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Kinky Friedman #7
Armadillos & Old Lace
The Kinkster is back and in top supersleuth form. In Armadillos & Old Lace, the hip, witty, cosmically cryptic poet returns to once again ponder the imponderables and disentangle a mystery or two, and this time he's temporarily forsaking the mean streets of Manhattan for his old Texas stomping grounds. When Kinky Friedman decides it's time to take a break from big-city murder and mayhem, he transports himself and his cat to Texas to get back to his roots, to commune with his dad, to play with his pet armadillo, and to blow the city soot from his fevered brain. Kinky arrives at his family's combination ranch/summer camp for boys and girls to find urgent messages from Pat Knox, the local justice of the peace (who got that job by beating Kinky in what clearly had to have been a rigged election). It seems Her Honor is a tad concerned that little old ladies in the area are dropping dead at an alarming rate. Fearing something foul is afoot, she persuades Kinky to undertake some sleuthing. Undaunted by the thought of running up against the toughest lady sheriff in Texas and only a little perturbed by a mass of swarming bees, the Kinkster takes off in his talking car to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Several bunches of yellow roses and a faded photograph taken many years ago of ten pretty girls dressed in white and ready for the cotillion are just the clues Kinky needs to finally unravel a devious scheme of revenge for personal wrongs and social snobbery. A colorful Texas story of the cosmic variety, Armadillos & Old Lace is Kinky Friedman at his dead-level best, mixing his irresistible irreverence with a really great mystery.
233 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
16 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Kinky Friedman
70 books288 followersRichard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the six-person race.
Friedman was born in Chicago to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. The family moved to a ranch in central Texas a few years later. Friedman had an early interest in both music and chess, and was chosen at age 7 as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous matches in Houston. Reshevsky won all 50 matches, but Friedman was by far the youngest competitor.
Friedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas in 1962 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in Psychology. He took part in the Plan II Honors program and was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. During his freshman year, Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.
Friedman served two years in the United States Peace Corps, teaching on Borneo in Malaysia with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future Texas Jewboy road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he still works today. Friedman lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrville, Texas. He founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville, whose mission is to care for stray, abused and aging animals; more than 1,000 dogs have been saved from animal euthanasia.
Series:
* Kinky Friedman Mystery
Friedman was born in Chicago to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. The family moved to a ranch in central Texas a few years later. Friedman had an early interest in both music and chess, and was chosen at age 7 as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous matches in Houston. Reshevsky won all 50 matches, but Friedman was by far the youngest competitor.
Friedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas in 1962 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in Psychology. He took part in the Plan II Honors program and was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. During his freshman year, Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.
Friedman served two years in the United States Peace Corps, teaching on Borneo in Malaysia with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future Texas Jewboy road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he still works today. Friedman lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrville, Texas. He founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville, whose mission is to care for stray, abused and aging animals; more than 1,000 dogs have been saved from animal euthanasia.
Series:
* Kinky Friedman Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 11, 2016
It needed more armadillos and less lace.
Aside from that, this is a pleasant and occasionally delightful read. Kinky reminds me of no one so much as a menopausal Izzy Spellman. He shuttles between NYC to his family’s remote Texas ranch for kids, dragging nostalgia around like a suitcase.
“I’d become somewhat ambivalent about performing country music gigs lately and I’d come to realize that anyone who uses the word ‘ambivalent’ probably shouldn’t have been a country singer in the first place.”
After a send-off from the NY crew, he and his cat head to Texas. Plans to relax at the ranch and resume his job of hummingbird feeder-filler and laundry lackey are derailed by the spitfire justice of the peace, Pat Knox, who is convinced there is a serial killer bumping off little old ladies. Kinky thinks Pat is crazy as a betsy-bug and tries to avoid investigating, as his track record seems to have been problematic.
“Over the past few years I’d tried my fine Hebrew hand as an amateur detective in the city, resulting in both the criminals and the policemen not being my friends. I was an equal opportunity offender.”
