Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Guild for the advance copy. All opinions are my own. I love these types of books because they give a sense of history while also mixing fiction in there. Gaddafi’s fall from grace was something to watch and be beholden by. This book took me back to that time when I was watching it on TV. Harry Marks is a journalist who just wants to do his job. Priscilla and Harry’s tensions are marked throughout the book, and they are fun to read about.

Gratitude to NetGalley and The Book Guild for the ARC.

I was drawn to "Bullion: The Mystery of Gaddafi’s Gold" for two reasons: the author’s name, which resonated with my own Eastern European background, and the subject itself, the turbulent period surrounding the fall of Gaddafi’s regime in Libya. Oggy Boytchev’s impressive journalistic credentials also seemed a promising foundation for a story featuring Harry Marks, a journalist whose professional background has much in common with the author’s own.

At first, the book delivers on that promise. A journalist ventures into a war zone, intelligence connections surface, international interests compete in a region of enormous strategic importance, and the mystery of billions in missing Libyan petrodollars gradually becomes a treasure hunt. The first half develops these elements with the detail and sense of context one would expect from an experienced journalist. At times the attention to detail goes a little too far, particularly in the explicit sex scenes, which add little to the story.

Unfortunately, the second half loses its way quickly. The main problem, for me, is that the book cannot decide what it wants to be: historical fiction, spy thriller, treasure-hunt adventure, or action movie. Combining these genres is certainly possible, but here the transitions feel rushed, and the internal logic that made the opening so promising gradually dissolves. The detour to Malta is a good example: without spoiling anything, it is where the story’s tone and direction shift most abruptly, and it left me feeling I had moved into a different book.

A third instalment is hinted at, with Harry Marks apparently moving away from the investigative-journalist mould and closer to James Bond. That could be an interesting direction, but I hope the next book finds its identity more convincingly, and a little earlier. A promising premise, an intriguing historical setting, and a strong start that ultimately struggles to deliver on its potential. My first use of Goodreads’ new half-star option: 3.5 stars.