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Slick
She teases and deceives. She writhes her way across the nation and beyond, seducing us all with her light and noise. Love her or hate her, you can’t escape her. She’s the American media–and nobody understands her better than Scott Singer.
A rising star in the world of public relations, Scott is a master at manipulating the news, especially when the news isn’t good for his clients. To journalists, he’s the dark prince of deception. To others, he’s merely the product of an amoral corporate culture. Not that their opinions matter to Scott, who shelved his ego years ago. It’s the only way to stay sane in a business that thrives on flying off the handle.
The trouble begins on the first day of Sweeps, when a fifteen-year-old girl goes on a fatal shooting spree in her high school cafeteria. For the news networks, it’s a ratings bonanza, especially when clues suggest that the tragedy was loosely inspired by a popular rap song. Suddenly America’s outrage is focused on Hunta, a young L.A. hip-hop artist who was on the verge of becoming a mainstream star. Now he’s Public Enemy Number One, and his life is about to get infinitely worse.
Saving Hunta could be the crowning achievement of Scott’s career, but he knows it won’t be easy. To take control of the story, he’ll have to upstage it. And to do that, he’ll have to engineer a hoax more ambitious and more elaborate than any publicist has ever attempted before.
From the Hardcover edition.
A rising star in the world of public relations, Scott is a master at manipulating the news, especially when the news isn’t good for his clients. To journalists, he’s the dark prince of deception. To others, he’s merely the product of an amoral corporate culture. Not that their opinions matter to Scott, who shelved his ego years ago. It’s the only way to stay sane in a business that thrives on flying off the handle.
The trouble begins on the first day of Sweeps, when a fifteen-year-old girl goes on a fatal shooting spree in her high school cafeteria. For the news networks, it’s a ratings bonanza, especially when clues suggest that the tragedy was loosely inspired by a popular rap song. Suddenly America’s outrage is focused on Hunta, a young L.A. hip-hop artist who was on the verge of becoming a mainstream star. Now he’s Public Enemy Number One, and his life is about to get infinitely worse.
Saving Hunta could be the crowning achievement of Scott’s career, but he knows it won’t be easy. To take control of the story, he’ll have to upstage it. And to do that, he’ll have to engineer a hoax more ambitious and more elaborate than any publicist has ever attempted before.
From the Hardcover edition.
- GenresFictionContemporary
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Daniel Price
4 books391 followersDaniel Price is the author of The Flight of the Silvers, The Song of the Orphans, and Slick, the first of which was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 2014.
His latest novel, The War of the Givens, was published by Penguin Random House/Dutton in March 2024.
He lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his partner Nancy (also a Goodreads author) and her wonderful kids. You can learn more about him and his books at his author site.
His latest novel, The War of the Givens, was published by Penguin Random House/Dutton in March 2024.
He lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his partner Nancy (also a Goodreads author) and her wonderful kids. You can learn more about him and his books at his author site.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 6, 2011
This humorous romp grabbed me before I was even done with the prologue. The witty, sardonic voice of the protagonist kept me laughing and wondering throughout his narration of a twisted tale of media manipulation. It was both believable and outrageous, and had all the trappings of a true-to-life exposé.
My only complaint is that at times it tried to be too true to life, not only juxtaposing the names of real celebrities and events among its fictional elements, but frequently going too far into the arcane details of those "reality" moments. I enjoy it when a book uses pop culture touchstones to anchor it to the world we inhabit, but if the events are so obscure as to need that much explaining to the reader, then they become wonkish rather than cultural markers.
That said, I waited with bated breath to find out which way the story would end; it was anything but predictable. That's the mark of a tale well told.
My only complaint is that at times it tried to be too true to life, not only juxtaposing the names of real celebrities and events among its fictional elements, but frequently going too far into the arcane details of those "reality" moments. I enjoy it when a book uses pop culture touchstones to anchor it to the world we inhabit, but if the events are so obscure as to need that much explaining to the reader, then they become wonkish rather than cultural markers.
That said, I waited with bated breath to find out which way the story would end; it was anything but predictable. That's the mark of a tale well told.
October 26, 2014
Read this one based off the wonderfully written "Flight of the Silvers" by the same author. Let's just say based on his first two novels, Daniel Price has a long and bright future ahead of him... And at least one faithful reader! This was a great book!
August 8, 2007
daniel price is a GOD!! i loved this from start to finish.
October 26, 2021
I really wanted to rate this 3.5 stars but this book was good enough that I can feel okay about rounding up. I think this book was a bit longer than it needed to be and I was slightly disappointed by the ending but once I got thru the first third or so the book got really good!
It was a fun look at media manipulation that had a fuzzy line between fiction and reality. The book is a bit dated now but I still found it worth the read. It was very eye opening about journalism and pop culture.
