An Orwellian dystopia in the guise of a fast-paced thriller, this is a coolly satirical novel laced with humor, suspense, and intrigue. Welcome to Brighton, a city ruled by a combination of patronage and armed force. After years of civil conflict, gated communities separate government workers from the Scoomers cruising the streets in their battered Fiats. But in a secure area four couples from the town's elite keep up a tenuous version of middle class life. They attend each others' dinner parties and drink and gossip. And then, driving home from a party, Jack and Denise witness a fatal car crash involving one of the Councilors. As the inevitable by-election approaches, they and the people they know are increasingly enmeshed in the town's political maneuvering and the violence of the streets outside begins to touch even their lives.