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Wiley Moss #3
Skinny Annie Blues
Notified by an anonymous caller that his father has died and to stay away from the family home in Texas, Wiley Moss promptly journeys to the teeming West, where he encounters everything from a redneck porn king to a Whitney Houston look-alike.
- GenresMystery
250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
21 people want to read
About the author
Neal Barrett Jr.
150 books44 followersNeal Barrett, Jr. was a writer of fantasy, science fiction, mystery/suspense, and historical fiction. His story "Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus" was nominated for both the 1988 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 14, 2016
Amusing but occasionally tiresome, much like a visiting three-year-old. Also like a three year old, it insists on interacting with those who would rather remain untouched. It reminds me somewhat of the famous male writers I read in the late 80s: Tom Robbins, Updike--kind of clever but more than a little fixated on females and the possibility of sex.
A cop calls Wiley Moss to let him know his father has died:
"If you hadn't told me he was dead, I never would have known he was alive."
The cop went silent a moment. I heard ice tinkle in a glass. Part of a country song. The man was in a bar somewhere. Neon signs, something with horns on the wall. He had told me his name was R.J. You can't trust a man with initials for a name."
The phone call send Moss hurrying down to Galveston, Texas ("in the Southwest somewhere"). He leaves his girlfriend, Giselle, behind with few regrets; before long he's oogling a beautiful copper-haired woman on a plane as he tries to ignore his seatmate, Chicken Man, who has some quality advice about fluids: "He held up his empty plastic glass. 'Whiskey is made from pure natural grain. Straight from Mother Earth. Toss out that juicer and get yourself on the road to health." Moss is soon careening from one disaster to another, meeting acquaintances of his father and trying to understand the life he was living as he works out who would want to kill him.
The plotting is straight from the school bumbling interloper who stumbles into a situation much larger than himself and basically only works out what is going on through dumb luck. Unfortunately, there's a bit at the end that doesn't quite satisfy--if you every read this, look me up and we'll talk. Suffice it to say that it won't work for fans of the definitive. I don't think. Unless I read it wrong.
Characters are all rather fascinating, if a bit extreme. Sadly, Moss is not a particularly likeable lead. He's clueless, both needy and hostile, and spends far too much time thinking about how attractive the female characters are. I found myself most drawn to a deaf child, Git, who was easily the most cheerful, clever and gentle person in the book.
What I most enjoyed about it was Barrett's writing, an interesting mixture of description and fragments that often segued off into imagination without any clear markers. It is deceptively simple and able to evoke emotion without specifics. By far the most enjoyable aspect of the story is the extreme characters and their banter. Written in 1996, I experienced a surreal moment when I read: "Chicken Man tried to grin. He had a little mouth like Donald Trump. Donald Trump can't hardly grin at all." I'm also a sucker for a caper, and this has a feeling of mad-cap adventure about it. However, like a visiting three-year-old, I was worn out after a relatively short time. I read this one over a number of days and thus was able to enjoy it instead of sliding into exasperation.
Two-and-a-half stars, rounding up for making me laugh.
A cop calls Wiley Moss to let him know his father has died:
"If you hadn't told me he was dead, I never would have known he was alive."
The cop went silent a moment. I heard ice tinkle in a glass. Part of a country song. The man was in a bar somewhere. Neon signs, something with horns on the wall. He had told me his name was R.J. You can't trust a man with initials for a name."
The phone call send Moss hurrying down to Galveston, Texas ("in the Southwest somewhere"). He leaves his girlfriend, Giselle, behind with few regrets; before long he's oogling a beautiful copper-haired woman on a plane as he tries to ignore his seatmate, Chicken Man, who has some quality advice about fluids: "He held up his empty plastic glass. 'Whiskey is made from pure natural grain. Straight from Mother Earth. Toss out that juicer and get yourself on the road to health." Moss is soon careening from one disaster to another, meeting acquaintances of his father and trying to understand the life he was living as he works out who would want to kill him.
The plotting is straight from the school bumbling interloper who stumbles into a situation much larger than himself and basically only works out what is going on through dumb luck. Unfortunately, there's a bit at the end that doesn't quite satisfy--if you every read this, look me up and we'll talk. Suffice it to say that it won't work for fans of the definitive. I don't think. Unless I read it wrong.
Characters are all rather fascinating, if a bit extreme. Sadly, Moss is not a particularly likeable lead. He's clueless, both needy and hostile, and spends far too much time thinking about how attractive the female characters are. I found myself most drawn to a deaf child, Git, who was easily the most cheerful, clever and gentle person in the book.