It was a fun look at media manipulation that had a fuzzy line between fiction and reality. The book is a bit dated now but I still found it worth the read. It was very eye opening about journalism and pop culture.
July 22, 2015
Don't let the length of time it took me to read this book be any indication of how much I loved it! This was one of those books that I picked up just because I like the author, knowing very little of what the book was about. It only took a couple chapters for me to be completely hooked. I fell in love with Scott Singer and wasn't ready to let him go so I took my time with him, I meant, the book...took my time with the book :-)
I was not expecting this book to be so entertaining. Daniel Price did a good job of letting us getting to know and understand many of the characters without taking too much away from our main guy. These characters were unique and real without being too stereotypical.
Let me just end this by saying Daniel Price is an excellent writer. I've read another book of his, totally different genre, but the writing was still awesome. I'll be adding more of his books to my queue. I really wish I Scott and I were facebook friends so I could see how he's doing now lol
I was not expecting this book to be so entertaining. Daniel Price did a good job of letting us getting to know and understand many of the characters without taking too much away from our main guy. These characters were unique and real without being too stereotypical.
Let me just end this by saying Daniel Price is an excellent writer. I've read another book of his, totally different genre, but the writing was still awesome. I'll be adding more of his books to my queue. I really wish I Scott and I were facebook friends so I could see how he's doing now lol
September 3, 2007
Liked the bits of random trivia about the whole PR business.
November 21, 2017
i got to know daniel price through his "silvers" series and went back to read his first book "slick" while waiting for the third book in the silvers to come out.
i wasn't sure what to expect, but what i got was a pleasant surprise.
"slick" is a very unique tale about a freelance publicist who will go to almost any lengths to serve his clients.
the book is touted as an expose of the underbelly of the great western media beast, but turns our to be an aggressive exploration of the complications of the human psyche.
a man who appears to have no moral compass whatsoever in the beginning turns out to more morally sound than most after the book takes time to get to know him.
excellent character presentations as well. i fell in love with both the deaf jean and her daughter early on and was completely infatuated with them both by the end.
excellent story about digging yourself a hole and crawling out of it a little less intact than before.
one thing i can say to mr. price is: thank god you learned a bit about breaking up a page before you tackled "flight of the silvers" your command of language and your entertaining prose got me through the steady onslaught of gigantic paragraphs.
all in all, a great first novel.
i wasn't sure what to expect, but what i got was a pleasant surprise.
"slick" is a very unique tale about a freelance publicist who will go to almost any lengths to serve his clients.
the book is touted as an expose of the underbelly of the great western media beast, but turns our to be an aggressive exploration of the complications of the human psyche.
a man who appears to have no moral compass whatsoever in the beginning turns out to more morally sound than most after the book takes time to get to know him.
excellent character presentations as well. i fell in love with both the deaf jean and her daughter early on and was completely infatuated with them both by the end.
excellent story about digging yourself a hole and crawling out of it a little less intact than before.
one thing i can say to mr. price is: thank god you learned a bit about breaking up a page before you tackled "flight of the silvers" your command of language and your entertaining prose got me through the steady onslaught of gigantic paragraphs.
all in all, a great first novel.
July 8, 2026
Fast and furious, a debut novel that races across its 450 pages with shades of Fight Club and American Psycho-styled narration, and a comparisons to Will Self and Kurt Vonnegut feel earned, and helpful. Like Self, Price is able to move from bleak, heavily satirical humour to out and out vengeful farce. And like Vonnegut, he’s a trained, focused cynic.
January 3, 2018
Loved it for the first 300 pages or so but after that just wanted the author to wrap it up already. He himself poked fun at the length of the book, but could have just trimmed the fat instead. A leaner book would have gotten 5 stars.
June 22, 2018
I can’t say I know much about the rap industry, but it was a lot of fun going through all of the best laid plans, all of the larger than life characters and then watching things unravel, not quite sure until the very end what the ultimate outcome would be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2019
A celebrity gets into a jam, and his PR rep uncorks a daring plan. Sounds dumb but was actually very entertaining and funny, 3.5*. Really liked the protagonist, would read more books about this character.
October 23, 2019
/plot, characters, writing, pacing, development/
GIN AND MEDICINE.
GIN AND MEDICINE.
“HE’LL PROBABLY BE SHORT.”
UGHHHHHHHHHH. I AM IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE.
GIN AND MEDICINE.
GIN AND MEDICINE.
“HE’LL PROBABLY BE SHORT.”
UGHHHHHHHHHH. I AM IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE.
