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Mystery Book ReviewsPage One of ThreeThe Gun Seller by Hugh LaurieSoHo Press, May, 1997.340 pages. ISBN: 1569470871 Hardcover. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Former Scots Guard Thomas Lang is down on his luck, unemployed and
not sure what to do next with his life when he is offered a contract
to murder a wealthy businessman. He refuses and decides instead to
warn his intended target. When he shows up at the target's house
he's attacked by a tough and is forced to defend himself. Before
he can leave, however, a gorgeous girl appears on the scene
(apparently the occupant of the house) and demands explanations that
Lang doesn't feel like providing - so he lies. A lot. About
everything. And from then on his life is turned upside down as he is
sucked into a maelstrom of international intrigue, terrorism, spying,
violence, murder, and of course, romance. The diffident and
lackadaisical Lang seems like an easy target for the machinations of
the various unsavory characters who keep turning up on his doorstep:
CIA and British Secret Service spies, international terrorists and
assorted international villains, to name a few. But there's more to
Lang than meets the eye. Ostensibly a pawn in an international high
stakes weapons game, he manages neatly to turn the tables on his
adversaries and make himself a player in a deadly game of
international intrigue, terrorism and arms dealing. Will Lang come
out alive? Has he really gone over to the dark side? Will he make it
home in time for tea?
Brilliant comedian and actor Hugh Laurie has penned a comic tour de force in his debut novel. A cross between Douglas Adams' Arthur Dent and Ian Fleming's James Bond, Thomas Lang is sidesplittingly funny to watch as he navigates his way through an international maze of big money, ruthless arms dealers and known terrorists all while providing a hilarious running commentary on the frailties and foibles of the odd company he is forced to keep in order to save the life of the woman he's not sure he really loves. Delightfully irreverent and wickedly funny, this thriller/comic/spy novel will delight lovers of farce and of the spy genre alike. Road Kill by Kinky FriedmanSimon and Schuster, Sept., 1997.252 pp. ISBN: 068480378X Hardcover. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Kinky Friedman, ex-country singer for the Texas Jewboys and current
New York private detective is feeling restless and a bit on edge. Of
course, seeing a gypsy looking back at you in the mirror can do that
to a man. Especially when the gypsy tells him to get out of town
fast. When Kinky's old friend, country singer legend Willie Nelson,
seems worried and invites him to go on tour with him, the Kinkster
hightails it for distant parts to join up with Willie and his
traveling show on the famed tourbus The Honeysuckle Rose. As they
fandango across America, Kinky decides to do his best to find out
what's eating his old friend. Apparently, while traveling through a
lonely portion of Arizona The Honeysuckle Rose had a head-on
collision with a Native American medicine man. The result is a dead
medicine man and a mysterious and deadly curse which has Willie (who
is part Native American himself) and his cohorts extremely nervous.
When Willie's look alike is shot by mistake, Kinky springs into
action, determined to find out who is set on silencing his old friend
forever. The suspects are wide-ranging: from the FBI to one of
Willie's 97 ex-wives and Kinky is running out of time if he wants to
save his friend's life.
Kinky follows the trail of clues from Arizona to Manhattan assisted by his oddball friends, the Village Irregulars, a critical cat, a bottle or two of Jameson's and some contraband. The result is a classic Friedman adventure -- hilarious, irreverent, politically incorrect, seemingly out of control and yet somehow literate and insightful. Sound like an impossible mix? Well, that describes Kinky Friedman and his adventures perfectly. Friedman is not for everyone, certainly - you need a strong constitution and a broad sense of humor to go on this outrageous and gleeful joyride. Mystery Reviews Page Two | Mystery Reviews Page Three Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of mystery books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |