The Judge Hunter, by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley made a name for himself writing political satire.  For his last couple of books, he's take a turn toward comedic historical fiction.  The Judge Hunter is set in 17th century England and the American colonies.  Samuel Pepys is trying to get his good-for-nothing brother-in-law out of his hair, so sends him on a wild goose chase in the American colonies.  Ostensibly, he is there to hunt the judges who executed Charles I.  But he gets caught up in political maneuverings that will impact the direction of history in the New World.

Buckley pairs the hapless Englishman with a seasoned colonist in a classic buddy set up: the rugged, world-wise tough guy who assists the young, naive, hapless main character.  They have adventures, they run into trouble, they nearly get killed, they get lucky.  Buckley has fun playing with the colonial-era history and setting.  But the story didn't click for me.  It was entertaining, but I just kept wondering what happened to the brilliant satirist who lampooned modern American politics.  I liked that Buckley better.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!