Roadkill (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "YOU COULD SAY the whole adventure began the day I looked in the bathroom mirror and saw the gypsy..." (more)
Key Phrases: buckskin package, lesbian dance class, puppet head, Willie Nelson, New York, Ben Dorsey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

You gotta hand it to the guy: not only does the New York Times call Friedman the "funniest...most politically incorrect country singer turned mystery writer" alive, but he makes Bill Clinton laugh. In his latest mystery, a member of Willie Nelson's band is shot by someone gunning for Nelson himself, and Friedman (as protagonist) must investigate.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Friedman's annual mystery novels have always served more as platforms for the rantings of a true eccentric--that is to say, vehicles for Friedman's brand of non sequitur topped off by his personal blend of kinky logic and Groucho Marxism ("horseshit cocktail chatter," he calls it)--than as honest-to-goodness detective stories, so trying to figure out their plots is seldom worth the trouble. Nevertheless, the tenth mystery starring Kinky as Kinky, is his best in years, largely due to the guest-star appearance of singer Willie Nelson, "the last living folk hero in America." Someone seems to have placed an Indian curse on the "Red-Headed Stranger," and while on the road again in his infamous bus, the Honeysuckle Rose, Willie has to dodge the IRS, a few ex-wives, and a bullet or two. During the course of this stretcher, Willie and Kinky down a lot of Jameson and smoke a lot of cigars (and reefer) as well as engage in many pointless conversations with Kinky's inscrutable cat. Kinky's kvetching mope is an excellent counterpoint to Willie's Zen Texan. Let's hope we see them paired again. Benjamin Segedin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345416325
• ISBN-13: 978-0345416322
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yaaaayyyy! Kinky discover what a plot is again!, September 8, 1997

By	William Peschel (Hershey, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: ROADKILL (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Hardcover)

Read the Kirkus Review for the story summary, so I'll cut to the chase here. Kinky tells a lot of road stories about Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall ("loved all his songs and both his melodies") and offers a ribald quote from Kris Kristofferson about Farrah Fawcett-Majors that will make you spit milk through your nose. These stories make "Roadkill" a far more entertaining book than "The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover" in which he seemed to spend far too much time talking about himself. Kinky is capable of spinning a mystery plot -- "A Case of Lone Star" is still his best -- but "Roadkill" shows Kinky can be ribaldly funny, still capable of making the inner 13-year-old boy on some of us laugh out loud

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The kinkster is back to please his fans &outrage his critics, July 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: ROADKILL (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Hardcover)

Talk about being in a funk (and not being George Clinton). Kinky Friedman's career as the New York City Sherlock Holmes is going no where; his love life has no pulse; and when he looks into a mirror, he sees a street corner philosopher mouthing trivia B.S. staring back at him. Kinky realizes that it is time to put the show on the road to regain his mental health. When his old friend Willie Nelson invites him to go on tour with the band, the Kinkster feels that his life has turned around. However, from almost the minute Kinky enters the surreal world of Willie, it is obvious that something troubles the country legend. Everyone on tour expects Kinky to find out what has upset Willie's karma and fix it.

After a little careful sleuthing and a talk with Willie to confirm his findings, Kinky realizes that the man believes that he has been cursed by an Indian shaman and is waiting to die. The Kinkster is determined to pull his friend out his funk, but before he can begin, a band member takes a bullet intended for Willie. Indian curse or something more mundane like a person with a grudge, the private detective plans to ferret out the truth.

In a world slowly being bored to death, thank goodness Kinky Friedman periodically writes an entertaining novel that brightens up the mood of the readers. The Kinkster's irreverent humor, political mumbo jumbo, and off-colored jokes are a joy to behold. Though some mystery fans might find ROAD KILL a shade offensive, Kinky delights in being taken stone cold serious as a comedic writer writing a droll mystery.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cosmic Romp, September 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: ROADKILL (Kinky Friedman Novels) (Hardcover)

Kinky Friedman, the self-proclaimed Last of the Landless Texas Jewish Singing Cowboys, is in a deep-purple funk in his loft in Noo Yawk City, despite heroic efforts of his friends and his cat. Willie Nelson is scraping the emotional bottom, too, thinking his tour bus has killed a native American medicine man and someone's trying to kill him. Put these two chess-playing cowboys together and you have the funniest, yet gripping, mystery novel of the year. Willie invites Kinky to travel with him to try to find the killer, who Kinky suspects is one of Willie's 83 ex-wives. Kinky finds a new bunch of buddies, Ben, Booger, Gator, and two cigar-smoking, wise-cracking native Americans, who, along with his Village Irregulars, to help hi sift the facts from the road grit. Kinky's inimitable use of a good plot as a springboard to literary, social, political, and philosophical musings continues to illustrate his broad grasp of literature and history. His anecdotes about celebrities in the entertainment business provide an extra spark. So, here's Kinky at his best, on a cosmic romp across the country with the legendary Red Headed Stranger. Don't miss this one! This book elevates Kinky from the cult status he has enjoyed. Lookout for the best seller lists!