Smokeout

by S.V. Date

Book Overview

Florida politics are always good for a laugh, as plenty of caper writers from Carl Hiaasen to Laurence Shames can attest. S.V. Date aspires to that pantheon, but if Smokeout is his best effort, he has... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425182754
• ISBN13: 9780425182758
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Fun, entertaining, informative

Not since Buckley's Thank You For Smoking have I heard myself guffawing out loud so many times. You won't need any urging after the first chapter. But, best of all, there's a message here. Perhaps money doesn't rule so completely in our Democracy as the author pictures it in these pages. At least, I hope it doesn't

Nonstop Action

I have read Date's two previous books "Final Orbit" and "Speed Week" with each being better than the previous. After reading Smokeout, I can only wait for his next novel to arrive.Smokeout is a high paced book that picks up more and more momentum as the story continues. The nonstop action made it hard to find a point to put down the book. Date's development of his characters and situations is such that I felt like I was in the Florida capital at the scene of the crimes.I would not have believed that the story line in Smokeout was based on fact if I hadn't heard NPR's Fresh Air 11/9/00 interview with Date. If you have 15 minutes and the patience for NPR to launch the file, it really is worth listening to.I highly recommend Smokeout as a read for the New Year.

Florida Recounted

Once again, S.V. Date, with brilliant wit and flawless style, captures the essence of those who make up Florida's political and social scene. As he did in "Final Orbit" and "Speed Week," here too he creates characters that are more like caricutures of those who impact Florida politics. This is all done with his usual stylistic brilliance and entertaining plot twists.

Excellent effort

S. V. Date's funny madcap farce about the sleazy Florida legislature is a sure fire hit. Very funny from start to finish. A quick read; once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.

great satirical tale

A key vote coming up soon for the Florida legislature will determine whether individuals can sue big tobacco companies. The Sunshine State power brokers from lobbyists to concerned citizens to CEOs merge in Tallahassee to twist the arms of the politicians.Especially concerned about the state bill is Bartholomew Simons, CEO of tobacco giant Roper-Joyner Holdings (RJH). He wants the bill killed and tosses money around to ensure it happens. Bartholomew also is panicking because an infamous memo with his signature that makes RJH and the industry look like serial killers is loose and if the opposition gain possession of it his career is dead. With sexy lobbyists offering their wares for support, Tallahassee looks like a den of iniquity where morals mean nothing instead of a college town capital. On top of this mess, the media seeks scandals even if they have to serve as catalysts causing a headline or two. SMOKEOUT is a wild, almost out of control satire on the incestuous triangular relationship between big business, the media, and holier than thou politicians. The story line is amusing and never drops under a hundred miles an hour on the accelerator even with the interstate gridlocked as much as the legislature. No one including the nearly extinct honest citizen escapes S.V. Date's ironic look at Florida politics. Harriet Klausner