This is the first Kinky Friedman book I've read and it was an enjoyable romp - without a great degree of substance - through some anecdotes and a crime story which wasn't really what the book was about. With the author as main character it was unclear how much of this might be fiction and how much fact (I'm assuming the murders were fiction). Kinky tells it like a campfire story, with some homespun wisdom thrown into the pot, some very funny jokes, slivers of information which were quite entertaining, and an easy going prose style. The only problem here is that the plot itself is ramshackle, doesn't really add up, and when it comes to getting to grips with the actual story then Kinky flounders as though he doesn't really want to write about it (we get a lot of repetition in telling us what has already happened, together with speculation over what will happen, but not a lot of actual happening itself). The murderer ultimately is only apprehended through Kinky being at the right place at the right time. It's as loose as a very loose lasso, as coincidence-filled as an episode of Murder She Wrote, but at the same time thoroughly entertaining. Not sure I'm recommending it, but I have another Friedman book on the shelf to read at some point and aren't against picking it up sometime soon.
The most amusing part of this book was the language. The hyperbole is simply astounding in its expression. Much else leaves me wanting more. To be honest, the set up and the characterization were wonderful right up to the point at which Kinky is introduced to the case. Basically Kinky comes home and is thrust into a mystery he doesn't want... such then drives him crazy. I know that Kinky Friedman is often compared to Hunter S Thompson... In form yes. But here there is very little of Thompson's super-critical awareness of culture: Why are we here? What are we doing? Instead in this mystery Kinky has as as much done to him as he does doing. In otherwords he seems to solve the case simply by being present. So no spoilers here, because there isn't much to spoil... Maybe I'm spoiled by the hyperactive detective dramas on tv nowadays. In a way this book was pleasant as it as quick, but mainly because it stayed innocent much like a Nancy Drew mystery story. Some danger, some sexuality. Nothing graphic. I think in part, my expectations were off. Still the language is superb. And in that sense isn't that literally what we read?
What do You think about Armadillos And Old Lace (1996)?
I never read the Kinky books when they were fresh, so the first one I got when I was about to move to TX. This is the second one I've ever read, and this will continue its journey to Europe while bringing a tiny bit of Texas with me.Fast read, funny often enough, and happens not too far from here, in the Hill Country. I could read these occasionally, but for my every day reads I need something with much more action and thrill. I guess that's what separates the mysteries from detectives and thrillers.http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...
—Anna
My husband and I read this aloud (as in do-it-yourself book-on-tape) on our drive across Germany to Dresden. Four hours each way, and Kinky had solved the mystery, gotten the girl, and returned to eating Indian food in NYC. Perfect book for that.For two Texans missing our Hill Country, this book was a nice stroll through familiarity. Kinky perfectly captures the ethos of people in those parts, and does it with an eye for the bizarre and an ear for humor. Whether you're from there or not, he'll keep you smirking and snorting with laughter. Plus, the plot line keeps you interested enough that you'll forget you're stuck in traffic and you have to pee.This was my first Kinky read; but I'm definitely hooked. If you want to try his writing but can't commit to an entire book just yet, I highly recommend the September Texas Monthly article he wrote about harboring a Katrina refugee friend for 2 years.
—Heather
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.
—Barbara Rice