It’s true; between his sideways humor and ever-present cigar, Kinky does have a habit of offending, even when he is kind enough to leave his cigar outside the library. But when some preliminary research gives him unique insight, he feels he has a duty to investigate.
The best part about this story isn’t the mystery; its the route you take getting there. In a strange way, Kinky reminds me of Bertie Wooster, perhaps because he is so relentlessly himself as he cultivates obliviousness. Between the conversations with the cat and his car– “the door is ajar“– I find the ol’ nasolabial folds curving upward.
“With the cat gone, there wasn’t even anyone around to talk to. When you have to talk to a cat that isn’t there, you might as well be talking to yourself.”
That said, the mystery is decent, although it has an obvious red herring. The reader can’t really solve it before Kinky, so at least it avoids the desire to shake the main character into awareness. As the story progresses, more attention shifts to the mystery and less to Kinky’s life at the ranch. The armadillo, ‘Dilly,’ only makes one brief appearance–I would have enjoyed a bit more of Kinky’s shenanigans and maybe one less elderly lady, as the best part is definitely the clever writing along the way that gives rise to more than a few smiles.
I had this one in my personal library for years, attracted by the title and the great cover. I finally read (reread?) in an effort to clean off shelves, but guess I won't be sending it on to the used book store.
“You’ve never held a real job as long as I’ve known you,” Rambam was saying. “What makes you think you need a vacation?”
“It’s not a vacation,” I said, quoting my sister Marcie. “It’s a lifestyle.”
Three and a half stars, rounding up for smiles.
Aside from that, this is a pleasant and occasionally delightful read. Kinky reminds me of no one so much as a menopausal Izzy Spellman. He shuttles between NYC to his family’s remote Texas ranch for kids, dragging nostalgia around like a suitcase.
“I’d become somewhat ambivalent about performing country music gigs lately and I’d come to realize that anyone who uses the word ‘ambivalent’ probably shouldn’t have been a country singer in the first place.”
After a send-off from the NY crew, he and his cat head to Texas. Plans to relax at the ranch and resume his job of hummingbird feeder-filler and laundry lackey are derailed by the spitfire justice of the peace, Pat Knox, who is convinced there is a serial killer bumping off little old ladies. Kinky thinks Pat is crazy as a betsy-bug and tries to avoid investigating, as his track record seems to have been problematic.
“Over the past few years I’d tried my fine Hebrew hand as an amateur detective in the city, resulting in both the criminals and the policemen not being my friends. I was an equal opportunity offender.”
It’s true; between his sideways humor and ever-present cigar, Kinky does have a habit of offending, even when he is kind enough to leave his cigar outside the library. But when some preliminary research gives him unique insight, he feels he has a duty to investigate.
The best part about this story isn’t the mystery; its the route you take getting there. In a strange way, Kinky reminds me of Bertie Wooster, perhaps because he is so relentlessly himself as he cultivates obliviousness. Between the conversations with the cat and his car– “the door is ajar“– I find the ol’ nasolabial folds curving upward.
“With the cat gone, there wasn’t even anyone around to talk to. When you have to talk to a cat that isn’t there, you might as well be talking to yourself.”
That said, the mystery is decent, although it has an obvious red herring. The reader can’t really solve it before Kinky, so at least it avoids the desire to shake the main character into awareness. As the story progresses, more attention shifts to the mystery and less to Kinky’s life at the ranch. The armadillo, ‘Dilly,’ only makes one brief appearance–I would have enjoyed a bit more of Kinky’s shenanigans and maybe one less elderly lady, as the best part is definitely the clever writing along the way that gives rise to more than a few smiles.
I had this one in my personal library for years, attracted by the title and the great cover. I finally read (reread?) in an effort to clean off shelves, but guess I won't be sending it on to the used book store.
“You’ve never held a real job as long as I’ve known you,” Rambam was saying. “What makes you think you need a vacation?”
“It’s not a vacation,” I said, quoting my sister Marcie. “It’s a lifestyle.”
