SummaryAlfred Hitchcock's classic film Rear Window gets an
affectionate kick in the butt in this homage from master
crime writer, philosopher, and equal-opportunity offender
Kinky Friedman. It's a case of malaria versus murder when private dick
extraordinaire Kinky Friedman comes down with a tropical
disease, in the jungle known as New York City, and is
confined to his loft on Vandam Street in lower Manhattan, a
prisoner in his own home with only his cat and black puppet
head as company (neither of whom are great
conversationalists). With little to do but stare out the window in between
bedridden bouts of fever and hallucinations, Kinky calls on
assistance from the stalwart Village Irregulars, who
proceed to dish out their own uniquely skewed brand of tea
and sympathy, turning the loft into a virtual Mardi Gras of
confusion and drunken debauchery. Suffering almost as much from company overload as from his
fever, Kinky welcomes a rare moment of calm as he finds
himself once again alone in his loft. Resuming his position
at the kitchen window, he spots a pretty young woman in an
apartment across the street. What he hopes might be
titillating turns terrifying, however, as a man joins the
woman and proceeds to attack her. Sure that he's witnessed
a crime, Kinky calls in the cops, but, upon investigating
his claim, they can find neither a victim nor an apartment
across the street. In addition, no one else saw or heard
anything that would indicate a crime had taken place. Was
it foul play or merely a fevered dream? Convinced that their friend is about to slip off into the
land of eternal slumber, the Village Irregulars increase
their vigilance and in the process raise the Kinkster's
irritability level to an all-time high. Not to be deterred,
however, Kinky sticks to his story and is rewarded when a
few days later he sees the man in the apartment again, but
this time with a gun. Outrageous, audacious, and ingeniously crafted, The
Prisoner of Vandam Street is vintage Kinky: irreverent,
clever, and full of the hardened philosophy and mordant wit
that has earned him a vast and devoted readership. But what
more would you expect from the writer The New York Times
has called "The world's funniest, bawdiest, and most
politically incorrect country music singer turned mystery
writer"?
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