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RC Nash, a journalist returning from a bungled European assignment, and Jimmy Sebastiano, a small-time Mafia bagman who is carrying $656K for delivery to his boss, improbably share a cab from Dulles to downtown D.C. RC gets home to find his girlfriend gone and his entire wardrobe cut into bite-size pieces; Jimmy surprises his girlfriend, the eponymous Honey, in flagrante delicto with someone who looks vaguely familiar. Turns out it's the President who, in his haste to leave, trips on his shorts, hits his head and dies. What to do with the body of the President? Enter Secret Service men; a gay Washington Redskins third-stringer' a Mafia don whose name is Rat's Ass and his savvy grandson; a coke-snorting VP; a First Lady who used to be a jazzercise instructor; the C.I.A., F.B.I. and a few walk-ons from the local Damien's Donuts.

At times, there are too many sub-plots in motion to keep track of the action, but Sandlin takes on every sacred cow in existence: ethnicity, gender, politics, sexual conduct, self-serving greed, and hypocrisy--and shatters them one by one. For a refreshing vacation from political correctness and a few good belly laughs, Honey Don't is a good choice. --Valerie Ryan

Product Description
A novel that skewers the inanities of our age, with results that are outrageous, wildly funny, and utterly subversive. It's Sandlin at his most maverick best.

Set in the very near future, Honey Don't features a hit list that runs the gamut: from a goatish President dying in flagrante, to an aging Don appalled by modern manners; from a certifiably stupid mafia bagman fleeing both the Secret Service and the mob with $656,000 of dirty money in a locked attache case and the President's head in a carry-all, to a coke-snorting, blow-dried VP who has suddenly caught the brass ring. Circling them are conniving White House staffers, corrupt politicos, sleazy journalists, and rancid pro-football coaches-all adding up to a DC three-ring circus.

And in the center ring is the eponymous Honey, one of those Texas women cursed with a given name that condemns her to a lifetime of cheerleadering. But this daddy's little girl is a free spirit in full rebellion, and her take on life-offbeat but on target-is the heart and soul of this antic tale. And, as always with Sandlin, it's the women who have the last laugh.

The plot itself is interesting and deserved better. Honey and the President of the United States are interrupted mid-assignation and, in the resulting mayhem, the President dies. Honey and her boyfriend Jimmy (the interruptor) endeavor to get out of their jam and along the way collect a motley assortment of helpers and hangers on, including a down on his luck journalist who provides the brains of the outfit.

Sounds fun right? It is - if you skip about 125 pages in the middle. We learn a lot about people who don't matter to the story and the writing is packed with more of the aforementioned cliches. Would have been a great novella, but as it is it's not really worth the effort.


Tim Sandlin is a wonderful writer, this is a bad book   January 14, 2004
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

I think Tim Sandlin is great. I've read every book he's published. I looked forward to his next book, and I'm still looking forward to his next book despite Honey Dont. At a reading, Mr Sandlin made known that this was the first book that wasn't about himself. So perhaps it's a transitional necessity, an experiment, and good for him. Artists need to stretch. I certainly hope he keeps writing. I hope the Honey Dont becomes a movie and Tim becomes rich off it. The characters are unbelievable yet wacky enough that coupled with the plot (it's really plot driven - ug)that a decent movie could come out of it. Anyhow, my two cents, keep writing and best of luck Tim.