God Bless John Wayne

Kinky Friedman #8

by Kinky Friedman (Artist)

Again ensconced in his quaintly appointed Lower Manhattan loft, Kinky Friedman, ace private eye, takes the deceptively tame assignment of helping his pal Ratso find his real mother. But a job that begins with some ungenteel poking around in a dusty New York warehouse leads to even untidier mayhem.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Humor, Detective, Mystery Thriller

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 1995

About the author

Richard 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

Reviews

[Ricky Ginsburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinky Friedman describes a scene in such meticulous detail that a blind person can see everything clearly. Even when you think the plot train has slipped off the rails, it seems to right itself and leave you surprised that you doubted his ability. Pacing is tight and almost relentless. Each chapter ending with a cliffhanger that will have you slapping your thigh.

The amazing cast of characters is here, along with the silent cat. With a plot that twists more times than a licorice stick, you'll be loathe to put this one down until the last page. Decades ago, I read these books and had to buy new copies to read them all again. My pile of paperbacks is growing and so is my love for Kinky's prose.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a Kinky Friedman novel is not about the plot, or the title, or anything that you'd expect in a normal setting to make sense - reading a Kinky novel is about the pure joy of escapism in a nonsense world where everything feels effortlessly cool and laid back and where Jewish cowboys kick off their boots and relax in a NYC apartment with a black cat, two blowers, Jameson, ciggars and a puppet-head. We're all that Jewish cowboy deep down. Unadulterated joy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I don't like books that sum everything up in the very last two pages all neat and tidy with a brief Shazam!!, but this is all killer and no filler all the way through and the quick end seemed right, this was another corker of a read and I laughed so much I nearly pooped! I love Kinky books!

[John Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading this years later. Although published in the 90s, it seems set in the early 80s. Kinky's mysteries are more about the journey than the destination, so you have the recurring jokes that remind the reader of watching GET SMART. You know the book will have the same jokes as the previous volume, but in what chapters will the Kinkster use them?

[Snakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t say enough about Friedman. Potboiler comedic mysteries with a postmodern flair (because he’s the detective). I’m just sorry this series ends and he’s not writing any more. In my opinion this one was on par with the very good ones in the series and just a tiny step below the great ones in the series.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the Kinkster is like spending time with your extremely entertaining, slightly disturbed uncle. Everyone needs a little crazy in their life, and he delivers. It almost doesn't matter what the story is, it's just fun to revel in the words. He's entirely, across the board, politically incorrect in all directions. That's his, well, not charm exactly, but it's certainly his trademark.

[Harold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure if Friedman's writing style is aging poorly, or if it just wasn't working for me. A genuinely dull central mystery, wrapped up in tired private-eye cliches, hackneyed one-liners, and characters that aren't nearly as cool, clever, or funny as they think they are. At least is was a pretty quick read.

[Lisa Stethem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinks books are the books I read in the bathroom so it takes me longer but I will admit, this book made me cry in the middle. I'm not going to tell you why but it feels like the characters are family. Glad it had a decent ending.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow this book made me laugh about a bizarre search for a (wealthy) birth mother. Friedman is what I read when the real world is just too, too ridiculous and therefore his world somehow looks sane.

[Lorlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful romp

[Bryan D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. The tale was fun until the last leg which dragged to a predictable ending. Still, it was nice to return to the world of Kinky Friedman.

[J.S. Bratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If you always spent your time trying to entertain women and cats, life could be a hard room to work."
The same could be said about writing pithy novels and running for governor of Texas.

[MkB · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something very charming about Kinky Friedman's writing, and plenty of good one-liners. Plus, he clearly has the real love of his source material (detective novels) required to pull off a satirical take. Also, there's something wonderful about a detective novel in which the detective does exactly nothing of use for the whole story.

I bumped it down from four stars, though, because he goes for the cheap narrative gag too often--frequently neglecting to set up the best jokes with a straight line.

[Martinw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange thing. I can't possibly give more than three stars to this book, it feels too much like Kinky does not take this whole writing thing very serious himself.
But it was fun! It seems like Friedman gives not too much thought on the story, on twists or subplots or such things, but focuses rather on his style and funny formulation. This would normally turn me off, but Kinky manages to get back on track every time before I start thinking "Stop rambling and get on with the Story!"
So, three thumbs up, and we will meet again, mate.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title was misleading, I don't really know why he chose it. The plot has nothing to do with John Wayne. In fact, the only time he is mentioned is in a brief anecdote.

The story itself was slow moving and the climax was almost non-existent. All of a sudden, the story was over and then there were a few pages of wrap-up details.

[Regan Sharp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soft-boiled private dick schtick. Henny Youngman meets Raymond Chandler meets Foghorn Leghorn. A gaggle of goofy one-liners grasping for life on a narrowly constructed plot about a guy named Ratso looking for his biological mother. Beyond all reason, I plodded halfway through this non-stimulating non-suspenseful nonsense before I called it quits.

[bigmuzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one puts kinky back onto the streets of new york with the Village Irregulars, on the seemingly innocent trail to find out the true identity of Ratso...until people start resorting to murder to keep this a secret... this is a good kinky book in the great kinky style. puts me in the mood to drink jameson's and smoke cigars...

[John Fossett · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining yarn with plenty of mystery, cigars, alcohol consumption and colorful characters. For those of you pining for a mid-90s gonzo caper, this may be your book. Sadly, Kinky's work does not look as good through the lens of equity, diversity and inclusion and hasn't age as well as expected.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Populated with some strange characters that all seem to fit together somehow. Uses some interesting terms for everyday objects and phrases that takes a bit to get used to but fun. Love the cat. An entertaining if zany read.

[Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Hunter S. Thompson wrote hard-boiled...

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good; Continuing character: Kinky Friedman; search for a friend's mother results in more trouble than anticipated; tough starting mid-series with a strange cast of characters and writing style