What I most enjoyed about it was Barrett's writing, an interesting mixture of description and fragments that often segued off into imagination without any clear markers. It is deceptively simple and able to evoke emotion without specifics. By far the most enjoyable aspect of the story is the extreme characters and their banter. Written in 1996, I experienced a surreal moment when I read: "Chicken Man tried to grin. He had a little mouth like Donald Trump. Donald Trump can't hardly grin at all." I'm also a sucker for a caper, and this has a feeling of mad-cap adventure about it. However, like a visiting three-year-old, I was worn out after a relatively short time. I read this one over a number of days and thus was able to enjoy it instead of sliding into exasperation.
Two-and-a-half stars, rounding up for making me laugh.
September 27, 2016
The book "Skinny Annie Blues" has the same main character as "Pink Vodka Blues" had. Wiley Moss, an entomologist flies down to Galveston to find out who murdered his father. The novel is one long extended chase scene.
Neal Barrett Jr. 1929 - Sunday, February 9, 2014. He worked on many pseudonymous projects to support himself, he work for franchises such as the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Daniel Boone, Dungeons and Dragons, Judge Dread, Spiderman, Batman, and Pamela Anderson's Barb Wire.
This book is not up to the standards of the previous two books.
Neal Barrett Jr. 1929 - Sunday, February 9, 2014. He worked on many pseudonymous projects to support himself, he work for franchises such as the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Daniel Boone, Dungeons and Dragons, Judge Dread, Spiderman, Batman, and Pamela Anderson's Barb Wire.
This book is not up to the standards of the previous two books.
September 16, 2016
PROTAGONIST: Wiley Moss, graphic artist
SETTING: Galveston, TX
SERIES: #1 of 2
RATING: 3.0
WHY: Wiley Moss hasn't seen his father in 17 years. He decides to go to his funeral in Galveston, TX, and also try to find out if his death was an accident as stated. It seems everyone in Galveston is out to get him, which didn't make much sense to me since he had had no contact with his father in so long. The book was at first funny, but as it went on, I grew to dislike the lead character more and more.
SETTING: Galveston, TX
SERIES: #1 of 2
RATING: 3.0
WHY: Wiley Moss hasn't seen his father in 17 years. He decides to go to his funeral in Galveston, TX, and also try to find out if his death was an accident as stated. It seems everyone in Galveston is out to get him, which didn't make much sense to me since he had had no contact with his father in so long. The book was at first funny, but as it went on, I grew to dislike the lead character more and more.
October 17, 2021
Absurd Perils of Pauline type story of a guy who's looking for what happened to his dead father. Lots of violent petty criminals threatening this guy whose father was one of them. Not believable and not as funny as I think he was trying to make it.
January 4, 2017
What a waste of time! Yes there were a few funny spots, but the "hero" has got to be one of the stupidest men ever in fiction.
August 29, 2012
I wish we had 1/2 stars on GoodReads just for situations like this one here. No, I don't want to rate it 1 1/2 stars. I want to rate it 1/2 stars. Actually, if it was possible, I want to rate it zero stars.
The humor is forced. The main character is completely unlikable.
A boring disagreeable waste of my time. Which is unfortunate as I actually did rather enjoy another of Neal Barrett's books. Though, to be fair to myself, that one I liked was Science Fiction, and this one is Mystery.
The humor is forced. The main character is completely unlikable.
A boring disagreeable waste of my time. Which is unfortunate as I actually did rather enjoy another of Neal Barrett's books. Though, to be fair to myself, that one I liked was Science Fiction, and this one is Mystery.
October 20, 2008
SKINNY ANNIE BLUES - NR
Barrett, Jr., Neal - 3rd in Wiley Moss series
Receiving a mysterious call that informs him that his father is dead and warns him not to return home, Wiley Moss travels to Texas anyway and must solve a murder while preventing his own death.
I didn't like the characters. This just didn't work for me at all.
Barrett, Jr., Neal - 3rd in Wiley Moss series
Receiving a mysterious call that informs him that his father is dead and warns him not to return home, Wiley Moss travels to Texas anyway and must solve a murder while preventing his own death.
I didn't like the characters. This just didn't work for me at all.
May 16, 2009
This was a quirky mystery. The main character has a goofy slant on life. Rather enjoyable if you give it a chan
July 7, 2016
C/DNF. Odd mystery. Has moments. Didn't click for me, though I got through most of it. The title is probably the best part of it. Cool cover art, too.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews