Spanking Watson

Paperback. English. Publisher: Faber and Faber. 1999. good.

Just as every dog must have its day, every Sherlock should have his Watson, and so in Spanking Watson the indomitable private dick Kinky Friedman embarks on a plan to determine which of his dependable 'Village Irregulars' will make the best sidekick. In order toassess the crew - McGovern, Ratso, Stephanie Dupont, Brennen and Rambam - Kinky assigns to each one the task of figuring out who wrote a death threat to Winnie Katz, the Kinkster's upstairs neighbour and dance teacher. Each one is resourceful in trying to ferret out the culprit - but what truly confounds Kinky is that in the middle of the investigation someone shows up who really does seem intent on killing Winnie. When all is finally resolved, the would-be killer isbrought to justice and Kinky has a new fireplace in his loft (and yes, the two things are connected).