Barbara R. (Crop4Fun) reviewed Funny As a Dead Relative (Kimmey Kruse, Bk 2) on + 1217 more book reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Cajun cookery, colorful East Texas patois, dark family secrets and homicide provide material for pint-sized Texas stand-up comic Kimmey Kruse in her second appearance. During a family reunion in Port Arthur, Kimmey's black-sheep cousin Leticia dies from an anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting. While trying to convince the local police that Leticia may have been murdered, Kimmey wrestles with her overactive libido, stirred by Leticia's son, Will, a Texas-sized hunk and her kissin' cousin-second or third, once or twice removed. Kimmey's former love interest (in Funny As A Dead Comic), Chicago homicide cop Sal Pucci, arrives uninvited, having been alerted by Kimmey's best friend Phoebe. Building on the spicy aroma of outdoor cooking and Kimmey's powerful, conflicting attraction to both Will and Sal, the tale bounces along to another murder and the arrival of a hurricane. That crimes eventually get solved seems almost incidental to the exploration of various appetites, local oil and shrimping history, the picturesque landscapes (tar-paper shacks and rusted-out cars) and folksy family relationships.
From Booklist
Fans of Cooper's popular Sheriff Milt Kovak will have a fine time reading about the antics of his female alter ego, stand-up comic Kimmey Kruse, who's full of Texas spunk and pure down-home appeal. In her second adventure, following Death of a Standup Comic (1993), Kimmey travels back to her east Texas Cajun roots to nurse her grandfather, who has broken his leg and needs someone to keep him in bed until the bone heals. Kimmey is sure enough a match for her beloved but stubborn "paw-paw." And things would be under control if it weren't for the fact that Kimmey's Aunt Letitia winds up dead of a wasp sting at what's supposed to be a happy family reunion. Everybody thinks Letitia's death is a tragic accident---everybody but Kimmey, that is, who's convinced it was murder and intends to find out who did it and why. The Cajun dialog, laugh-aloud humor, and highly entertaining characters more than make up for the somewhat silly plot. But it's Kimmey herself, with her outrageous clothes, rebellious nature, and southern charm, who makes this book more appealing than a bowl of piping hot gumbo.
Cajun cookery, colorful East Texas patois, dark family secrets and homicide provide material for pint-sized Texas stand-up comic Kimmey Kruse in her second appearance. During a family reunion in Port Arthur, Kimmey's black-sheep cousin Leticia dies from an anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting. While trying to convince the local police that Leticia may have been murdered, Kimmey wrestles with her overactive libido, stirred by Leticia's son, Will, a Texas-sized hunk and her kissin' cousin-second or third, once or twice removed. Kimmey's former love interest (in Funny As A Dead Comic), Chicago homicide cop Sal Pucci, arrives uninvited, having been alerted by Kimmey's best friend Phoebe. Building on the spicy aroma of outdoor cooking and Kimmey's powerful, conflicting attraction to both Will and Sal, the tale bounces along to another murder and the arrival of a hurricane. That crimes eventually get solved seems almost incidental to the exploration of various appetites, local oil and shrimping history, the picturesque landscapes (tar-paper shacks and rusted-out cars) and folksy family relationships.
From Booklist
Fans of Cooper's popular Sheriff Milt Kovak will have a fine time reading about the antics of his female alter ego, stand-up comic Kimmey Kruse, who's full of Texas spunk and pure down-home appeal. In her second adventure, following Death of a Standup Comic (1993), Kimmey travels back to her east Texas Cajun roots to nurse her grandfather, who has broken his leg and needs someone to keep him in bed until the bone heals. Kimmey is sure enough a match for her beloved but stubborn "paw-paw." And things would be under control if it weren't for the fact that Kimmey's Aunt Letitia winds up dead of a wasp sting at what's supposed to be a happy family reunion. Everybody thinks Letitia's death is a tragic accident---everybody but Kimmey, that is, who's convinced it was murder and intends to find out who did it and why. The Cajun dialog, laugh-aloud humor, and highly entertaining characters more than make up for the somewhat silly plot. But it's Kimmey herself, with her outrageous clothes, rebellious nature, and southern charm, who makes this book more appealing than a bowl of piping hot gumbo.
