They Eat Puppies, Don't They?: A Novel

In an attempt to gain congressional approval for a top-secret weapons system, Washington lobbyist "Bird" McIntyre teams up with sexy, outspoken neocon Angel Templeton to pit the American public against the Chinese. When Bird fails to uncover an authentic reason to slander the nation, he and Angel put the Washington media machine to work, spreading a rumor that the Chinese secret service is working to assassinate the Dalai Lama.

Meanwhile in China, mild-mannered President… (more)

Meanwhile in China, mild-mannered President Fa Mengyao and his devoted aide Gang are maneuvering desperately against sinister party hard-liners Minister Lo and General Han. Now Fa and Gang must convince the world that the People's Republic is not out to kill the Dalai Lama, while maintaining Fa's small margin of power in the increasingly militaristic environment of the party.

On the home front, Bird must contend with a high-strung wife who entertains Olympic equestrian ambition, and the qualifying competition happens to be taking place in China. As things unravel abroad, Bird and Angel's lie comes dangerously close to reality. And as their relationship rises to a new level, so do mounting tensions between the United States and China.

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Fiction Humorous

Editorial reviews (3 reviews)

Financial Times UK : Dogs of war (August 10, 2012)

It’s an entertaining, only slightly exaggerated, insight into the way the world’s largest superpower works and how a few people with skewed ambitions can have an impact on countries far outside their orbit.

Washington Independent Review of Books : Snapshots (July 20, 2012)

I found myself laughing out loud throughout this book. While the jokes themselves are often psychologically perceptive and culturally telling, Buckley’s great novelistic gift is that the jokes advance a briskly compelling story and serve to develop memorable characters.

New York Times : Note to Self About China: Pick a Fight, Any Fight (April 30, 2012)

The Chinese aspects of “They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?” are disappointing. Mr. Buckley’s satirical insights about American-Chinese relations were worth looking forward to, but they will have to stay that way.