Black Gold

Large scale oil development in the Caspian energy corridor started in the late 19th century and Russia was the dominant player until very recently. The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey by a consortium led by British Petroleum has changed the dynamics of the relationships between who has the oil and who needs the oil. Roy Neely, sixty-five-year-old-widower, ex Air Force Vietnam fighter-bomber pilot, former CIA surveillance trainer and retired FBI psychologist, struggles with what to do with his life after the tragic death of his wife. His friend Eric Holloway, CIA Operations Chief, convinces Neely to take on Project Sinbad, a sensitive assignment to protect the flow of oil from the Caspian Sea to Europe. Boris Cheresko, a retired KGB enforcer, has been brought back by the Russian energy czar to develop a plan to increase Russian control of the flow of oil to Europe. Cheresko plans involve Ian Connedy, BP Chief Executive for Exploration and Production of Oil, while he is visiting the Gardaboni, Georgia pumping station. Neely, working with CIA sources in Moscow, uncovers the identity of Cheresko. Neely and Skip Borowski, BP Security Chief in Georgia, save Connedy's life and set in motion a new dynamic between Russia and British Petroleum interests.