Customer Reviews

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

God bless Kinky Friedman, member of the country-freak outfit the Jewboys and author of 15 novels. There've been stalls in the series, poorly executed plotlines, and inexcusable scatalogical humor. Yet, Friedman's detective series based not-so-loosely on himself and his friends, is as fresh as ever with Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch.

I enjoyed Friedman's other Texas adventures, although I'm not sure if readers like seeing him spend an entire novel away from his home base of New York City. Here we get a perfect mix, as Kinky is balancing several mysteries at once, and one of them sends him down to the Texas hill country to team up with a dog to find a cat. Yeah, I know...but it's hilarious. Just read it.

The NYC portion of the book has a storyline that is slightly more of a serious nature, and Rambam (one of the more serious Village Irregulars) is brought in to help out with the rough stuff. An autistic child is missing and a serial killer is on the loose, although any regular Friedman reader knows that the solution to the mystery is often not of great import.

Speaking of sidekicks, why is Ratso only onboard for a page or two? Perhaps real life Larry "Ratso" Sloman's success with the reissue of his Bob Dylan book will thrust him back into Kinky's universe. Sorry, I miss him.

While Kinky's rants on life have tamed some over the years, he's maintained a personal touch that connects with people. It's a short book (like the entries before it) and can be read in a short afternoon. Expect more Willie Nelson than Ellery Queen.

Private detective (and former musician) Kinky Friedman finds himself torn between a missing three-legged cat in Texas and a missing autistic child in New York. The cat comes first and Kinky heads down to Utopia, Texas for some good-ole-boy moments, but his duty calls him back to New York where his recurring pal Rambam demands to be made part of the case (Rambam also thinks he might have found his future bride--the sister of the missing child and an obvious suspect). Using visions, both his own and others', and some clever detecting Kinky strips away some of the confusion--but can either a three-legged cat or an autistic child survive for long on their own--either in the wilds of Texas or those of New York?

Fans of the Kinky Friedman series will find a lot to enjoy in MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH. Kinky's observations about life in general, his descriptions of the customs and people he meets, and his insights into human nature ring true. Kinky's strange similies will bring a smile to even the most jaded reader (maybe especially to the jaded reader). And Friedman goes out of his way to be an equal opportunity offender, slinging insults at all religions and ways of life.

Kinky Friedman books are not for everyone but MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH is one of the better ones.

This was the first Kinky Friedman book that I have ever read. I picked it up at the library after hearing that he was an "interesting" author in a few magazine write-ups. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

This book reads very well and VERY quick. The characters portrayed in the book are full of quirks, ticks, and other little nuances that add to their personalities. As the story moved on, I found myself laughing out loud at quite a few pages and at the same time, still being intrigued at the mystery. You don't find a lot of mystery books with a twist like that.

Kinky Friedman succeeds in this book by not taking himself too seriously and at the same time tells an in depth story. Pick it up... you'll be glad you did!

this book is the latest in the adventures of country star turned best selling author kinky friedman. it brings back the village irregulars (kinky's cast of crazy characters) & continues the friedman series. this book isn't about solving mysteries as much as it is about a unique outlook on life that is both humane and to the point. kinky's mantra is: if you can't laugh a little at life then there doesn't seem to be much worth living for. this book adheres to this addage and provides the reader with a fun trip in search of a young autistic boy who only says "shnay" while in persuit of a lost three legged cat named lucky. definately worth a read if you are just looking for something fun or if you are a returning friedman fan.

Not my favorite Kinky Friedman book, but still pretty humorous.
Perfect gift for the Jewish animal-lover on your list - a
fun Mother's Day present, maybe.

This time around, Kinky has to find a missing three-legged cat who resides down in Texas, and a missing autistic child in NYC. With his band of irregulars, including Rambam, Mcgovern, and Ratso, you're treated to another hilarious and unpredictable romp through the mind of Kinky. This is one book you shouldn't have trouble finishing in one sitting. Offbeat and hilarious.

Recommended.

For private sleuth Kinky Friedman working on more than one case at a time is just too much work. Yet now he is stuck with two distinct investigations in different parts of the country. The first case involves the search for a missing eleven-year-old autistic child, Dylan Weinberg, whose entire vocabulary consists of one expression "shnay". The other case focuses on a vanished cat in Texas.

For Kinky, the case he prefers to work on is the missing boy, not because he is altruistic, but because Dylan's sister Julia is a sexy siren. However, he finds himself at Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Texas seeking the lost Lucky whose owner Cousin Nancy Parker plans to call in the Feds of several nations if Kinky does not find her purloined feline soon. However, Kinky decides to work both cases with the hope his consoling Julia turns more into her consoling him.

The latest Kinky Friedman novel can be summed up in one word (not shnay, but kinky). The hero remains as irreverent and wild as ever and his support cast, including the irregulars as well as his current clients, enables Kinky to be wackier than ever. Fans of the series will fully relish his dividing time between Manhattan, the Texas ranch, and even Schenectady, as he takes no prisoners in solving his cases.

Harriet Klausner

This good Friedman.If you read his books, then you already plan to read this one. If you haven't, then start with the first"GREENWICH KILLING TIME" or"Jesu,etc"It's fun, and there are many quoatable lines. Of course , you don't read Kinky for plot or endings( which are usually weak) but for language, fun,insight.It's has about as many memorable phrases as his other books, and less gross outs. If you like his books, you'll love Tim DORSEY's. I have a feeling , that this is really an old book he wrote several years ago and was never published.
Most of the usual characters are in the books, but they are very toned down .
If you are a kinky fan buy it, if you are not then try any of his other books first.

Private detective Kinky Friedman enjoys a bushel of bafflement slogging through two different cases, pulling him hither and yon between two different cases as he works to find both a missing cat (Texas) and an autistic child (New York). I have been, still am and will continue to be a Kinky fan, and given this I must say it was a great book, but not the pinnacle of Kinky-dom. Other reviews I've read were very positive and the bit of negative criticism questioned whether he had abused his characteristic sayings, such as "cradled the blower" or "left the cat in charge." To me these were welcome, worn-in witticisms, but I did feel the amount of name dropping seemed a bit awkward if not possibly forced. I was also disappointed to find out that his reference to Asperger's Sydrome, the specific form of autism which the missing child had, was lacking - his account was historically correct, but the child supposedly having this syndrome had a vocabulary of a single word, though I have read a paper from psychology referring to the same syndrome as a form of autism which leaves verbal skills mostly unaffected and is manifest primarily through behavior. My last concern was how much the story was used as a platform for the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch (the missing cat thread to the story.) Any Kinky fan knows that he has strong political opinions and thankfully does not refrain from expressing them and admittedly the Rescue Ranch is a worthy cause, but there were isolated moments when the story felt almost didactic to me. That said, I immediately acknowledge it to be specific, nit-picky criticism, but worth the words since I'm the sort of girl who waits with bated breath as the villain is revealed on Scooby Doo - if these occurred to me, of all people, I'm pretty sure I won't be alone. All in all, I would read it again and it only makes me more anxious for the next Kinky installment - I have my fingers crossed for an entrée this time.