Slick!

by David Perlstein

Overview

SLICK! skewers Middle East politics and American foreign policy with a barbed humor that will leave you wondering whether to laugh or cry-when you're not holding your breath. This satiric novel dissects Moq'tar, a Persian Gulf sultanate guided by a Berkeley MBA with grandiose economic plans. Moq'tar faces dangerous instability-and the United States a black eye-during a deadlocked election pitting the nation's acting CEO against his playboy brother. The ensuing power struggle leaves Bobby Gatling, a retired Special Forces officer and senior advisor to the Ministry of Security, enmeshed in a web of treachery, blackmail and hypocrisy. Bobby must cope with an alcoholic U.S. ambassador and a puzzling cultural attaché while struggling with loneliness, doubts about American intentions and his personal safety. All the while, a beautiful, tech-savvy princess with a questionable past lurks in the background.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462045457
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/30/2011
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.53(d)

Editorial Reviews

As a dead-locked election grips the fictional sultanate of Moq'tar, no issue is safe from Perlstein's (God's Others, 2010, etc) wit as he lampoons politics in the gulf. Bobby Gatling, a retired U.S. soldier now employed by a private security firm, is on assignment in Moq'tar. While Bobby's been training security forces, the aging sultan has allowed his favorite son, Yusuf, to run the country. Western-educated with an MBA from Berkeley, Yusuf has been hard at work, in the capitalist fashion, transforming Moq'tar into "Moq'tar, Inc." And his sister, the alluring Zoraya, has been with him every step of the way. But everything gets complicated quickly when it turns out that the succession isn't as certain as Yusuf (and America) thought. Between a drunken U.S. ambassador, a cultural affairs officer with a penchant for cinema and Yusuf's playboy-turned-traditionalist older brother, Bobby has his work cut out for him. Stuck in the middle, he's forced to balance his duties, his loyalties and his conscience as he navigates the dangers of a Middle-Eastern election rife with double-dealing and assassination attempts. The setting works brilliantly for Perlstein to show how ridiculously volatile the region can be, as he takes well-aimed shots at capitalism gone too far, gulf politics, forced democracy and anti-Semitism (to name just a few). It's satire at its finest--laughing until the sobering moment of realization that the events in Moq'tar aren't as fictional as you'd hope. To his credit, Perlstein never crosses the line into offensiveness, despite the numerous hot topics and cultures in his sights. And although he tends to dump characterization on the reader, that's hardly a bother since each one is compelling. Best of all, the novel isn't written just for scholars of the region; the plot is packed full of car chases and plot twists that keep the tension high and the pace fast. Those looking for subtle humor will find plenty, but those interested in action and intrigue alone won't be disappointed either. What else is there to say? It's slick.

Kirkus Reviews