The Angry Buddhist

Resumen del libro

It is the week before a local election in Palm Springs. Incumbent, Randall Duke, is dodging scandal while courting the Christian vote. His opponent, Mary Swain, a sexy, well-financed newcomer, does not have a firm grip on American history or elemental economics. Meanwhile an anonymous political blogger, "Desert Machiavelli" is exposing new secrets daily.


Seth Greenland's timely new novel is set in the high California desert between the trailer parks and amphetamine labs of Desert Hot Springs and the classic midcentury architecture of Palm Springs. In this sun-blasted territory, with its equally arid social culture, a fiercely contested congressional election is in progress. The wily incumbent, Randall Duke, is unburdened by ethical considerations. His opponent, Mary Swain, a sexy, well-financed newcomer, does not have a firm grip on American history or elemental economics.
This is the perfect combination of people and place for Seth Greenland, one of America's finest satirists. The Angry Buddhist swirls together the character-derived humor of an Elmore Leonard tale with the clear-eyed suspicion of a James M. Cain noir. It convincingly explores mendacity in its many modern American forms: contemporary politics, middle class sexual mores, the criminal justice system and the limits and costs of filial love. Greenland is able to mix satire with crime to produce humor that is vibrantly caustic and subjects that are alarmingly authentic.
The Los Angels Times called Greenland's first novel The Bones, a remarkable debut, a laugh out loud satire. Jonathan Yardley of The Washington Post named Shining City, Greenland's second book, to his Best Book of the Year list.
It was sold to Warner Bros. in a major film deal. The Angry Buddhist will quicken the hearts of the many readers of his first two books while it gathers new readers who are certain to become abiding fans.