The Adventures of Slim & Howdy: A Novel

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (with Bill Fitzhugh)
Center Street
ISBN 9781931722827
Reviewed by Wendy Cleveland for Reader Views (5/08)


“The Adventures of Slim & Howdy” is based on the alter egos of country music sensation Brooks and Dunn (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn).  A few years ago, they began writing about Slim and Howdy as liner notes on the covers of their music CDs.  They had enough “adventures” of the duo to compile a full-length novel alongside Bill Fitzhugh, who is famous for his comic mysteries.  No mistaking, Slim is the alter ego of Dunn while Howdy is of Brooks.  There is no shortage of comedy and one-liners starting from the day these two met.  Slim makes a great impression on Howdy when he tries to get his guitar back from Brushfire Boone by throwing a pair of hedge clippers and shooting at Boone’s refrigerator.  Circumstances arise that forces them to share a truck and hit the road together in pursuit of becoming famous musicians.  During their travels they meet up with a lot of shady characters including terrorists, thieves, card sharks, and upset boyfriends.  They eventually land a steady gig at a local roadhouse.  This unfortunately becomes short-lived as their boss, Jodie Lee, is kidnapped and held for ransom.  With no shortage of crazy suspects (like a reptile retailer, and Mexican terrorists), Slim and Howdy begin their search for Jodie across the desert leading to a final confrontation that is laugh out loud funny. 

Being a long- time fan of Brooks and Dunn, I enjoyed seeing the story of Slim & Howdy come full circle.  I definitely pictured them in their perspective roles as I was reading.  The circumstances that they find themselves in were hysterical.  Like when Howdy was running from Black Tony with his pants down, literally.  After this encounter, he decides to write a song about it (which he does with every instance).  There were tons of plot twists that kept you guessing especially their “adventure” of trying to find their boss.  I would definitely recommend “The Adventures of Slim & Howdy,” not only to Brooks and Dunn fans, but to anyone who loves a hoot-and-holler comical country- western mystery.  Not only can’t I wait to see what Slim & Howdy do next, I will be seeking out some of Bill Fitzhugh’s other novels.

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