Crude Ambition

Crude Ambition is one of the most satisfying stories I’ve ever read. The book was written by Patricia Hunt Homes, but I have no doubt that Mr. Karma (Or is it Ms.?) was a major contributor. I was fully engaged from cover to cover, and I’m still reeling from my enjoyment of it.

The story is set in Houston, with offshoots to the Texas Hill Country, the Panhandle, and even Washington, D.C. The storyline follows the paths of two young, professional women with high ambition. They are both attorneys. One works for a large Houston firm, and the other for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Most of the story revolves around the oil business, particularly as it relates to “fracking” – the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into the ground in an attempt to force open fissures in the earth to extract oil or gas.

There are numerous stories about the Texas oil business, as well as the “good ‘ol boys club,” but I think this story provides a unique perspective. The story evolves almost entirely around the white collar professionals – attorneys, accountants, etc. – who provide the infrastructure for the oil business.

Although some of the characters are rather shady, there is only one true antagonist – oil magnate Joe Bill Hawkins. He has absolutely no empathy, and he will gladly step on anyone and everyone to get what he wants. If he gets accused of doing anything illegal, he points fingers and shifts blame faster than a speeding bullet!

Okay, enough about the storyline. Now I’ll tell you what I liked about the story: EVERYTHING!

I’ll start with the description. I loved how the author provided her description. When a new scene started, she provided a wonderful description of the setting, and then she got right down to business with the characters. For example, when a meeting was about to take place at a great room on a ranch, this is how she described the room:

“Bighorn sheep, antelope, deer, a brown bear, and other trophies filled the walls of the stone and log entry hall and great room. A floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace big enough for a man to stand in was on one side of the room. Mesquite wood burning in the fireplace gave off a sweet aroma. Windows lined the wall looking west, providing a view of the rolling countryside covered with scrub brush, live oak and mesquite trees, and breathtaking sunsets.”

Afterward, she got right down to the business of the meeting.

Next comes the characters. The character arcs are fantastic. A few of them surprised me, but not in a negative way. Further, even though most of these characters live life way above the pay grade of the average reader, the author did an amazing job of making all of them vulnerable – just like many of us. For instance, Carolyn – the main character – is very driven to rise to the partner level in the law firm. However, she has a number of internal clashes as she tries to decide just what she’s willing to do – or more importantly, not do – to get where she wants to go.

“It reminds me of something my daddy says: Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.” —Paul Robinson, Esq.

As I said, the story revolves around fracking. However, and thankfully, we don’t get knee-deep in the process. Rather, the author takes us into the world of the attorneys and accountants who do the contracts and charge the oil companies massive fees to keep them legal. The author managed to make this part quite interesting! As a retired CPA, I know how some of this stuff works, such as independent audits and due diligence, and that is all part of the story, but it’s in a very “lay way” – so that anyone can understand it.

I would love to tell you more about the storyline, because I thought it was fantastic and quite original, but I won’t. I’ll let you have the pleasure of discovering that yourself. I also said Mr. (or Ms.) Karma was a major contributor to this story. If you read it, you’ll know exactly what I mean, and I hope it satisfies you as much as it did me!

This is another story that I highly recommend! Happy reading!!