Some of Kenβs favorites are early mornings, the desert in spring,Β kind and honest people, baseball and other sports played by those who donβt take themselves too seriously, most kids, and filmsΒ he and hisΒ ZoeΒ can enjoy together.
He reads a lot.
He has longΒ been the author of novels, stories, articles, poems, and essays. Lots of honors have come his way, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship;Β Poets, Essayists andΒ NovelistβsΒ Ernest Hemingway Award; Private Eye Writers of AmericaΒ Best First Novel andΒ Shamus Best Novel; and several San Diego and Los Angeles Book Awards.
Here are some of the kind words written about Kenβs work:
ββ¦ brings a great new character β and a fresh voice β into the mystery field.β Novelist Tony Hillerman
βKuhlken is an original, and in these days of cookie-cutter fiction, originality is something to be prized.β San Diego Union Tribune
ββ¦ brings the social and cultural scene of the period vividly to life. β Publisherβs Weekly
ββ¦ a tale as sensitive and heartfelt as it is action-packed.β Kirkus Reviews
ββ¦ takes readers into dark experiences and deep understandings that canβt help but leave them changed.β Novelist Michael Collins
βKuhlken weaves a complex plot around a complex man, a weary hero who tries to maintain standards as all around him fall to temptation. β Publisherβs Weekly
ββ¦ a stunning combination of bad guys and angels, of fast-moving action and poignant, heartbreaking encounters.β Novelist Wendy Hornsby
ββ¦ captures the history and atmosphere of the 1970s as well as the complex dynamics of a fascinating family.β Booklist
ββ¦ a tale as sensitive and heartfelt as it is action-packed β¦ Crime, punishment and redemption.β Kirkus Reviews
ββ¦ fast-moving adventure, effectively combines mainstream historical fiction with the conventions of the hard-boiled detective novel.β Booklist
βA wonderful, literate, and very ambitious novel that does everything a good story should do. It surprises, delights, it jolts and makes you think .β Novelist T. Jefferson Parker
ββ¦ a pleasure to read.β Novelist Anne Tyler
βElegant, eloquent, and elegiac, Kuhlkenβs novels sing an old melody, at the same time haunting and beautiful.β Novelist Don Winslow