Ten Little New Yorkers: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kinky Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Kinky Friedman has always proven himself to be a master of the offbeat and irreverent, and still manages to pull off a helluva whodunit in the process. Now the Kinkster may have met his match in this superbly crafted, fiendishly clever tale of a murderer who's methodically killing off unsuspecting Manhattan men. Gallingly, all clues point toward Kinky. Greenwich Village is the setting for Ten Little New Yorkers, a tale of murder and mayhem as only Friedman can warble it and featuring his usual suspects, including Ratso -- Dr. Watson to Kinky's singular Sherlock Holmes. As the clues and bodies pile up and the cops strong-arm Kinky as their man, he has to jump through hoops to find the real killer, all the while maintaining his outrage and, of course, his innocence. The murderer may be someone close to Kinky, which leads to a shocker of an ending that will surely take Kinky devotees completely by surprise. With a wink and a nod to Dame Agatha (as in Christie), after which all resemblance to those classic mysteries fades, this is one of Friedman's most complex and irresistible page-turners yet. Cunningly tentous issues of life, death, guilt, innocence, love, loss, and the danger of false confessions, this is Kinky Friedman at his wily, suspenseful, and sacrilegious best.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Friedman's comic, semi-autobiographical mystery series apparently comes to an end with this downbeat 18th entry, which, like 2004's The Prisoner of Vandam Street, is suffused with melancholy and loss. Friedman-the-detective is suffering from the disappearance of a close, longtime companion—his cat. When he decides to leave New York City for Texas to escape the doldrums, he's tracked down by a regular nemesis from the NYPD, Det. Sgt. Mort Cooperman, after the wallet of a murder victim, possibly the fourth in a series, turns up in Kinky's apartment. Four more murders occur, with clues again pointing to Friedman once he returns to the Big Apple. While the circle of suspects seems to be limited to his closest associates, suspense is lessened by the unlikelihood that a member of his Village Irregulars has suddenly been transformed into a psychopath. The depressing ending may disappoint some fans expecting the series' trademark laugh-out-loud humor stemming from Friedman's uniquely wry and twisted narrative voice. One can only hope that the author will soon apply his considerable gifts for creating colorful characters and amusing situations to a new series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

An ominous prologue commences this new mystery starring Kinky Friedman as the potty-mouthed private investigator. Referring to Kinky in the past tense, Ratso, one of the Village Irregulars and a would-be Watson to Kinky's Sherlock, begins with the revelation that this, Kinky's seventeenth adventure, will be his final exploit. When the wallet of one of the victims of a series of seemingly unrelated murders turns up in his apartment, the Kinkster is implicated, especially after clues left at the scene of the various crimes reveal that either the killer is the Kinkster or is someone with considerable knowledge of his habits and music. Never known for his love of humanity, the Kinkster is even more morose than usual, though he does show a bit of empathy by pondering the real-life case of Max Soffar, a prisoner on death row in Texas. Will this be the Kinkster's last case? It's hard to say, although, Friedman, like Arthur Conan Doyle before him, may have grown tired of his own creation. Benjamin Segedin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743246039
• ISBN-13: 978-0743246033
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate Kinky Friedman mystery, March 19, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Little New Yorkers: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Kinkster is having a really bad patch. Losing his cat has sent him into a sliding depression. He doesn't care about much of anything. Out of concern for his mental health, his friends convince him that maybe he needs a vacation. After all, he has no cases, no cat, not even the lesbian dance class upstairs that historically provided at least something to gripe about. To Kinky, his life feels empty and he needs rejuvenation before he makes good on his suicide threat. So off he flies to Texas, to visit the Friedmans, happily communing with the four-legged ones at the family ranch.

Unfortunately, his respite doesn't last long. A few short mornings after his arrival, he answers the "blower" and discovers Sgt. Cooperman of the NYPD on the other end, demanding that he return to the Big Apple to explain a dead man's wallet in Kinky's apartment.

The good news is that, after submitting to the cops' interviews, he is still allowed to walk out of the police station unshackled. But four --- or is it five now --- bodies have shown up in the Village, and they just keep mounting. Beginning his own investigation into the murders not only serves as a self-defense against the growing suspicions of the police, but also gives him a case to work on. This might just save his life --- if, that is, he can stay out of jail.

Kinky's inquiries turn up some bizarre stuff, but no solid clues. "Now it truly was a ship of fools, I thought. Here were Ratso and I, playing at being Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, interviewing this Harry Felcher person, who was, to put it kindly, playing at being Judy Garland. Maybe none of us were playing at all. Maybe this was life and life only. Maybe the only thing that was real was the guy who had died in this building." His footwork, however, does set him off in the right direction and he soon formulates a theory, one that disturbs him a great deal. Even Kinky has trouble believing the conclusion to which his investigation leads him.

Every Kinky Friedman book has a deliciously irreverent tone. Each novel involves a new --- and occasionally absurd --- adventure, with a cast of characters even Seinfeld's producers would envy: Ratso, Rambam, McGovern, the cat, the puppethead and, last but not least, the lesbian dance class. Kinky, the author, always packs loads of fun into the space between the covers. This time, though, he has a little surprise for his readers. Okay, a big surprise. Be ready: TEN LITTLE NEW YORKERS ends spectacularly. For Kinky newcomers, read every one of his books, quickly, then grab this one. For die-hard Kinky fans (is there any other kind?), this is not just a must-read --- it's an absolutely-no-kidding-you've-really-gotta-read-it read.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please, Kinky, don't stop now!, February 25, 2005

By 

butch huff (ironton, ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ten Little New Yorkers: A Novel (Hardcover)

In what our "master of destinies", and the true master of metaphors calls his last go at the murder mystery genre in favor of an opportunity to save the state of Texas from the traditional empty suits that call themselves "public servants", Kinky Friedman has crafted one of the most entertaining reads of his or anyone elses writing career. Ten Little New Yorkers has everything we have come to love and look forward to in a Kinky novel and much, much more.

It is a page turner in the truest tradition. One is drawn in at once, and happily trapped in Kinkyland the entire literary trip. It is at once poignant with Kinky's own brand of life's lessons, and at the same time crazy enough to hold the interest of the most discerning reader. His genius is as always his wordcraft, and a use of the language that will never be duplicated. There is a warmth in Kinky's prose that grabs you, and makes you think about where you are in your own life, where you've been, and where you are going. Where I'm going now is back to re-read this wonderful, thoughtful, and fascinating book.

Buy it. Treasure it. But don't share it with your friends. That would't exactly be a financial pleasure for the Kinkster!

On with the campaign! Good luck, Kinky, the state of Texas is way overdue for someone of your insight, and a common sense approach to government that would blow a refreshing breath of fresh air into those stale back rooms replete with political doldrums...and thoughtless dolts. Thank you.

Butch Huff

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Has the Kinkster lost it?, January 2, 2008

By 

Norm Beavers (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Little New Yorkers: A Novel (Hardcover)

Kinky Friedman has been entertaining me for years until I read Ten Little New Yorkers. I found it very boring for nearly sixty pages before any mystery developed. Then inserting filler about other things maintained the boredom right to the end which was very upsetting. The culprit was pretty obvious from the very beginning of the mystery, and it was a pretty weak plot at that.
Kinky still has a way with words which always makes his writing fun to read. But even his wit couldn't maintain my interest... I just wanted to finish the book.
Yes, the ending was a hugh surprise, but I hope the Kinkster and his friend can rise above this mess. Perhaps he'll be motivated to return with a new adventure without the chaff!
Norm