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Howdy, a kind of Frank Zappa lookalike sporting a cowboy hat, drove from Louisiana in his beat-up truck, heading toward Beaumont, Texas. His only plan was to forget about that woman, sell the truck, and buy a horse or a bus ticket to anywhere. Slim, a kind of cowboy with no hat, was traveling from West Texas to Beaumont in his old Chevy to take care of some unfinished business. Where the two broke singer/songwriters intersect is where The Adventures of Slim & Howdy begins.
The Chevy starts to smoke, so Slim figures he’d better dump it before it dies. He arrives at Red’s Used Cars in Beaumont. Howdy drives in, just wanting some cash for his truck. Slim is interested, and Red tries to pit them against each other, but these two strangers figure that they’ll get a better deal by working together. Slim sells the Chevy to Red, and both put their names on Howdy’s truck. They have a good feeling about each other, so they’re off to find some work. But, first, Slim must forcefully reclaim his guitar. And that’s where the trouble begins.
The two just want to make a buck as they drive through Texas in search of a music gig. And when they find them, each is surprised with the other’s talent. However, a weakness for women and an inclination for bad luck keep a string of enemies not far behind. Always with a song in their heads, they confront a card shark and a masochistic exotic pet shop owner, crash the filming of an S&M film, and finally find themselves trying to rescue a kidnapped victim, possibly from the hands of an infamous Mexican crime organization.
Sound absurd? Surprisingly, this light, comical crime novel doesn’t play out that way. It keeps you chuckling while anxiously turning the pages to see what happens next. Though you’ll cringe at the characters’ naiveté when it comes to devious women, you’ll also realize that’s just a part of what makes the story amusing.
Slim and Howdy are the alter egos of country music singer/songwriters Brooks and Dunn, who have had over twenty #1 country hits and have won over 80 country music awards. But forget that for now. With the help of author Bill Fitzhugh, they create a fun and captivating story that zips by while still shocking readers with an adversary popping up at every corner.
Put down the newspaper and turn off the talk radio. Life doesn’t always have to be that serious, and neither do crime novels. The Adventures of Slim & Howdy will keep you intrigued and laughing at the same time. It’s just what you need for a good summer read.
