God Bless John Wayne

Rating:
Summary: Another Friedman masterpiece!!
Review: I usually read one Kinky Friedman book per summer. I find them the perfect getaway from the politically correct, inhibited times in which we sometimes attempt to live. Friendman's lair (Vandam St.) is only a few blocks from our own perch in Greenwich Village NY. Like him, I care deeply for espresso (French Italian blend from Porto Rico Importing Co.) and cigars. Our taste in animals differs. I prefer dogs and he is a cat man. We both share a dislike of lesbian dance classes being conducted above our digs. All in all, I dig the cat's lifestyle in a very big way man. His books don't take long to read. Buy one at JFK and chances are good you'll be done with it by the time you arrive somewhere....well alright....ANYWHERE! In his latest, he and his good buddy Ratso go hunting Ratso's birth parent, as if someone would ever take credit for giving birth to Ratso. For me the funniest parts take place with the Kinkster in Florida. I don't know why. Somehow the idea of a Jewish guy in Florida just seems so out of place. Anyway, settle down with a pot of espresso, a nice cigar, a bottle of Jamesons, and have a few laughs.

Rating:
Summary: bibical wisdom for the 90's with bone breaking humer to boot
Review: Kinky, has some of the most heinous humor with a direct in your face harmony woven into his own lifesytle observations. He can pack more wisdom in a sentence or paragraph than the average WASP can deal with but it is fun trying. The characters drum into your memory like the best of seifield without the dull commericals and TV editors watering down the context or meaning. So take yourself to the wild side of NYC , Texas, and homcide

Rating:
Summary: Weaker than the rest of the series...
Review: More than once I've heard folks talk about God Bless John Wayne as one of the better Kinky entries, but I'm just not convinced. Everything from the premise to the by-the-books sleuthing seems both contrived and hurried.

For those not in the know, Kinky Friedman's fictional self is a wonderfully Texan detective living in NYC with his cat and a Sherlock Holmes head where he keeps his cigars. His dysfunctional drinking pals often need his advice/help...and here, Ratso needs Kinky to find his mother for him. After a little help and a few dead ends (the Kinkster in Florida?) we're off and running.

As usual the high points here are Kinky's many asides about music, drugs, women, coffee, Jesus, etc., and while he has never been better in the wit department I'm afraid that we've lost much of the charm of the storylines from earlier volumes. It's not so bad as to make me quit reading, but I just don't see this one as a stand-out.

Rating:
Summary: Weaker than the rest of the series...
Review: More than once I've heard folks talk about God Bless John Wayne as one of the better Kinky entries, but I'm just not convinced. Everything from the premise to the by-the-books sleuthing seems both contrived and hurried.

For those not in the know, Kinky Friedman's fictional self is a wonderfully Texan detective living in NYC with his cat and a Sherlock Holmes head where he keeps his cigars. His dysfunctional drinking pals often need his advice/help...and here, Ratso needs Kinky to find his mother for him. After a little help and a few dead ends (the Kinkster in Florida?) we're off and running.

As usual the high points here are Kinky's many asides about music, drugs, women, coffee, Jesus, etc., and while he has never been better in the wit department I'm afraid that we've lost much of the charm of the storylines from earlier volumes. It's not so bad as to make me quit reading, but I just don't see this one as a stand-out.

Rating:
Summary: More fun than a dead person should be allowed to have.
Review: So it has an element or two of foreshadowing that you can see a mile away. And he ain't Shakespeare. Still Kinky has irreverant fun all the way through an attempt on his life, a few bottles of Jameson, a case of Cuban cigars, two Zippos and a tap dance rendition of Swan Lake by the lesbian dance class overhead. It's fun. Fans will not be disappointed