Black Sunshine

Rating:
Summary: A laugh riot!
Review: Absolutely hilarious! I read this in one sitting on a friend's recommendation, and couldn't stop asking myself: Who is this guy, and why haven't I heard of him before? I went out and bought the paperback editions of Date's previous books, and read all three over last weekend. This guy is absolutely wicked! Folks, if you haven't read S.V. Date yet, you don?t know what you?re missing!

Rating:
Summary: If you live in Florida, you need to read this book.
Review: And for the rest of the country, trying to figure out what in heck is going on down here, you need to read this book, too.

Rating:
Summary: Clarissa, Clarissa, Clarissa
Review: Finally, FINALLY, Katherine Harris gets what's coming to her! As a Sarasota County Republican tired of having her rammed down my throat, all I can say is: Mr. Date, I salute you!

Rating:
Summary: Florida. Enough said.
Review: Florida, a rigged election, oil rigs in the Gulf, two politically competitive brothers. What more could you ask for? Democrats who hate the Bushes will love it. Republicans who love the Bushes will love it. Everyone who hates Katherine Harris will especially love it!

Rating:
Summary: Darned with faint praise
Review: I had never heard of this author before I read the review in the Kansas City paper last week. Now I can't wait to read all his previous stuff. The reviewer called Black Sunshine a good political thriller, but she forgot to mention just how roll-on-the-floor funny it is! How can a good "thriller" also be hilarious? Darned if I know, but Date has managed to do it!

Rating:
Summary: Very good, and getting better
Review: I read Black Sunshine having read Date's previous efforts, which I quite frankly thought were missing just a little something. Date had the outrage and the absurdity down in Deep Water and Smokeout. That part was easy, I suppose. The journalist's natural frustration with all the slimy things that go in statehouses and boardrooms. What seemed to be missing was a genuine love for his heroes. That was then, this is now, and in Black Sunshine, Date has nailed it, from start to finish. The bad guys are bad, but still likeable. And the good guys are downright wonderful (one wishes, in fact, that the President would be more like Bub, the character modeled after him). Date has never had any problem with plot or pacing, but even in these areas, Black Sunshine stands head-and-shoulders above his previous work. In conclusion, this is a fantastic book, and shows the marked evolution of a good and still improving novelist.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing surprise
Review: I started out expecting to hate this book. Another liberal reporter, making fun of The President. How predictable. I'll say it right here: I was wrong. Bub, the character modeled after President George W. Bush, is likeable, funny and engaging, and maybe not so dumb as some people might think, after all. The more you learn about Bub, the more you root for him, and the next thing you know, it's 3 in the morning and you've got to be at work by 8 but you've got to finish it, so you stay up anyway. Well done, from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: "Leftist" is an understatement
Review: I want my money back! I should have read Amazon's description better, but since Speed Week was good I figured this book couldn't be too bad. I was wrong. I bought this and the one that rips on Disney. Date comes across as bitter, and I wish I didn't contribute to his success. It's as if James Carville himself wrote this book.

Rating:
Summary: "Leftist" is an understatement
Review: I want my money back! I should have read Amazon's description better, but since Speed Week was good I figured this book couldn't be too bad. I was wrong. I bought this and the one that rips on Disney. Date comes across as bitter, and I wish I didn't contribute to his success. It's as if James Carville himself wrote this book.

Rating:
Summary: Election hijacked on the high seas!
Review: I was told Black Sunshine was set aboard a sailboat, and as a sailor, I had to run out to take a look. Boy, am I glad I did! S.V. Date knows his sailing stuff, from an easy, afternoon reach on a breezy afternoon to fighting monster, storm-driven waves in the Gulf Stream. Without giving anything away, the ending was absolutely spectacular! More sailing in your books, please, Mr. Date.