Musical Chairs [Hardcover]

Kinky Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1991

A story featuring the foul-mouthed Kinky Friedman, ace private eye, which first appeared in "More Kinky Friedman". Someone is killing the Texas Jewboys, a guerrilla country-music band, and Kinky stalks the killer, armed only with attitude and a cigar.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Who would want to kill the former Texas Jewboys? Apparently, any number of people. And that's what Kinky Friedman ( Frequent Flyer ), retired musician-turned-private eye, has to figure out. To protect his fellow ex-band members, three of whom have died mysteriously, Kinky brings the survivors of the group, which broke up 13 years ago, to New York City for a reunion tour. Kinky goes about solving the case in his typical manner--imbibing copious amounts of espresso and liquor and enjoying many cigars, while repeating the facts of the case over and over until they gel. Kinky fans will appreciate his style; others may be put off by the nonstop references to Texas Jewboy (and music) trivia, sexual (and sexist) cracks and snippets from past cases. In the end, of course, with a little help from his friends, Kinky solves the crime, with a nice twist. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Kinky's latest Greenwich Village adventure begins with an unexpected visit (after 13 years) from, and the subsequent murder of Texas Jewboys' band cohort Tequila. Kinky shortly realizes that two more former band members have died in the past two weeks, so he ponders life, converses with his cat, garners clues from his dreams, enlists the help of journalist McGovern, and sets up a reunion of the band in order to trap the murderer. His love life, meanwhile, or lack thereof, centers on the lesbian upstairs and on a dancer whose boyfriend wishes her harm. Amidst his usual cigar smoke and scotch fumes, Kinky spouts cynical wit, stray lines of "musical" dialog, and quasi-historical tidbits. Offbeat subject matter and characters, told with some verve.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688091482
• ISBN-13: 978-0688091484
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #379,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great entry in Kinky series, December 5, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Musical Chairs (Mass Market Paperback)

For those not familiar with Kinky Friedman's semi-autobiographical adventures as the country-singer-turned-detective with the skewed take on the world, this one has it all. This is probably the most outrageous book in the series (up to this point, anyway).

Kinky's at his best when he's interacting with the motley crew of musicians, journalists, and lesbian dance instructors who constantly threaten to topple his comfort and peace. In Musical Chairs, almost the entire cast of Jewboys (Kinky's real life band) are on hand and they're bringing some of Texas with them to the Big Apple. The only problem with the riotous reunion is that someone wants them dead and is picking them off one by one.

No matter how many bass players die the show must go on. There isn't a lot of seriousness to the Kinky series as it is, and the story is almost an afterthought in this one. Just sit back and (ignoring a few problems with the hastily crafted ending) watch the un-PC ramblings of the band and Kinky's own problems with cat vomit, the price of chicken fried steak, and dead musicians in the shower (or "rain room", as the man himself would put it). Hilarious and very worthwhile.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I admit to drinking it, but I did not swallow, May 1, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Musical Chairs (Hardcover)

"Musical Chairs" is Kinky's fifth novel and and was first published in 1991. As with his other books, Kinky has cast himself as the amateur-PI hero - though he doesn't take too many liberties. The book's Kinky (unsurprisingly) is a cigar-smoking, cat-loving, espresso-guzzling, whiskey-drinking, ex-country and western performer. Naturally, Kinky isn't the only 'real' person to appear in the book - Rambam, Ratso and McGovern - Kinky's 'Village Irregulars' - have all been based on actual friends while the Texas Jewboys - Kinky's old band - also turn up.

Unfortunately, it's the Texas Jewboys who appear to be in trouble. With New Year's Eve approaching, Kinky receives a phone call from one-time bandmate, Tequila. Freshly landed in New York, short on places to stay and in need of a world-class PI, Tequila somehow manages to persuade Kinky to help him. However, while Kinky calls at a nearby comvenience, a killer calls at the loft and leaves Tequila the Guitarist floating in the bath. Things go from bad to worse : Kinky then gets a phone call from Cleve, the former manager of both the band and the Lone Star Cafe. Cleve, who is spending a little time in the Pilgrim State Mental Hospital after having dispatched three country singers, wants to put the band back together. Kinky initially resists the idea...but when he discovers that two futher ex-Jewboys are also very recently deceased, he begins to get very suspicious....The only good thing in Kinky's life at this time is Kelli, a very sweet Texan dancer. Kelli, like Kinky, isn't without her troubles : she has recently parted from her deranged Texan boyfirend and compounded that by spurning Winnie Katz, noted Lesbian Dance Class instructor. (Poor girl : she escapes from two predators, only to be snared by a third).

"A Case of Lone Star" has much in common with the other books by Kinky I've read. While it's not an entirely serious 'whodunnit' it is a fast moving and very easily read book. It's also packed with superbly delivered one-liners and - while his quips won't be to everyone's tastes - it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

4.0 out of 5 stars another good one, December 16, 2011

By 

Stu Camenzind - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Musical Chairs (Hardcover)

I've read all of Richard "Kinky" Friedman's private dick series. And there are a lot of detective jokes, homages and references to his earlier music career. This one is one of the fifteen in the series, and if you like any one of them you'll probably like all of them. It is earlier on and if you're going to read them all, you'll necessarily be reading this one as well. And you could pretty much start anywhere in the series and not be a bit lost, (other than making sure you read 10 Little New Yorkers last, as it is seemingly the last). Nonetheless, without putting a dubious ranking on any single volume, I wouldn't start with this one.