...wildly satisfying and funny ... Buckley places his story in an historical context, so we have some of the early bit players in the colonies making appearances. But the author cannot help but keep close to his satirical roots ... The Judge Hunter is a satisfying romp through America in the 1600s.
Buckley serves up generous helpings of witty dialogue, colorful characters, and intriguing plot twists that his fans and historical novel enthusiasts will find irresistible.
...civilized, light entertainment ... The Judge Hunter, then, is a historical novel, albeit one that adopts the breezy, cheeky manner of George MacDonald Fraser’s accounts of the Victorian scoundrel Flashman ... This new novel reminds us that every sort of prejudice, brutality and fanaticism formed part of the tangled root-ball of our nation ... an enjoyable, if slightly uneven patchwork of the comic, serious, satirical, historical, tragic and utterly inconsequential.
In The Judge Hunter, the satire is mild, for this is mostly a melodrama ... Buckley’s writing is breezy and his descriptions vivid ... Other passages, however, become mere exposition dumps where the narrative pauses before continuing ... One wonders, however, what the comic purpose of swashbuckling perils and improbable coincidences is, other than to convey the fun of writing them. Perhaps for his fans that becomes the fun of reading them.
Buckley masterfully weaves a fictional story with historical fact ... The Judge Hunter is an absorbing mystery/thriller with humorous dialog and characters that resonate and draw in the reader. Buckley’s ability to fuse fact with fiction makes this book a must for not just fans of historical fiction but anyone looking for a great read.
Christopher Buckley is one of the sharpest, most wickedly funny, big-hearted political satirists we’ve got ... Like The Relic Master,The Judge Hunter is a brisk and invigorating trot into the political and religious nuttiness of old. It also combines real and imagined historical characters, a boisterous plot, and a couple of serious themes that resonate with the current climate of D.C. ... Despite The Judge Hunter’s overall comic tone, its author has some serious points to make about bigots, hypocrites, and religious fanatics — not to mention authorities who implicitly condone violence against any dissenters. The result is a deft combination of serious matters with the author’s bracingly rational attitude and penchant for dry, slightly snarky humor. It’s just a hoot.
The political humorist’s second historical novel is a witty bromance ... An entertaining and nicely crafted picaresque thriller with crackling dialogue.
