Review: All Her Father's Guns by James Warner

Title: All Her Father's Guns
Author: James Warner
Publisher: Numina Press
Publish Date: January 10, 2011
Source: I received a copy from the author. This did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a fiction fan.
• You like authors like Chuck Palahniuk.
• You like a bit of quirk with your books.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Cal Lyte, a gun-loving venture capitalist, is tired of paying alimony to his ex-wife Tabytha. Plotting to blackmail her and derail her campaign for Congress, he enlists the help of their daughter's boyfriend, British academic Reid Seyton, to unearth some Lyte family secrets. But the results turn out to be more than anyone bargained for, in an escalating cycle of revelations that will leave nobody's life the same."

My Two Cents: 

Snappy writing and a great sense of humor are the draws for this book. The humor is not going to be for everyone (think of Chuck Palahniuk's type of humor; not for everyone but it's right down my alley) but for me, it was spot on. In fact, I would liken this book to Palahniuk's writing if he started writing about politics. Now this is a really highly honored comparison for me as I'm a huge Palahniuk fan. Warner has a great sense of humor and makes some really keen observations through his characters about the state of politics in the United States.

This book has a great story line and is totally irreverent and I liked it. The characters aren't exactly likable. Some of them are a little full of themselves. Some of them are more than just a little ridiculous. Some of them are flat out crazy but they make for a great story that will definitely keep you engaged. The characters are definitely not role models and this is by no means a morality play. Warner shows, rather than tells through the characters how ridiculous the political world is. I read this book at a particularly timely time with everything happening on the campaign trail right now.

This book will not be for everyone but if you have a good sense of humor (if not a bit off kilter) about things, this one is for you.