Skip to main content

Ten Little New Yorkers

Review

Ten Little New Yorkers



The Kinkster is having a really bad patch. Losing his cat has sent
him into a sliding depression. He doesn't care about much of
anything. Out of concern for his mental health, his friends
convince him that maybe he needs a vacation. After all, he has no
cases, no cat, not even the lesbian dance class upstairs that
historically provided at least something to gripe about. To Kinky,
his life feels empty and he needs rejuvenation before he makes good
on his suicide threat. So off he flies to Texas, to visit the
Friedmans, happily communing with the four-legged ones at the
family ranch.

Unfortunately, his respite doesn't last long. A few short mornings
after his arrival, he answers the "blower" and discovers Sgt.
Cooperman of the NYPD on the other end, demanding that he return to
the Big Apple to explain a dead man's wallet in Kinky's
apartment.

The good news is that, after submitting to the cops' interviews, he
is still allowed to walk out of the police station unshackled. But
four --- or is it five now --- bodies have shown up in the Village,
and they just keep mounting. Beginning his own investigation into
the murders not only serves as a self-defense against the growing
suspicions of the police, but also gives him a case to work on.
This might just save his life --- if, that is, he can stay out of
jail.

Kinky's inquiries turn up some bizarre stuff, but no solid clues.
"Now it truly was a ship of fools, I thought. Here were Ratso and
I, playing at being Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, interviewing
this Harry Felcher person, who was, to put it kindly, playing at
being Judy Garland. Maybe none of us were playing at all. Maybe
this was life and life only. Maybe the only thing that was real was
the guy who had died in this building." His footwork, however, does
set him off in the right direction and he soon formulates a theory,
one that disturbs him a great deal. Even Kinky has trouble
believing the conclusion to which his investigation leads
him.

Every Kinky Friedman book has a deliciously irreverent tone. Each
novel involves a new --- and occasionally absurd --- adventure,
with a cast of characters even Seinfeld's producers would envy:
Ratso, Rambam, McGovern, the cat, the puppethead and, last but not
least, the lesbian dance class. Kinky, the author, always packs
loads of fun into the space between the covers. This time, though,
he has a little surprise for his readers. Okay, a big surprise. Be
ready: TEN LITTLE NEW YORKERS ends spectacularly. For Kinky
newcomers, read every one of his books, quickly, then grab this
one. For die-hard Kinky fans (is there any other kind?), this is
not just a must-read --- it's an
absolutely-no-kidding-you've-really-gotta-read-it read.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers on January 23, 2011

Ten Little New Yorkers
by Kinky Friedman

  • Publication Date: March 1, 2005
  • Genres: Fiction, Mystery
  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • ISBN-10: 0743246039
  • ISBN-13: 9780743246033