"Kinky Friedman is to the detective novel what Frank Zappa is to rock and roll: a gleeful gadfly who delights in offending purists. . . . There's just no stopping him. And who wants to?"--People Since Sam Spade, no private investigator has been charmed to see a deadbeat client darken his door--and country singers turned amateur detectives are no exception. That goes double for deadbeats who are their friends. So when Ratso--longtime pal, assistant crime solver, and notorious nonpayer--comes to Kinky with a case of his own, the Kinkster is reluctant to take it on. But if there's one thing a country singer relates to, it's mamas, and it's his long-lost birth mother that adoptee Ratso is seeking. The case turns sour in a hurry, and soon it gets hard to tell the murder victims from the suspects. One thing's for certain: Kinky would rather have a deadbeat for a client than be a dead dick. Praise for God Bless John Wayne "Brash, crass and colorful." -- Houston Chronicle "How is this mystery writer different from all other mystery writers? . . . We don't read him, for instance, to find out what happens next. We read him to find out how far he will go." -- The Washington Post Book World " God Bless John Wayne is another triumph for the Kinkster--the perfect mix of mystery, literature and wit." --The Associated Press