Three and a half stars, rounding up for smiles.
August 5, 2021
The first thing you have to love about Kinky Friedman are his titles. Next is his amazing overuse of metaphors. If it were any other writer, the number of times the word "like" is used would doom his books in the eyes of most writers. But he makes them work and, after a while, you actually look forward to them.
The plot seems to fall off the rails, but in doing so, it's just merely changing tracks, still heading toward a solution. One thing that's certain, once you start reading this or any of Kinky Friedman's other works, you won't be able to put it down.
The plot seems to fall off the rails, but in doing so, it's just merely changing tracks, still heading toward a solution. One thing that's certain, once you start reading this or any of Kinky Friedman's other works, you won't be able to put it down.
June 11, 2014
Good mystery, interesting setting. I guess I wish there had been more of the clever dialogue and play on words that other books in this series had. Worth reading, but probably not the book you should pick to start reading the series. I'm glad I read it, though.
May 15, 2019
The seventh Kinky mystery and a jaunt to the Texas Hill Country. I’m simply in love with Kinky’s language and the way he tells a story. He’s ever the anti-hero and knows how to poke fun at himself. And the mysteries he’s trying to solve are always quirky and unique. Then to top it off there’s always an underlying wisdom in his books. Thankfully there’s a lot more of these; unfortunately he’s no longer adding to that list.
December 14, 2020
Still astonished this was a five star read, but there they are, goddamn it, five stars: that's how much I felt the Kinkster's bittersweet ending.
April 24, 2009
I picked up this book because I needed something disposable for a long plane ride: a mindless, amusing read that I could leave behind when I exited the plane. It pretty much fulfilled those requirements.
Friedman might be a better writer if he wasn't so obsessed with inserting a yuk in every paragraph. The damn-I'm-funny got old by the second chapter. I did laugh out loud at one section where he described meeting an elderly couple - "her name was Marsupial or something" - but that was the only really funny spot. It kept me occupied for a couple of hours and that was about it.
I hope someone on the United Airlines cleaning crew is enjoying it.
Friedman might be a better writer if he wasn't so obsessed with inserting a yuk in every paragraph. The damn-I'm-funny got old by the second chapter. I did laugh out loud at one section where he described meeting an elderly couple - "her name was Marsupial or something" - but that was the only really funny spot. It kept me occupied for a couple of hours and that was about it.
I hope someone on the United Airlines cleaning crew is enjoying it.
November 13, 2020
Full disclosure, I love crime books, esp. hard boiled detective novels and the presence of wry humor makes 'em even better for me. I hadn't read any Kinky Friedman in a long time and stumbled over this long-owned yet still unread entry during a reorganization. It's vintage Friedman, loaded with his speed-of-thought wit and clever turn-of-phrase. The story itself is relatively straightforward, even if the setting is not, but the story is not really the point, it's merely a frame on which to hang interesting characters and amusing dialog. So, if you like very funny, hard boiled detective fiction, then like me, you'll enjoy this to the tune of 4/5 stars!
August 14, 2012
Kinky crawls into your head, lights his cigar, clears his throat with a glass slipper of Jameson, and proceeds to make a dream catcher out of beer cans. In Armadillos and Old Lace, he captures the essence of Franklin Dixon in the amber of colloquial Texas; then finds it in his heart to make himself the humble protagonist. He violates a few words for the sake of their bastard puns, but he pays the support check with Gilmoresque wit and a lighthearted approach to Jewish vernacular. The story isn't bad either.
