The Adventures of Slim and Howdy

Finished January 3
The Adventures of Slim and Howdy by Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn with Bill Fitzhugh

This humorous modern western is a hoot to read. I pulled out this one when I realized that I hadn't read a single western last year. Instead of wandering gunslingers we have wandering musicians, not that they can't handle a gun when it becomes necessary. The two men Slim and Howdy meet by chance at a used car lot in eastern Texas. They don't have much money, but they have imagination and the ability to turn life experiences into songs. Howdy is heading away from Louisiana with his well-used truck, a saddle in the back and his guitar in the front. Slim is driving an ailing car and needs enough money to get to his nearby destination. The used car lot owner, Red is trying to bargain them against each other, so they decide to team up. They sell Slim's car, decide to share the ownership of the truck and split the money from the car sale.
On to Slim's destination, which is the home of the man who has stolen his guitar. Howdy's quick actions come in handy, and the retrieval is successful, but they've created an enemy and now have a couple of followers.
As their tale leads them down to Fort Worth, and then on to Del Rio, they find themselves in dicey situations from crooked card sharks to jealous ex-boyfriends. The characters are fun, the songwriting even more fun, and the adventures never stop.
Written by the real-life music duo Brooks and Dunn, and a helpful novelist, this book is a great read. I loved it and would love to follow Slim and Howdy on their future adventures.