January 12, 2010
a friend of mine recommended this one to me. i opened it up and read the first few pages -- a pr agent's wild media stunt. within the first 2 pages i could see jeremy piven in the lead role of a movie based on this book... slick is the story of a 'slick' pr guy, who has the heart of gold.
price's style reminds me a bit of old noir mysteries. or maybe even david mamet. he uses tight, clipped phrasing, and scott, our pr guy, has a tough exterior bullets can't penetrate. i'll admit that the phrasing seemed so artificial at first that i didn't think i'd see beyond that and get into the story. luckily, price is a gifted story teller, and the rhythm did find me. what i didn't expect based on this beginning, was that there's much more to scott than meets the eye. i don't want to say too much on this subject for fear of ruining this for future readers, but i enjoyed peeling back the layers to scott. i think you will too.
the plot itself has some fun twists and turns... and its hard to NOT learn about advertising as you read this. i have a natural interest in marketing, so i probably loved this bit of education more than the average reader would.
all in all, i enjoyed this book more than i thought i would. i absolutely love pleasant surprises, and this is one of them. i've heard this one is out of print, so it may be a challenge to get your hands on a copy. its worth it if you do.
my friend got his copy for $2.
price's style reminds me a bit of old noir mysteries. or maybe even david mamet. he uses tight, clipped phrasing, and scott, our pr guy, has a tough exterior bullets can't penetrate. i'll admit that the phrasing seemed so artificial at first that i didn't think i'd see beyond that and get into the story. luckily, price is a gifted story teller, and the rhythm did find me. what i didn't expect based on this beginning, was that there's much more to scott than meets the eye. i don't want to say too much on this subject for fear of ruining this for future readers, but i enjoyed peeling back the layers to scott. i think you will too.
the plot itself has some fun twists and turns... and its hard to NOT learn about advertising as you read this. i have a natural interest in marketing, so i probably loved this bit of education more than the average reader would.
all in all, i enjoyed this book more than i thought i would. i absolutely love pleasant surprises, and this is one of them. i've heard this one is out of print, so it may be a challenge to get your hands on a copy. its worth it if you do.
my friend got his copy for $2.
June 17, 2014
It is very rare to find a book that is so readable and fun yet so intricate. Reading it is like opening a Chinese puzzle box with prizes inside. I can understand after reading this book and Price's other book, Flight of the Silvers, why there were several years in between. Writing a book like this and the Flight of the Silvers is a lot of work. In both cases here, the work is very well done and pays off for the reader like a well aged vintage wine.
July 28, 2014
I thought this novel was going to be full of the dirty tricks of an amoral publicist--which would have been fun to read--but it developed into a pretty well done human drama. The main protagonist is a bit of a cipher and not always 100% sympathetic, but the book kept me interested throughout.
One nice feature was the slice of time presented. The book took me back to the early 2000s quite well.
One nice feature was the slice of time presented. The book took me back to the early 2000s quite well.
December 26, 2014
An enjoyable read and one that makes you think many times about how our opinion is manipulated by people who make it their business to ensure that we have the "right" opinion of their clients. I didn't like the main character but he was fascinating to watch in action. I'm not sure I liked any of the characters but they were all interesting people.
April 11, 2008
Politics...PR...the music industry...news media...love and lust...all of these are melded into a car chase style race for integrity in Daniel Price's book. For a work of fiction, Price fits quite a lot of (non-preachy) discourse into this book. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
June 18, 2009
This is a great book. I have to say I picked up based on the fact its cover design smacked me in the face, but it was earnestly fun. The main character's trip is ridiculous if not funny. Especially enjoyed the explanation of PR companies hiring other PR companies. This was a generally fun story.
February 4, 2014
It's not just a smart, witty and entertaining novel. It also has depth, is insightful; the characters all really come to life and it also has a great balance between storyline and characters.
This book really rocks! The plot is both complicated and very simple - just great.
This book really rocks! The plot is both complicated and very simple - just great.
March 12, 2014
I'm writing this review six years after I read the book, so I don't remember many details. What I do remember is that I absolutely loved it! The ending was rather unpredictable too. It was so good that I should actually read it again.
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November 27, 2010
Skillful, skillful, skillful character development, plot, and fascinating premise. Ambiguity explored
July 10, 2011
A really fun page-turner about a decent guy who's job is sleezy... but I think the general idea in the story is the same type of plot that explains the whole Dan Rather-Bush National Gaurd memo.
August 9, 2011
I have to read it again. And again. And again...
January 1, 2012
A novel about a guy in public relations. I could not get interested and put it down after 30 pages.
March 29, 2013
Never have I read such an interesting and well-written book about the world of spin (or media and PR as it is popularly known!!). Kudos to the author ... !
December 10, 2013
Hilariois, whitty, must read when you work in the music industry or as a pr agent. I agree with Metro's review: " an intelligent piece of zeitgeist literature"
May 19, 2014
Read this after another book of his. Totally different genre, but awesome none the less. His writing is super compelling to me. Definitely enjoyed the story and how this went.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews