Product Description

It all starts with a casual flirtation, two people on a flight from Dallas to New York. She's gorgeous and mysterious; he's a private detective. When the plane lands, the detective -- our hero, Kinky -- finds he's been left holding the bag, literally. The woman, having asked the Kinkster to watch her luggage while she visits the can, has taken a powder and somehow vanished. Mystery Woman does turn up again, but not before Kinky has claimed the interest of an array of suits from the State Department, been party to a thwarted kidnap attempt by Arab terrorists, and found a dead Israeli agent parked on the toilet of his downtown Manhattan loft.

Employing the able-bodied assistance of his usual sidekicks, the Village Irregulars, Kinky eventually gets to the bottom of all the comings and goings of the many visitors to his loft, including two late-night visits by the mysterious and suddenly affectionate woman from the plane and one not-so-late-night visit by her angry brother.

Raunchy, offbeat, and hilarious, The Mile High Club, complete with a surprise ending, is Kinky at his considerable best.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182412 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.com Review
What do you call someone who refers to any given objet as a "dingus," takes calls on a "blower," takes a "Nixon" rather than moving his bowels, and uses "ankles" as a verb? Try Kinky "Big Dick" Friedman, the fictional star of The Mile High Club, 1999's Spanking Watson, and 11 earlier amateur detective novels by the real-life musician-turned-novelist Kinky Friedman. As The Mile High Club opens, the Kinkster is holding forth with his gorgeous Middle Eastern seatmate, Khadija, on a flight from Dallas to New York City. As the plane begins its landing approach, Khadija rises to visit the loo, neither returning to her seat nor deplaning with the rest of the passengers. And Kinky's left holding her bag.

Unable to reach her and intrigued by several callers claiming that they, in fact, had Khadija's bag, Kinky and his real private-eye friend, Rambam, (Rambam, writer Mike McGovern and the Watson-like Ratso are the series's "Village Irregulars") jimmy open the bag to find, among other things, a vibrator.

"It has three gears apparently."

"Does it have four-wheel drive?"

"We have some slinky black lace panties, stockings, and lingerie."

"Many terrorists shop at Victoria's Secret."

"We have men's socks, undershirts, underwear."

"Boxers or briefs?"

"Extremely brief briefs. Khadija may be a little kinky. Pardon the expression."

"If that's all that's in there, what's the big fuss about? That's pretty much standard contents for most carryon luggage when the final destination is the Village."

"Yes, but they don't all include this," said Rambam, holding up a large plastic Baggie full of enough passports to make a customs agent put in for overtime.

And so it jauntily goes until its nifty surprise ending. Here, as in earlier cases, the plot is marginal and intentionally laughable. It's the straight man, really, enabling Kinky's well-done paeans to Sherlock Holmes, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler, his three-page dissertations on outdoor urination, ruminations on Talmudic proscriptions against indoor nail-clipping, and, most appreciably, his obvious facility and fascination with the language. --Michael Hudson

From Publishers Weekly
Aficionados of the Kinkster and his gang of Village Irregulars are in for another round of hilarious hijinks. On a plane from Texas to New York, the intrepid detective/humorist/musician agrees to keep an eye on the little pink suitcase of his seatmate, the exotic Khadija Kejela, when she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She never returns. After the plane lands in New York, Kinky gets a call from Khadija about the suitcase, which he's taken with him, but she doesn't show up to claim it. Curious about the contents, Kinky and his PI pal, Rambam, force open the suitcase and find a plastic bag full of fake passports for possible Middle Eastern terrorists. Realizing that both he and Rambam may be in danger, Kinky rounds up his old friends Ratso and McGovern to help figure out what's going on. Mayhem ensues. This is guy territory, albeit Greenwich Village '60s style. When necessary, Kinky takes cover with his bottle of Jameson's, a couple of Monte Cristos (preferably No. 2), his espresso machine and his long-suffering cat, whose litter box becomes the hiding place for the passports. Sometime girlfriend Stephanie DuPont adds to the chaos. As usual, the mystery at hand counts for less than the time spent in Kinky's company. The fun is in the ba-da-boom dialogue and the throwaway references. Occasional lyrical passages amidst the raunch surprise and please. The resolution may not convince entirely, but Friedman fans will be too busy laughing to notice. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
For the last 14 years, musician Friedman's mysteries (Musical Chairs, Road Kill) have featured the fictional Kinky Friedman, a profane, funny, and semidegenerate detective. While his stories may not be for everyone, no one else writes like Kinky. This latest mystery is served up with a fair helping of dirty jokes and double entendres, all sure to offend somebody and most taking the Kinkster himself as the target. The Village irregulars are back to help Kinky safeguard a piece of lost luggage, going up against international terrorists, the State Department, and Israeli agents in an effort to keep the pretty pink suitcase and its surprising contents from falling into the wrong hands. The mystery is not all that mysterious and is never satisfactorily solved, but Friedman's books are more about the philosophical discussions that go on while the case is being investigated, discussions involving love and loss, or cigars and sexual perversion. This time Kinky and his cat seem to have all the good lines, and readers with a sense of humor will enjoy The Mile High Club. Recommended for all public libraries.
-DPatrick Wall, University City P.L., MO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

kinky out does kinky this time! fantastic!
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advanced reading copy of MILE HIGH CLUB. Man, this was one of the best, if not the best book kinky has given his fans (I've read all of them at least two or three times). This book ROCKED!!! It was funny, introspective, and had a little bit of kinky's charm (crudeness) just for fun. All the Village Iregulars are here: Ratso, McGovern, Stephanie, and even Winnie. And of course Kinky's muse, the infamous Cat is all up in there, too.

If you like good looking terrorists, interesting, side splitting dialogue, and most of all just love kinky for all he is worth then this book is a must! I haven't lauged so hard while reading a book since SPANKING WATSON. This book blew me away! Read it, dig it!

This book is a great way to come into kinky's world and join us die hard Kink-o-philes!

So, in short, yeah, I'd recommend the book. Can't wait for the next installment! So light a cigar, pet a cat, drink some Jamesons, and have a great time!

Thanks kinstah!

Deep look into a strange mind
As mysteries go, THE MILE HIGH CLUB was so-so. Fortunately, this wasn't about being a mystery. Instead, it was a look into the mind of a man who confesses that he doesn't have much luck with women yet doesn't seem surprised when the beautiful woman seated next to him on a plane visits him for some wild times. He is as concerned with getting a new kitty litter tray as he was with being visited by the State Department, the hacked off finger delivered to him, or the dead body on his toilet.

It's all tongue in cheek and a good time. While Friedman (the character) may not think much of women, remember--they don't think much of him either.

Why I read Kinky this Summer!
My theory is that few read mystery stories for the plots, at least after reading 50 or so, but for the characters or type of mystery, i.e. Cooking, Animal or Historical theme. This explains the popularity of Mike Hammer, Sherlock Holmes and thousands of Cat mystery stories. Kinky's newest novel gives you all the things Kinkyphiles love. The comments on life in general and specific, the cat, the dolls head on the refrigerator, and the cast of characters we have come to know and love ( or at least like alot). If you have liked Kinky in the past, you will love him in the present. If you haven't discovered the wit of Kinky you may want to start with an earlier work. And if you haven't heard his bands...click on the music section now!