Armadillos & Old Lace

New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1994. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. 236, [4] pages. Pencil erasure residue on fep and title page. Signed by the author on the title page. When Kinky Friedman decides it's time to take a break from big-city murder and mayhem, he transports himself and his cat to Texas to get back to his roots, to commune with his dad, to play with his pet armadillo, and to blow the city soot from his fevered brain. The author has written seven internationally acclaimed mystery novels. Richard Samet "Kinky" Friedman (born November 1, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, and humorist. His books feature a fictionalized version of himself solving crimes in New York City and dispensing jokes, wisdom, recipes, charm and Jameson's whiskey in equal measure. The Kinky character views himself as a latter-day Sherlock Holmes and he is aided in his investigations by his close friend Larry Sloman aka Ratso who assumes the role of Dr. Watson. Two books have been published collecting some of these nonfiction writings, as well as previously unpublished ones: 'Scuse Me While I Whip This Out and Texas Hold'em. He has also published a travelog (The Great Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic) and an etiquette guide. The recurring character "Rambam", a New York private investigator and friend of the Friedman character in the books, is based on the real-life investigator, Steven Rambam, who acts as a technical advisor for the real Friedman. Peace Corps friend and long time road manager Dylan Ferrero is also a recurring character in Kinky's mystery novels; his character is known for only speaking in rock and roll quotes, a trait taken from real life. The Kinkster is back and in top supersleuth form. In Armadillos & Old Lace, the hip, witty, cosmically cryptic poet returns to once again ponder the imponderables and disentangle a mystery or two, and this time he's temporarily forsaking the mean streets of Manhattan for his old Texas stomping grounds. When Kinky Friedman decides it's time to take a break from big-city murder and mayhem, he transports himself and his cat to Texas to get back to his roots, to commune with his dad, to play with his pet armadillo, and to blow the city soot from his fevered brain. Kinky arrives at his family's combination ranch/summer camp for boys and girls to find urgent messages from Pat Knox, the local justice of the peace (who got that job by beating Kinky in what clearly had to have been a rigged election). It seems Her Honor is a tad concerned that little old ladies in the area are dropping dead at an alarming rate. Fearing something foul is afoot, she persuades Kinky to undertake some sleuthing. Undaunted by the thought of running up against the toughest lady sheriff in Texas and only a little perturbed by a mass of swarming bees, the Kinkster takes off in his talking car to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Several bunches of yellow roses and a faded photograph taken many years ago of ten pretty girls dressed in white and ready for the cotillion are just the clues Kinky needs to finally unravel a devious scheme of revenge for personal wrongs and social snobbery. A colorful Texas story of the cosmic variety, Armadillos & Old Lace is Kinky Friedman at his dead-level best, mixing his irresistible irreverence with a really great mystery.