Big Guns

By: Steve Israel

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

From Steve Israel, the congressman-turned-novelist who writes “in the full-tilt style of Carl Hiaasen” (The Washington Post), comes a comic tale about the mighty firearm industry, a small Long Island town, and Washington politics.

When Chicago’s Mayor Michael Rodriguez starts a national campaign to ban handguns from America’s cities, towns, and villages, Otis Cogsworth, the wealthy chairman and CEO of Cogsworth International Arms worries about the effects on his company. In response he and lobbyist Sunny McCarthy convince an Arkansas congressman to introduce federal legislation mandating that every American must own a firearm. Events soon escalate.

Asabogue’s Mayor Lois Leibowitz passes an ordinance to ban guns in the town - right in Otis Cogsworth’s backyard. Otis retaliates by orchestrating a recall election against Lois, and Jack Steele, a rich town resident, runs against her. Even though the election is for the mayor of a village on Long Island, Steele brings in the big guns of American politics to defeat Lois: political consultants, Super PACs, and celebrities. Soon, thousands of pro-gun and anti-gun partisans descend on Asabogue, along with an assortment of heavily armed right-wing militias and the national news media. Bucolic Asabogue becomes a tinderbox. Meanwhile, Washington politicians in both parties are caught between a mighty gun lobby whose support they need for reelection and the absurdity of requiring that every American with waivers for children under age four carry a gun. What ensues is a discomfiting, hilarious indictment of the state of American politics.

Former Long Island congressman Steve Israel has firsthand knowledge of the cynicism and corruption at the heart of our political system. Big Guns will make you laugh, will make you angry, and will make you think as you wait to find out what happens next.

©2018 Steve Israel. All rights reserved. (P)2018 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Good listen, well paced. Somewhat derivative.

A fun listen, well read. This reminds me of a Carl Hiaasen book. Good characters, though main characters could have been a bit more developed.

Best Read this year

I loved this book it’s funny, timely and I hate to say it is true examination of our current political predicament. Great job

Contrived, apparently accurate look into politics

Entertaining in a "pass the time sort of way. Well narrated, but I noticed a few mis-pronunciations. I'd buy this one again, if it were on sale. Nothing new or enlightening about the gun debate.

It dragged out too much for me

The book was slow going and seemed to drag on. I had already 8nvested time so I ended up finishing it. I have listened to the person before who performed this book but this time was challenging. He would whisper and I had to turn up the volume to hear and the next minute he was yelling and I had to turn it down. It happened enough times to be frustrating. I don't think I'll look for any books from this author again