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Overview
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Elizabeth Tyler MacMann, the ambitious First Lady of the United States (and known in the tabloids as “Lady Bethmac”), is on trial for the death of her philandering husband, and the only man who can save her is the boyfriend she jilted in law school—now the most shameless defense attorney in America. Published to rave reviews, No Way to Treat a First Lady is a hilariously warped love story for our time set in the funniest place in America: Washington, D.C.
Synopsis
Elizabeth Tyler MacMann, the First Lady of the United States, has been charged with killing her philandering husband. In the midst of a bedroom spat, she allegedly hurled a historic Paul Revere spittoon at him, with tragic results. The First Lady is on trial for assassination.
Book Magazine
The satirist whose previous targets have included political pundits ( Little Green Men ), financial self-help gurus ( God Is My Broker ) and the tobacco lobby ( Thank You for Smoking ) returns with a humorous novel starring first lady Elizabeth "Lady Beth Mac" MacMann, whose philandering, Bill Clinton like husband is found dead after a night in bed with his mistress. While the shenanigans of the president provide a great, funny back story, the main action concerns Beth, who is put on trial for "assassinating" her hubby by flinging a priceless Paul Revere spittoon at his head. Beth is a dynamo: a kind of ultra-Hillary. Buckley's real triumph, however, is in creating Boyce "Shameless" Baylor, Beth's $1,000-an-hour defender, a past master of "Dream Team" style dirty tricks who, it turns out, also has a past with Beth. As the story of the trial twists and turns, like Bleak House on drugs, Baylor manipulates the media, Beth and the justice system in brilliant contortion after contortion. The literary equivalent of Must-See TV, only considerably more entertaining, Buckley's book is free-for-all satire. Author Paul Evans
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
When a president of the United States is found dead in bed after a night of vigorous infidelity, who is to blame? In the case of Ken MacMann, the list of suspects (and mistresses) is impressive. Christopher Buckley has created a wickedly funny whodunit about thoroughly hypothetical White House hijinks.The satirist whose previous targets have included political pundits ( Little Green Men ), financial self-help gurus ( God Is My Broker ) and the tobacco lobby ( Thank You for Smoking ) returns with a humorous novel starring first lady Elizabeth "Lady Beth Mac" MacMann, whose philandering, Bill Clinton–like husband is found dead after a night in bed with his mistress. While the shenanigans of the president provide a great, funny back story, the main action concerns Beth, who is put on trial for "assassinating" her hubby by flinging a priceless Paul Revere spittoon at his head. Beth is a dynamo: a kind of ultra-Hillary. Buckley's real triumph, however, is in creating Boyce "Shameless" Baylor, Beth's $1,000-an-hour defender, a past master of "Dream Team"–style dirty tricks who, it turns out, also has a past with Beth. As the story of the trial twists and turns, like Bleak House on drugs, Baylor manipulates the media, Beth and the justice system in brilliant contortion after contortion. The literary equivalent of Must-See TV, only considerably more entertaining, Buckley's book is free-for-all satire. Author—Paul Evans
Paul Evans
The satirist whose previous targets have included political pundits (Little Green Men), financial self-help gurus (God Is My Broker) and the tobacco lobby (Thank You for Smoking) returns with a humorous novel starring first lady Elizabeth "Lady Beth Mac" MacMann, whose philandering, Bill Clinton–like husband is found dead after a night in bed with his mistress. While the shenanigans of the president provide a great, funny back story, the main action concerns Beth, who is put on trial for "assassinating" her hubby by flinging a priceless Paul Revere spittoon at his head. Beth is a dynamo: a kind of ultra-Hillary. Buckley's real triumph, however, is in creating Boyce "Shameless" Baylor, Beth's $1,000-an-hour defender, a past master of "Dream Team"–style dirty tricks who, it turns out, also has a past with Beth. As the story of the trial twists and turns, like Bleak House on drugs, Baylor manipulates the media, Beth and the justice system in brilliant contortion after contortion. The literary equivalent of Must-See TV, only considerably more entertaining, Buckley's book is free-for-all satire.Publishers Weekly
Matheson brings all the skills one would expect of an experienced actor to Buckley's latest romp. In a story that's equal parts satire and courtroom drama, Buckley (Thank You for Smoking) slings barbs at lawyers, politicos and Washington's social elite. After President Ken MacMann returns from a lusty night in the Lincoln Bedroom with actress Babette Van Anka, his wife, Elizabeth, hurls insults and a priceless Paul Revere spittoon at him. When MacMann is found dead the next morning with the word "Revere" embossed on his forehead, the first lady becomes the prime suspect. Buckley lays his cards openly on the table: one lawyer is nicknamed "Shameless," while another's last name is Crudman. And Matheson captures them all, whether rendering Shameless Baylor's mock indignation at being refused a preposterous motion or evoking the arrogant commentary on a show called Hard Gavel. He also does excellent turns as the flighty, would-be Middle East peace activist Van Anka, a host of other witnesses and the no-nonsense judge who tries to keep the Trial of the Millennium in check. This may not be the year's most substantive audio, but with a plot that seems just crazy enough to be true and a crisp performance by Matheson, it never fails to entertain. Simultaneous release with the Random House hardcover (Forecasts, July 29). (Oct.)Forbes Magazine
This novel by Forbes FYI editor and supreme satirist Christopher Buckley will give your tummy muscles a more effective workout than those gadgets endlessly touted on TV infomercials. Every page will have you guffawing. The plot is pure Buckley: The First Lady clocks the President on the head with a Paul Revere silver spittoon when he tries to sneak back into their bed after a late-night tryst in the Lincoln Bedroom. She soon finds herself on trial for assassinating the nation's Commander-in-Chief. This masterpiece should earn Buckley a lifetime pass to said bedroom. (6 Jan 2003)—Steve Forbes