The Frog King

by Frank McConnell

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802757480
• ISBN13: 9780802757487
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Frank McConnell, Best Detective Novelist You Never Heard Of

Unless you're one of the many students at the University of California at Santa Barbara who have had the pleasure of taking one of his English courses, chances are you haven't heard of Frank McConnell. What can you say about Frank. He was crude, crass and often vulgar. He was also the best teacher I ever had. His love of literature and pop-culture combined with his unorthodox teaching style made Frank a true original. Equally at home discussing Seinfeld or Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Jamie Lee Curtis, or Captain Ahab or Captain & Tenille, Frank was a hell of a teacher. Unfortunately, Frank passed away this past January at age 56. Since I'll never have the privledge to speak with him again, I decided to read one of his novels. And to no surprise, Frank was a pretty damn good writer as well. "The Frog King" is one of a series of Frank's Harry Garnish detective stories. In a 1993 interview, Frank described Garnish as "chain smoking, hard-drinking, and foul mouthed," a description Frank admitted bore a resemblance to himself. But Garnish's quick wit, and outrageous sense of humor also bear a striking resemblace to Frank. "The Frog King" follows Chicago PI Garnish and his partner Sister Bridget O'Toole as they work on a kidnapping in Southern California. Along the way Harry gets shot at, befriends an Oscar Wilde quoting hell's angel and meets some seedy characters in the "adult" film industry. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but I assure you it's a good read. The best way I can describe Frank's writing style is to get you to imagine Elmore Leonard's, funnier, raunchier, mystery writing brother. And like Leonard's work, as Frank's story unfolds, the plot moves into the background and he focuses in on his hilarious, colorful characterizations. Frank will definetly be missed, but at least he will live on through Harry Garnish.