A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A gripping, behind-the-scenes portrait of the rise of Saudi Arabia’s secretive and mercurial new ruler

“Revelatory . . . a vivid portrait of how MBS has altered the kingdom during his half-decade of rule.”—The Washington Post

MBS is the untold story of how a mysterious young prince emerged from Saudi Arabia’s sprawling royal family to overhaul the economy and society of the richest country in the Middle East—and gather as much power as possible into his own hands. Since his father, King Salman, ascended to the throne in 2015, Mohammed bin Salman has leveraged his influence to restructure the kingdom’s economy, loosen its strict Islamic social codes, and confront its enemies around the region, especially Iran. The dream won him fans at home and on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley, Hollywood and at the White House, where President Trump welcomed the prince as a central player in his own dream for the Middle East. Yet over time, the charismatic young reformer’s sheen has become tarnished, leaving many unable to decide whether MBS is simply a rising tyrant whose inexperience and reckless decisions destabilize the most unpredictable area in the world.

Based on years of coverage and hundreds of interviews, MBS shows the machinations behind the kingdom’s disastrous military intervention in Yemen, the surreal arrest of Riyadh Ritz-Carlton princes and businessmen, and the changing Saudi ties with Israel and the United States. And finally, it sheds new light on the biggest scandal of the rise of the young autocrat: the horrific killing in Istanbul by Saudi agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a crime that shook Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Washington and left the world questioning if MBS could get away with murder.

MBS is a riveting, eye-opening account of how the young prince has wielded vast powers to reshape his kingdom and the world around him.