been at the head of US-Saudi relations for more than 80 years: oil, for military protection. Saudi Arabia has the potential to become an unstable failed state and a magnet for Islamic extremists. -- adapted from jacket

Includes index.

The King is dead --MBS -- Party in Maldives -- I am the mastermind -- Bring me McKinsey -- Captain Saud -- Billions -- Little Sparta -- Golden gambit -- "Blockade" -- Sealed with a kiss -- Dark arts -- Davos in the desert -- Sheikhdown -- Kidnapped prime minister -- Da Vinci -- Man of the year -- Cold blood -- Mister Bone Saw -- Unstoppable.