No Way to Treat a First Lady

Elizabeth Tyler MacMann, the First Lady of the United States, has been charged with killing her philandering husband. The media has never liked Beth MacMann and refers to her as "Lady Bethmac." For a top-notch defense attorney, she's forced to turn to Boyce "Shameless" Baylor, her former fiance whom she dumped in favor of her current husband. It's been said of Baylor, "If Shameless Baylor had defended Adolf Eichmann...for crimes against humanity, Eichmann would have been not only acquitted, but awarded damages." This is a hysterical political satire and fun whodunnit - intelligent, witty, and humorous. How can you not like a book filled with characters such as Max Grab, a shady financier; Alan Crudman, another attorney of questionable show more ethics; and J.J. Bronco, a fellow who got away with murder. The ending was satisfying and much of it I had not anticipated. Lots of chuckles on every page and many laugh-out-loud moments in this story. show less

This is the third Buckley book I've read this year, and I can say without hesitation it's the one I liked the best. Satire is a form of literature that tends to evoke wry amusement more than real laughs, but this book had both. For me, that's a rarity.

The plot is pretty simple. The first lady of the United States is on trial for having brained her husband with an antique silver spittoon after his latest infidelity. Fairly obviously a takeoff on the Clinton scandal, but it's an interesting one. At her huge media frenzy of a trial, she's defended by Boyce "Shameless" Baylor (what is it with Buckley and ethically dubious men with names ending in -aylor?), the best trial lawyer in America, and also her ex-boyfriend from when she was at law show more school.

There are a lot of fun characters that are fairly well-sketched for a satire, and the prose is cracklingly good. Many of the exchanges and ideas are really very clever, and the plot was well conceived and carried out. The twists were interesting, and while I was pretty sure I knew where it was going, I definitely didn't figure out how it eventually got there. So, a good enough mystery, in a way, on top of the satire.

It's a fast read, and it's a fun one; I imagine most Buckley readers are probably coming in through Thank You For Smoking, and the lead character of that book shows up here, as well, but this one is, I think, more fun. If you like political humor or satire, this one's definitely worth a shot. show less

Master of political satire Christopher Buckley offers a biting critique of the American legal system, and the ridiculous role of the media related to the law, in "No Way to Treat a First Lady." Inspired by the impeachment scandal of Bill Clinton, which frequently seemed to treat sex and politics as farce, and coming on the heels of the massively overexposed O. J. Simpson trial, Buckley imagines a breathtaking trial of the century that would dwarf those cases.

Elizabeth Tyler MacMann, the First Lady, is accused of murdering her husband, after he is found dead in the White House. Having discovered that the president was engaging in special relations with the Hollywood actress wife of a big-time donor down the hall in the Lincoln Bedroom, show more the First Lady confronted him upon his return to their bedroom and hurled a Paul Revere spittoon at his head. Because the victim is the President, his alleged killer is charged with assassination.

Beth MacMann, a lawyer, contacts her one-time fiancé, and defense attorney to the stars, Boyce "Shameless" Baylor, to defend her in the upcoming trial. Having skills that match his dominating personality, Baylor devises a careful defense strategy that seeks to keep the First Lady from having a motive by preventing any evidence of presidential philandering to be admitted.

As might be imagined, the resulting novel is a rollicking free-for-all in which Buckley sends up cable television legal "analysis," the rather schizophrenic American expectations of competence and naiveté for any First Lady, the puritanical discomfort surrounding any discussion of sex and politics, among many other things. As always, Buckley weaves an engaging story with witty banter and a variety of uncomfortably funny situations. In addition, he even manages a deft surprise ending, which is the icing on a wonderfully rich and enjoyable cake. show less

Christopher Buckley writes another nice read about politics and the judiciary in his satiric fashion. Following the trial of First Lady Elizabeth Tyler MacMann and witty lawyer (and former fiance) Boyce Baylor, who is charged to lead her defense, provides a great story. Clever satire drives the entire book and it's hard to find a stopping point as the court case of the Millennium twists and turns. Buckley's characters are varied and interesting, working with and against one another in hilarious fashion. At the end of it all, we are shown how truth doesn't matter in our justice system, just perception. Buckley hits the nail on the head with that message, and conveys it with full mocking scorn and contempt, wrapped up in his smart humor.

Loved it: good fun, female-centric in a good way, but still intelligently written and not something I feel secretly ashamed to have read. Nice little twists, and some legal situation comedy that as a lawyer I found quite amusing.

Christopher Buckley usually pokes fun by exaggerating. This time most of his barbs could have been taken right off the nightly news. The president of the United States is found dead in his bed next to the first lady - after a night of passionate sex with the actress staying in the Lincoln bedroom. The first lady is arrested and tried for the murder of her husband. Buckley even explains what really happened when they said the president choked on a pretzel. So much of it is so real it's almost not funny. But this time he actually had a pretty decent plot.

An amusing throwaway novel that is unfortunately already dated by multiple references to Dan Rather (retired) and Peter Jennings (deceased) as side characters.