Armadillos & Old Lace [Hardcover]

Kinky Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

The popular author of Elvis, Jesus, and Coca-Cola returns with a saucy, irreverent murder mystery. When Kinky arrives at his parents' dude ranch, he discovers little old ladies in the area are dying at an alarming rate. A faded photograph of ten girls dressed in white is just the clue Kinky needs to unravel the mystery.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Droll yuks and the irascible charm of the Kinkster drive this seventh in a fine series starring the smart-mouthed New York City PI whom the author has named after himself. Kinky doesn't work much; mostly he fires up stogies, tosses back shots of Jameson, recalls the high and low points of his career as a country singer and traces the occasional weird case. Here he heads home to the Texas hill country, where his parents run a camp for spunky seven-year-olds and where a crew of old ladies are dying on their 76th birthdays. One oldster is found dead with her lips sewn shut. Kinky, investigating, discovers that the victims' pasts all share a link to an exclusionary club for Southern ladies. Fortunately, Kinky is also occupied with romancing a camp counselor, hunting for his missing cat and rediscovering his childhood self (as if that had ever been abandoned). At his best just mouthing off, Kinky is a crime original, a wayward spirit whose adventures offer plot substance and surprises neatly packaged with deft, jokey prose. (Sept.)#
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In Friedman's seventh mystery, the Kinkster leaves his beloved New York for Texas and the Echo Hill Ranch, his family's home and a kids' summer camp. He barely has time to unpack his cat when he is recruited by Kerr County justice of the peace Pat Knox, who beat Kinky for the job some years back. Four little old ladies, all widows, have turned up dead over the last five months--not an uncommon fate for little old ladies, but although the sheriff listed the deaths as accidental, natural, or suicides, Knox is certain all were murders. Along with Dusty, his late mom's talking Chrysler ("a good car for lonely people," she used to say), the Texas Jewboy undertakes another investigation. Despite the case's gruesome premise, Friedman's wisecracking alter ego tickles and amuses even as more little old ladies are picked off. Meanwhile, Kinky's change of milieu, although refreshing, is just a summer break. Expect a return to the Big Apple and a reunion with Friedman's wacky gang, the Village Irregulars, in caper number eight. Benjamin Segedin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 233 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067186923x
• ISBN-13: 978-0671869236
• ASIN: 067186923X
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crunchy on the Outside, Chewy on the Inside, June 28, 2004

By 

Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armadillos & Old Lace (Mass Market Paperback)

"Armadillos and Old Lace" is Kinky's seventh novel and is his first to be set away from New York. Instead, the action takes place at 'home' - in and around Echo Hill Ranch, Texas. This means, of course, that Kinky must solve this mystery without the help of people like Ratso, Rambam and John McGovern - though he has brought the cat along with him. While the cat doesn't voice her opinion on their new home - a green trailer - it's obvious that she isn't impressed.

Kinky has, once again, cast himself as the PI hero and has continued to use family and friends as the book's supporting characters. Echo Hill Ranch was founded by his parents, Tom and Min, in the early 1950s. Min died in 1985, before the book was written - though Tom does appear and is always referred to by his first name. A summer camp is held on the ranch every year, and Kinky's sister, Marcie, appears as one of the camp counsellors. (It was Marcie's idea that Kinky should start writing mystery novels - I will be eternally grateful to her). Frances Kaiser, Kerr County's Sheriff, and Pat Knox, Kerrville's Justice of the Peace, also appear. The green trailer, Kinky's place of residence in this book, is where he wrote several of his early books. It's now (apparently) home to an armadillo, who presumably answers to the name of Dilly. Much use is also made of Dusty, his mother's old talking car. However, further comparisons with David Hasselhoff and KITT just don't stand up.

Though Kinky has returned home for a holiday, Pat Knox has other ideas. She contacts regarding hom the deaths of four old ladies who have died over the previous five months. Although the Sheriff, Frances Kaiser, has found nothing suspicious about any of them, Pat remains convinced they were murdered. She asks Kinky to look over her files and form an opinion - though he initially agrees with the Sheriff. However, his opinion starts to change when a fifth victim turns up - with her lips sewn shut.

This is the best of Kinky's books I've read to date - though, admittedly, I haven't read then all. He still delivers a fast-moving book, with more one-liners than you reasonably hope for, but it also has the benefit of a strong story. In addition, he writes with a strong sense of affection form the camp and the people who have helped out there over the years. His quips may not be to everyone's taste, but this is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The one that got me addicted, January 18, 2004

By 

a reader (Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Armadillos & Old Lace (Hardcover)

I forgot when or where I heard of Kinky Friedman, but this was the first of his mysteries I had ever read. His politically incorrect wit, his love for animals, and his writing style in general got me addicted. After reading this book, I have read almost all of his works and I hope he writes many more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing change of scenery for the Kinster, May 12, 2002

By 

William Fare (Cedar Rapids, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Armadillos & Old Lace (Hardcover)

I snarf down Kinky Friedman books like candy, Lord knows I do, but the last few leading up to Armadillos and Old Lace had started making me antsy for a new scenario or two. Kinky's adventures in the Big Apple have always been long on laughs and his special brand of folksy/freaky asides, but a little shy on new plot twists.

Adding fresh air to the series is this volume, which takes place over a summer on Kinky's Texas ranch. This neck of the woods is so gushingly dear to his heart that you can almost hear the children playing and the crickets chirping. A whole new cast of characters are on board to replace the irreplaceable Village Irregulars, including the Kinkster's father and a young green-eyed love interest. The cat, of course, comes along for the shaky ride and never fails to jump onto unfortunate spots on Kinky's sleeping body. Also keep an eye open for Kinky's new companion, a talking car that spouts bits of wisdom at appropriate times.

The "mystery" portion of our tale comes, as usual, almost as an afterthought, but it's an interesting one to say the least. Some old ladies are getting offed on their birthdays and the local judge and sheriff are clueless. What can you do? Bring in Kinky Friedman, amateur detective from the Big City. Who would've thought that you'd find serial killers and intrigue in Kerrville?

This was the best entry since Greenwich Killing Time and I laughed longer and louder than any of them. Kinky takes his time getting to the story, with plenty of tales of times gone by and bits of wisdom from the famous (and infamous) figures from his past. Kinky's vocabulary has, at this point, become almost another language filled with terms like "rain room", "agitato", "killer bee" (def: fantastic, usually referring to chicken fried steak), "taking a Nixon", and "Jewish shepherds".

You might not get it, but if you do you'll discover a friend for life in Kinky Friedman.