July 5, 2012
Own First Edition signed copy
November 29, 2021
I haven't had a night of insomnia for months so last Saturday night was a real shock to my now-calibrated system, but this was a pleasant enough read for the day following a night when I came wide awake at 3 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I actually started reading it about 7, but I was so exhausted it took a couple of days to finish. Or maybe it was the fact that the "mystery" is a very weak excuse for the author's rambling nostalgia for his past at his parents' summer camp for kids in Kerrville, Texas. Anyone who went to one of those kid camps in the seventies (and maybe even yet) will recognise the songs, the games, the stories. Which is all well and wholesome and good, but it's also an obvious way for Friedman to stretch a very thin storyline into as many pages as possible. I figured out who the killer was the moment that person put in an appearance, but had to soldier on through a hundred or more pages to the unconvincing, silly end. You know it's silly when the guy has to include a nursing-home joke to make it pass. If he hadn't forced the puns and the story quite so far, I might have given it another star. It was better than the other Friedman books I've read, but that really isn't saying much.
His many mentions of his singing career made me look him up on Youtube, only to discover that he talk-sings his "songs", and like his humour, they aren't as good as he thinks they are. The puns are laboured and so are the "melodies." Okay for a zero day, but I won't be losing any sleep looking for another book.
His many mentions of his singing career made me look him up on Youtube, only to discover that he talk-sings his "songs", and like his humour, they aren't as good as he thinks they are. The puns are laboured and so are the "melodies." Okay for a zero day, but I won't be losing any sleep looking for another book.
October 6, 2022
In this novel, Kinky returns to to the Echo Hill ranch in Texas, where his parents have run a summer camp since the 1950s. His mother has passed, and his father has taken over the task of feeding the hummingbirds and continuing to oversee camp operations. Kinky joins in with his guitar to entertain the kids, sometimes with lyrics he wrote in his own camping days (how I wish I had the tune to the song about the nosepicker--my grandson is just at the right age to appreciate it).
The mystery concerns the murders of a group of old women. Again, Kinky includes characters from his real life -- including Judge Knox; he ran against her in an election campaign for Justice of the Peace. Figuring out the clue that connects all the murdered women was a challenge, and I admit I had an idea who the culprit might be (but not any idea of his motive, which was a real surprise at the end).
What I liked most about this book was Kinky's descriptions of the ranch, and the campers, and life in Texas among ordinary Texans. Outside of the big cities, it seems like a right nice place to be.
The mystery concerns the murders of a group of old women. Again, Kinky includes characters from his real life -- including Judge Knox; he ran against her in an election campaign for Justice of the Peace. Figuring out the clue that connects all the murdered women was a challenge, and I admit I had an idea who the culprit might be (but not any idea of his motive, which was a real surprise at the end).
What I liked most about this book was Kinky's descriptions of the ranch, and the campers, and life in Texas among ordinary Texans. Outside of the big cities, it seems like a right nice place to be.
February 14, 2025
'Start talkin' ... yeah, da Kinkstah is back, on Texas rocky scrub for this one, his Hill Country family ranch that host kids' retreats and is run by his folks with a few locals an such, critters everywhere, hell sakes it's Texas. There's ladies and old ladies who figure heavy though no knock on heavy .. they're the givers an takers in the plot jot here. Our ciggar-chompin' NY'r out-of-water fish was really an in-the-desert armadillo which minimally figures here too, mostly as a good title. So does for a second a wheelbarrow .. an ends w/a negro leagues reference, but the murderin' & detectin' get done with the usual flair for dropped tropes, lit/refs, corny existential vs biblical weigh-offs and, of course agitato moments where a cord & shower rod seem the best choice. Maybe just a cigar w/espresso will do. Da Kinkstah is dead; long live KINKY!
November 8, 2017
It's been years since I've read Kinky and oh I was delighted to return to his world; this tale moves to Texas where someone is killing old ladies.
Kinky spends some time trying not to get involved in the case but some inventive deaths will always get one's attention and before long himself, the cat and an Armadillo are in for an interesting summer in Texas.
I met Kinky at a concert in the Cork Opera house where he signed my second volume of his work and the depiction in the books are very similar to the man himself.
Nice quick who dunnits are what I require so close to the end of 2017, so close to accomplishing my year read, will I complete it? Doesn't really matter as long as the book's are entertaining.
