Roll The Dice by Wayne Avrashow

Tyler Sloan is a career rocker. Started out in a garage band, moved up to become the front man for an established touring rock band, then as a legendary singer. Legendary enough to become the focal point of a resident Vegas show. Went through rehab early, but stayed clean since. Married, now divorced from his pill popping ex, a preteen daughter living with mom in LA. Multiple platinum records with memories of not hundreds, but thousands of women, including a sex tape of a threesome.

And don’t forget his family. Wonderful mom who died too young, the favored brother, J.R. who was being groomed to follow dad in the family business who also died too young in a single car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway.

The family biz you ask? Politics. Dad began as a state legislator and moved up to become a popular governor of California before narrowly losing his party’s nomination to run for President.  Yes, the Sloan’s ran in some high cotton.

Tyler is amid a long run in Vegas when the Nevada Senator dies, so the state has to hold a special election to fill the seat. The two parties are putting up the usual suspects. One is a guy with lots of experience in government, but is a bit of a nutcase. The other is an attractive  woman who really is a re-tread of the recently departed Senator. So Tyler decides to trade in his notoriety from the entertainment field and make his first run at politics for the US Senate. As an independent. He’s wealthy enough he needs no corporate money and only accepts donations of $100 or less. Seeks no endorsements or PAC money.

An outsider threatening to upset the Senate because there is currently an even split between the parties. If Tyler wins, he could seriously upset the balance of power in the Senate. And everyone in DC knows making some quite nervous.

Oh, yeah. And his female opponent? She was one of the two women in Tyler’s videoed threesome. Can you spell Awkward?

Roll The Dice is then a behind the curtain look at the politics of running for office. The ass-kissing. The stumps. How to dress, how to speak, how to shake hands, how to stand, how to hold the lectern, the ins and out of wielding power, yadda, yadda, yadda all the while, Tyler is trying to reconcile with his mostly estranged Governor Father.

Avrashow takes us on a bit of a roller coaster ride as Sloan tries to feel his way around the various landmines that populate politics. Avrashow is especially hard on the media as it tries to chip away at Sloan’s background and family history to find anything spicy about Sloan and maybe maneuver for a Pulitizer.

Nice easy read. While it won’t ever be confused with All The President’s Men, it is certainly not bad. Might make an interesting limited series on TV. 

East Coast Don