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– Booklist (* starred review) “There are some terrific sailing scenes -- think of ‘The French Connection’ car chase on the high seas -- as well as some unexpectedly moving moments involving father and son to balance out the cheerful silliness of the plot. And even the bad guys turn out to be somewhat likable in the end. These touches, plus the characters' camaraderie and very strong writing, add substance to Black Sunshine.” — Washington Post “It's pretty much impossible to read a review of one of Tallahassee journalist S.V. Dáte's novels without seeing comparisons to Carl Hiaasen, the current dean of Florida novelists. Brace yourselves, then, because here comes another one: Hiaasen's got nothing on this guy.” — Florida Times-Union "Quirky characters.... There's the Honorable Clarissa Highstreet, the secretary of state whose major goal is to be named ambassador to France. A shameless schemer, her outrageous behavior is matched only by her physique, a showcase of the plastic surgeon's art. Mothers who have warned their sons not to play with sharp objects surely never envisioned the threat posed by this secretary of state. Honestly, where do writers dream up these people?" — Orlando Sentinel “Black Sunshine careens in an amiably frenetic manner, bouncing the reader from Apalachicola to Martin County with plot twists centered around an oil giant's insistence on putting a governor in Tallahassee who will let them plant oil rigs around the Gulf…. Pure fun for anyone who loves the state, and for those who love to nurture their darkest suspicions about politicians.” – Tampa Tribune “Dáte has come up with a fine political thriller.” – Kansas City Star “Once again, Dáte has laid Florida politics low with a hilarious indictment of that state’s electoral process…. Black Sunshine is a delicious tale of ambition gone awry and people who should know better, and no public library should be without it.” – Library Journal
“Dáte takes on Florida Republican election dramas past and present in this thoroughly over-the-top novel of political intrigue…. Big business (especially a shady company called Petron), a gullible media and a clueless electorate get what’s coming to them in this timely farce.” – Publisher's Weekly
A
gleefully iconoclastic tale of two competitive brothers in Florida politics by
the author of the “uproariously funny” (Kirkus
Reviews) Smokeout and Deep
Water. Readers
have flocked to S.V. Dáte’s darkly comic stories: novels that are “biting
and irreverent” (Orlando Sentinel);
“seasoned with unforgettable characters” (Providence
Journal); “written with authority and surprising elegance” (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 next few weeks, he shows that he may not actually be so dim, either, as
the wildest, woolliest – and most lethal – campaign in Florida history
unfolds before the astonished eyes of a nation. Filled with razor-sharp wit and a raft of delightfully subversive characters, Black Sunshine is satire of the highest order.
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