Ed Wood, Jr. - Killer in Drag

My pal, Bob, is the executor of Ed Wood's estate and gifted us this short novel the last time we saw him - thanks, Bob! Again, it has taken me a while to get to it, but finally got some space'n'time.

Ed, of course, is known for his low-budget film classic, Plan 9 From Outer Space, but he wrote several novels and short stories, as well, often with characters in drag, as he enjoyed dressing up himself. His writing might be slightly a step up from his film directing, but is it is also somewhat amateurish and at times, clumsy, but with some style and fun, pop culture nods. And, I must say, once he got the story off the ground, the writing is fairly compelling, even if some of the plot twists are a bit far-fetched.

Here, the main character is Glen/Glendora (I'm not sure if his Glen or Glendora film came before or after this), a gentlemen who transformed into a head-turning woman (perhaps Ed wished that he was that fetching when he dressed up?) who just happened to be a mob hit-person! Ironically, he gets framed for a murder he didn't commit and has to go on the run, with multiple mishaps following him as he goes, including police shake-downs, hookers with a heart of gold and an old-school carnival! The story of short and moves quickly and is over almost before you know it.

Fans of Wood should look this up for a fun little romp thru his creatively wacky mind!