From Booklist. And it's a good one:
"Ben Travis, a thoroughly inexperienced Texas senator more concerned with the state of his mesquite growth than the state of the union, is appointed the governor of Texas after a freak car accident claims the lives of the current governor and his second in command. Travis quickly learns that speechifying and posturing aren’t his strong suits and wins an impressive amount of public support based on his folksy attitude and no-nonsense approach to politics. Shocked by the continuing growth of big government under the leadership of the current president, Travis decides that secession is the only way to preserve the values of the Lone Star State.
Although author Smiley, a former research assistant for William F. Buckley Jr., makes his right-leaning values fairly obvious, the political humor and witty dialogue in Don’t Mess with Travis should elicit chuckles from readers on both ends of the political spectrum. With shades of the movie Swing Vote and the novels Advise and Consent (1959), Primary Colors (1996), and State of Rebellion (2010), Smiley’s incisive and derisive view of the political process makes this razor-sharp debut novel a timely and entertaining read."
