You might like The Death of Money - Amazon Link. The first review explains each chapter in depth.
It kinda has a doomsday feel IMO, but lays out the current players involved in world economics and pushes some views on what can go wrong.
Econ is also one of my weaker topics. I'm interested in learning more about emerging markets and capital flows, but I'm not sure where to start aside from following the trail of amazon bestsellers and recommendations.
> To me, it reads more than anything else like the person is getting a commission from some company which sells gold to suckers.
What even remotely gives you that impression? Come on, accusing people of shilling just based on intuition without any factual source is bullshit. People here area accused of that all the time, surely you can be better than that.
I was totally sold on the "He's crazy" part. He has written many books like this one, it seems.
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Money-Collapse-International-Monetary/dp/1591846706/
> Fortunately, it’s not too late to prepare for the coming death of money. Rickards explains the power of converting unreliable money into real wealth: gold, land, fine art, and other long-term stores of value. As he writes: “The coming collapse of the dollar and the international monetary system is entirely foreseeable. . . . Only nations and individuals who make provision today will survive the maelstrom to come.”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591846706/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_3kHcGbK5GKD0D
This one you mean?