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.
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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 SegedinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