Kinky spends some time trying not to get involved in the case but some inventive deaths will always get one's attention and before long himself, the cat and an Armadillo are in for an interesting summer in Texas.
I met Kinky at a concert in the Cork Opera house where he signed my second volume of his work and the depiction in the books are very similar to the man himself.
Nice quick who dunnits are what I require so close to the end of 2017, so close to accomplishing my year read, will I complete it? Doesn't really matter as long as the book's are entertaining.
April 27, 2018
Because I only read one every couple of years, I enjoy the Kinky Friedman crimebooks. The problem is that they are very similar, although this one benefits from being set in the Texas Hill country. There is the usual collection of eccentrics, chief among them being Kinky himself and the plot is well structured. I look forward to the next one (I have checked and there are still two to read on my ever growing piles).
August 1, 2018
In the midst of my move to theTx hill country, I'm happy to have run across this crazy mystery set in the area I'm most interested in getting to know. I'd read a couple other books of his so am familiar with his writin style.
When he mentioned a restaurant in Kerrville I looked it up, thinking, no way is that a real place. But it is, and we went, and spent a pleasant day in Kerrville.
I love the mesh of truth and fiction and descriptions of wildlife and hill country towns. Lots of fun.
When he mentioned a restaurant in Kerrville I looked it up, thinking, no way is that a real place. But it is, and we went, and spent a pleasant day in Kerrville.
I love the mesh of truth and fiction and descriptions of wildlife and hill country towns. Lots of fun.
January 14, 2025
Poorly written, boring, too many words. There seemed to be a great attempt at humor, but it was mostly gratuitous humor that fell flat and seemed to be there in order to take up space. There was also too much cigar smoke. The only thing I really liked was the reminder that years ago when you made a long distance call you had three minutes to say what you had to say. After that you had to pay extra. Something like that might have worked for this book.
June 17, 2020
Kinky is back home in Texas for the summer and his former rival, who won the election for justice of the peace, asks him to investigate a series of what she sees as suspicious deaths of elderly ladies. Enjoy all Kinky's pithy comments as he meanders through the Texas Hill Country and solves the string of unique murders.
I read this again for our RAD (Read and Discuss) Texas book club.
I read this again for our RAD (Read and Discuss) Texas book club.
June 1, 2022
This was a decent enough mystery and investigation. There’s a lot of fluff as the main character connects with family members and old acquaintances. Even though this was the seventh book in the series, I didn’t feel I missed anything by not reading the previous books.
May 20, 2023
Not exactly sure how to digest this book. It begins reading almost as a biography, and ends like a fictional mystery! Almost a little too long winded for me! Confounding and fascinating all at the same time. But I would definitely re-read this book.
August 27, 2017
Oh dear. Now I'll have to read all of his books....
September 30, 2018
Typical KF: humorous, self-sarcastic, controversial, enjoyful read with a touch of mystery and some local ambience
November 18, 2018
Another great tale
Kinky visits Texas and his family ranch sentimental with out saccharine a page turner! Go for it! You will
Smile.
Kinky visits Texas and his family ranch sentimental with out saccharine a page turner! Go for it! You will
Smile.
February 17, 2019
Mind Candy, pulp fiction. A cup of tea...just not MY cup of tea.
September 17, 2019
Just lots of fun. Kinky is home on the ranch. Tracking down why all the old ladies are dying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
I think Kinky is one very good writer. Among todays writers he's great. This is one of his better efforts.
September 6, 2020
The jokes are good. The observations very good. The plot is terrible. I got who done it and I never do.
A fun read to cheer you up like hanging out with an old friend.
A fun read to cheer you up like hanging out with an old friend.
Read
August 28, 2021Mediocre
December 13, 2021
(review coming)
June 13, 2024
This was fine. Really wanted to like it more but it's sorta just fine. Feel like you'd have to get in love with the narrators voice to dig it and I didn't. Also the casual 90s homophobia.
December 4, 2024
I judged a book by its cover and it turned out to be exactly what I expected. Everything you know is a lie
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews