Curse of the Missing Puppet Head

Kinky Friedman #16

by Kinky Friedman

Curse of the Missing Puppethead is a murder, crime solving, mystery writing, romantic encounters, friendship and a unique philosophy of life bundled into a wildly entertaining novel by an original and unique talent.At the most outrageously inopportune moment, the little Negro puppethead - Kinky Friedman's keyholder, talisman and surrogate Pinocchio-like son - goes missing, and the Curse of the Missing Puppethead takes effect.In a desperate effort to find the missing puppethead, Kinky mounts his most intense and entertaining investigation ever. Anyone and everyone is a suspect in Yorick's disappearance, even the Village Irregulars. When Lexie, a beautiful and exotic escapee from Winnie Katz's Lesbian Dance Class, enters Kinky's life, the curse takes a dramatic and hilarious turn for the worse. Kinky discovers that until he find his big puppethead, his little puppethead will also be missing in action.As Kinky's personal and professional lives begin to spiral downward, he leaves no rock unturned and no clue unpursued in a furious effort to recover the puppethead. Just when it appears that he may have found the first real clue to Yorick's whereabouts the Curse of the Missing Puppethead shifts into high gear, and Kinky's college friend, Nick "Chinga" Chavin, is falsely charged with the hit-and-run murder of a child. And not just any child, but the young son of Big Jim Cravotta, the Butcher of Staten Island.While Chinga hides from his pursuers by putting down roots in Kinky's loft, Kinky, aided by Rambam, Ratso, McGovern and the extraordinary characters that make up the Village Irregulars, races to find the real killer before Big Jim finds Chinga.Vandam Press is proud to be able to make this remarkable novel available to Kinky’s old friends and to those readers who are discovering Kinky Friedman for the first time."Puppethead is a tour de force. This time, like never before, the irreverent Friedman tap dances on the sun." (John Kelso, Austin American-Statesman)"Puppethead goes to the head of the class". (Bill Hageman, Chicago Tribune)"The Kinkster's best yet. No strings attached." (Will Hoover, Honolulu Advertiser)"A true Texas legend."(President George W. Bush)"Dear Kinky, I have now read all of your books. More, please. I really need the laughs." (former) President Bill Clinton"A surefire cure for the blues." New York TimesFrom the Publisher's The book that you are about to read has been in the Vandam Press vaults for a number of years. It was written, on a dare, at a time when, according to the author, he was “between cases and between contracts”.Friedman wrote the entire manuscript in an amazing two week period of intense, feverish activity at the New Otani Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, during which he lost ten pounds, surviving almost exclusively upon Cuban cigars and Kona coffee. A local doctor was on call, but his services were only required once when Kinky reported feeling light-headed and experiencing blurred vision.Even without considering the time and circumstances in which this novel was written, it is an amazingly entertaining and elevating work, combining crime solving, romantic encounters, true friendship and an unique philosophy of life into a wildly entertaining novel by an original and exceptional talent.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

Unknown Binding

First published February 2, 2001

About the author

Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the six-person race.

Friedman was born in Chicago to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. The family moved to a ranch in central Texas a few years later. Friedman had an early interest in both music and chess, and was chosen at age 7 as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous matches in Houston. Reshevsky won all 50 matches, but Friedman was by far the youngest competitor.

Friedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas in 1962 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in Psychology. He took part in the Plan II Honors program and was a member of the Tau Delta Phi fraternity. During his freshman year, Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.

Friedman served two years in the United States Peace Corps, teaching on Borneo in Malaysia with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future Texas Jewboy road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he still works today. Friedman lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrville, Texas. He founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville, whose mission is to care for stray, abused and aging animals; more than 1,000 dogs have been saved from animal euthanasia.

Series:
* Kinky Friedman Mystery

Reviews

[Joar Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Kinky rules!

[Steve Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Kinky's best. The same cast of characters and the same irreverent tone we've grown to love. And the plot is no more contrived than the others. But it feels like he was running out of words, and filled in with the flowery, ribald, and hyperbolic dialog he usually uses to imbellish, but which here has to carry the story. And what's up with this being a rare book? I would have been upset if I'd paid $100.00 for this.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Surprise Ending

Kinky suspects all of his friends of the theft of the puppet-head (whose race probably made this a hard to find book). The ending gives you a big surprise
regarding the thief. A funny romp with the mob, Rambam and the rest of the gang. The ending is out of left field and will make you laugh.