Black Sunshine

Readers have flocked to S. V. Date's darkly comic stories: novels that are "biting and irreverent" (Orlando Sentinel); "seasoned with unforgettable characters" (The Providence Journal); "written with authority and surprising elegance" (The Washington Post). "Smokeout is a hilarious political satire that reflects our blackest fears about the politicians we elect," said The New York Times Book Review-and if they think that's black . . . Oil-rich, the son of a respected Florida governor, Percy Billings would seem a shoo-in to get the gubernatorial nod himself-except that for some godforsaken reason, people seem to like his older, dimmer, black-sheep brother Bub better. Well, never mind. When Bub tragically falls overboard into the dark waters of the Gulf Stream, and Florida Secretary of State Clarissa Highstreet declares Percy the new candidate, he is saddened, of course, but humbly ready to assume the mantle. There's only one problem: Bub may not actually be dead. And in the weeks following, he shows that he may not actually be so dim, either, as the wildest, wooliest-and most lethal-campaign in Florida history unfolds before the astonished eyes of a nation. Packed with razor-sharp wit and a raft of delightfully subversive characters, Black Sunshineis satire of the highest order.