Rowdy in Paris

Very funny novel with lots of cowboy philosophy. Young bull rider spends his last dollars to fly to Paris, France to recover his stolen rodeo championship belt buckle. Why? To give it to his young son who lives with his ex-wife. Why? So the kid won't be brain-washed by his mother when she tells the boy that his father never amounted to anything. Along the way Rowdy learns more about life and love.

I could be considered biased because I have loved almost everything Tim Sandlin has written, but I think this book is terrific. It may be his best work. It is humorous as Sandlin always is and touching as well. I highly recommend it.

Pardon the interruption, however I am rating Tim Sandlin as a "new author find" vs. this specific book. While I own "Rowdy in Paris", I elected to go back and read early Sandlin first...specifically his Sam Callahan trilogy (Skipped Parts, Sorrow Floats, and Social Blunders) If you are like me, you run out of your favorite authors books, go back and read anything ever written by a good one, and constantly look for new ones.(And many times throw new authors in the trash before finishing) Add Sandlin to your list of must reads, if you haven't discovered him already. I think I found him on one of the other "crazy" author web pages of recommendations (Carl Hiaasen, Bill Fitzhugh, Christopher Moore, or Tim Dorsey...not really sure) Sandlin's early three books (I like the second one, Sorrow Floats best) show a great talent for "laugh out loud" humor, while still having great social and individual relationship perspective and commentary. Some have reviewed that Sandlin can get "outrageous"...if so, my kind of writing.....IMHO, you can not go wrong reading Tim Sandlin.

I'm a Sandlin fan from way back. This may be one of his best. Rowdy is the perfect protagonist--he's far from perfect himself, but we love to follow everything he does. Which is fairly insane--flying to Paris to retrieve a lost (don't ask how) rodeo champion belt buckle, fighting possibly-CIA agents and global corporations along the way. None of which matters much because you'll fall in love with Rowdy's voice and his strict adherence to the Cowboy Code. Even in Paris faced with bisexual political terrorists. Hey, it's all about the hat. Get this book right now and read it. You won't be sorry.

Mr. Sandlin has finally embraced globilization. Well sort of. Introduce Rowdy Talbot a true American who has been wronged and according to the cowboy code he can't let that stand. But when he follows his stolen pize to France he discovers what a "fish out of water" truly means. This novel like "Jimi Hendrix Turns 80" faces American stereotypes and injects them with wisdom and a whole lot of humor. I have enjoyed almost all of Tim Sandlin's novels, but this may be his funniest. I got it on the 24th and finished it the same day.