The Manual of Detection

aBryan Burrough has long been one of this nationas best storytellers, but he has outdone himself with his tour de force, "The Big Rich," Set amid the rough and tumble of the Texas oil fields and stretching to the halls of political power in Washington, this epic tale reveals the hidden undercurrents of modern American history that flowed from four families of unimaginable wealth and recklessness. With an unerring eye for detail, Burrough dissects their lives and histories, starting with the patriarchsastruggling, poorly educated men who might have remained forever unknown if not for their success at pulling black ooze from the ground. "The Big Rich" lays bare their arrogance and aspirations, their principles and hypocrisy, their daring and foolishness, taking readers deep inside a world of affluence that has remained secret for far too long. It is, quite simply, a triumph.a
aKurt Eichenwald, author of "The Informant" and "Conspiracy of Fools"
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