A VERY KINKY CHRISTMAS

In Robinson’s fourth installment of the Dudley Files detective series, Careless teams up with another Texan sleuth to keep crucial technology from falling into the wrong hands.

After recovering from a serious gunshot wound, Careless finally heads back to his Houston loft with his black mouth cur, Dudley. Surprisingly, Careless has a newfound ability: He can read Dudley’s thoughts when he touches him. This gift works with all dogs, so when Careless and his neighbor/friend/love interest, E.D., find two small dogs on the highway, he knows where to return them. Careless befriends the dogs’ owner, Kinky Friedman—yes, that Kinky Friedman—and the two men are soon on a case together. An apparent robbery and a dead body at an art gallery ultimately lead the sleuths to an important microchip. People, and entire countries, crave this chip; apparently, it’s an effective defense against missiles. Believing Careless and Kinky have it, individuals and agencies surveil them and ransack their homes. Baddies even track Careless as far as Israel, a trip he takes with E.D. for her photojournalism assignment. Using his special link to dogs, Careless will hopefully find the chip before nefarious agents do. Robinson’s novel, like preceding installments, is breezy and unrelentingly irreverent. Though Careless and Kinky are similar characters, their ongoing shtick is funny and engaging. Careless, for example, seems confused by Kinky’s expression, “checkup from the neck up,” despite Careless’ own “felt up from the belt up.” The mystery largely revolves around who has the microchip. While Careless’ telepathic link to four-legged characters is an odd quasi-supernatural inclusion, it highlights Dudley’s import, particularly his amazing sniffer. The book includes a foreword by Kinky Friedman and Kinky Friedman song lyrics.

Another diverting tale with a consistently entertaining duo.