Mohammed bin Salman's sudden rise stunned the world. He spoke passionately about toning down Saudi Arabia's restrictive Islamic law. He lifted the ban on women driving and explored investments in Silicon Valley. But MBS began to betray an erratic interior beneath the polish laid on by scores of consultants. It seemed that he did not understand nor care about how the outside world would react to his displays of autocratic muscle-what mattered was the flex. Award-winning reporters Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck show how MBS's precipitous rise coincided with the fraying of the simple bargain of US-Saudi relations for more than eighty years: oil for military protection. They investigate the ties between well-known US bankers, Hollywood figures, and politicians, all eager to help the charming and crafty crown prince, Blood and Oil provides a revelatory look at the world's most powerful ruling family and reveals how a rift within Saudi Arabian royalty produced the charismatic crown prince with a ruthless streak. Book jacket.