Reddit reviews A History of Saudi Arabia

My interest got kicked off after reading A History of Saudi Arabia by Madawi Al-Rashid. It's a concise history of the current Saudi monarchy going back to the late 19th century. You'll want a map by your side to understand the geography of the Arabian peninsula if you're not familiar, but it's a really solid introduction to the monarchy and their motivations in the world.

Here's a pretty small book that would give you some of the answers your after http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0521747546
Keep in mind, Al-Saud have their own narrative that mainly talks about the agreement with Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, which fits well with the whole Saudi run by the Al Saud family mainain the purity that Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab preached.
So you'll truggle to get an uncorrupted version of history that serves the Al-Saud family.