Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola [Paperback]

Kinky Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 1994

Kinky Friedman, the prodigal poet of country music, the novelist the Chicago Tribune called "a hip hybrid of Groucho Marx and Sam Spade, " the author/musician and all-around bad ol' boy who single-handedly aims to put the "pop" back into popular fiction, has written a tale of murder, mayhem, and mental hospital slippers that is guaranteed not only to please the legion of fans who love his music, but is sure to delight readers far and wide. If you want to meet great characters, ponder the mysteries of life (and death), and have an outrageously good time, then Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola is just what you need. When legendary tough guy/actor Tom Baker dies, Kinky Friedman, who knew Baker probably better than anyone, suspects foul play. Bolstering his suspicion is the fact that a documentary Baker had been making on Elvis impersonators has disappeared, along with the only person who has actually seen the film, Baker's assistant, Legs. In the course of searching for the missing Elvis movie, Kinky explores his own deep, dark past, namely his simultaneous affairs with two women named Judy - Uptown Judy and Downtown Judy, both vixens of a fairly high order (if fuzzy memory serves him right). Prompting this review of ancient history is the sudden reappearance of Downtown Judy ready to resume their relationship, and the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Uptown Judy. That these two plots come together, and that the Elvis film is found, is to be expected. Nothing else in this novel, however, deals with anything remotely expected. Friedman's voice is feisty, sassy, irreverent, blistering, provoking, enchanting, mesmerizing and incredibly entertaining. In fact, Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola is much morethan another Kinky Friedman mystery - itself a cause of joy - it is an entertainment of the highest order.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Friedman's hero, an eccentric Greenwich Village musician and amateur sleuth also named Kinky Friedman, moves into action after one friend dies and another disappears. At the wake for actor and moviemaker Tom Baker, whose death is attributed to a drug overdose, Tom's dad asks Kinky to find a missing documentary on Elvis impersonators that his son had been working on. A week later, Kinky's sometime-lover Uptown Judy (as distinguished from another occasional lover, Downtown Judy) is missing from her apartment, where there is evidence suggesting that she's been taken away forcibly. In the course of his investigations, Kinky ruminates a lot over his checkered past, drinks a fair amount and expounds in great detail his peculiar, misogynistic philosophy of life. With the help of his friends (among them Kinky regulars Rambam, Ratso and McGovern), all becomes, of course, somewhat clearer in the end. But here, as in his earlier mysteries ( Musical Chairs ; A Case of Lone Star ; et al.), what matters is less the plot than Kinky himself--irreverent, mildly obscene and frequently very funny. Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Nobody (certainly not sneering Sgt. Mort Cooperman) would connect the overdose of Tom Baker and the disappearance of his documentary film on Elvis impersonators with the vanishing of Judy Sepulveda from her blood-smeared apartment--if Tom and Uptown Judy (Jewish cowboy Kinky Friedman's way of distinguishing her from his conterminous lover Downtown Judy) hadn't both scribbled the Kinkster's name on their phone pads. Kinky (Musical Chairs, etc.) is sure that the Elvis film will link Tom and Judy in some less personally threatening way, but the trail to the film and its revelations will take him through some mighty dark valleys: another homicide, a TV talk-show theft, a late- night screening at that Village vanguard Fort Dicks, a suspicious fire at a snuff-film studio, the resurrection of a Mafia don, and tasteful run-ins with the usual Big Apple riffraff, who'd ``steal Jesus if he wasn't nailed down.'' Elvis and Jesus freaks alert: here's the mystery you've been waiting for. Not much about Coca-Cola, though. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber Limited (January 24, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571171923
• ISBN-13: 978-0571171927
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,969,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK HAS A PLACE OF HONOR ON MY TOILET, December 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Another success from the Kinsta. A bizarre plot with even more bizarre characters told in the inimitable style of the New Yorxan(Texorker?). While reading it on the plane from Houston to Boston it had me laughing out loud. I had to give my copy to the lady beside me and buy another when I landed. Few things these days can bring such simple joy and so much fun.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Kinkster Fan says: Praise Jesus & Pass the Coca-Cola!, June 9, 1998

By 

James J. Davis ([e-mail]) (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Until three months ago, the only author named Friedman I'd ever heard of was Milton, which probably explains why I was slow to heed a friend's "You gotta read one of Kinky Friedman's books" advice. But after reading two K. Friedman tomes - "Armadillos & Old Lace", and now "Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola - I'm ADDICTED TO THE KINKSTER. So much so that I just got done ordering four MORE of his books from Amazon. And now I'M the one telling people that they "gotta read a Kinky Friedman book" - which is really saying something considering that I grew bored and uninterested in "run of the mill" fiction mysteries long ago. BUT THE KINKSTER IS DIFFERENT! His stories are absorbing and addictive. His style is refreshingly twisted and unique.His characters will take up residence in your brain (and stay there long after you finish the book). And his words run the gamut from profound to silly - from thought-provoking to bizarre - from intensely sad and moving to laugh-out-loud hilarious. In fact, my only complaint with Mr. Friedman is that his quips, wise-sayings and one-liners are SO DAMN GOOD - and they come so fast and frequently - that I'm constantly looking for a pen or pencil to write them down (so I can use them later). In short, the man is one great storyteller and wordsmith, and "Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola" is a darn good yarn and a VERY enjoyable read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I laughed, I didn't cry, I finished it quickly, February 9, 2005

By 

Scratch Megataint (Unicron, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Beach read. That pretty much somes it up. The chapters are fast and furious, with several great lines that are worth highlighting. A few times I laughed out loud. The plot wasn't that great, and the ending was a bit predictable. The two biggest problems were the recap ending(this is how it was done, my dear Watson...) and the plot was flimsy. But, if you are looking for something to kill a few hours, you could do worse.