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Steppin' on a Rainbow is the fourteenth Kinky Friedman novel, with the fictional Kinky in Hawaii after a friend's apparent disappearance from the islands provides the excuse for an off-mainland adventure. The Hawaiian setting is the entry's main distinction from the standard Village-loft formula, and Friedman handles the change of scene with appropriate self-awareness about being the New York writer on vacation in Hawaii.
Friedman's strength in Steppin' on a Rainbow is the careful comic register. The Hawaiian geography, the specific rhythms of Kinky-the-narrator processing a tropical environment, and the eventual involvement of the Village Irregulars are all rendered in the Friedman voice the series has built across more than a decade of novels. Fans of Christopher Moore's comic novels or of Joe R. Lansdale's comic-mystery work will recognize the careful comic-crime register.
The plot is barely a plot. The Hawaiian texture is the actual pleasure.
Three stars. The Steppin' on a Rainbow Kinky Friedman novel works best for series regulars. New readers should start with the earlier Village-set books for the cleanest introduction.
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