Steppin' on a Rainbow (Kinky Friedman Novels (Hardcover))

Rating:
Summary: Semi-Praise for the Kinkster....
Review: As a longtime Kinkster fan, i must admit i was ever-so-slightly disappointed with Steppin' on a Rainbow. I thoroughly enjoyed his previous outing ( The Mile High Club) and feel Rainbow is a step backward. NO Ratso! Rambam also makes a very minor appearance. These are stalwart characters who i look forward to seeing in each new adventure. Stephanie DuPont takes on her largest role so far and, i confess, was starting to get up my sleeve before the book ended. however, these are minor qualms and i liked the book, just not as much as his other work-- hence, the 4 star rating. As they say about both pizza and sex, "even when they're bad, they're still better than anything else." I think the Kinkster can be added to that list. .......As a side note, i would encourage anyone who is a fan and hasn't already done so, to get the audio versions of his books as read by Kinky himself. They're really killer bee....

Rating:
Summary: I hope Mr. Friedman's other books are better
Review: Contrived. Tedious. Irritating. Trying too hard. These are just a few of the ways I would describe "Steppin' on a Rainbow". I can tell that Friedman has talent as a writer. It is a real shame, however, that he insists upon insulting the intelligence of the reader with a constant barrage of quips and one-liners that aren't really even shockingly funny as much as they are merely sour comments made in poor taste (Example: he makes a reference to nurses being gone from the beach with the help of Richard Speck... or something along those lines. I got the joke, such as it was. It just really wasn't very funny or very clever). But this is the only book of Friedman's that I've read so far. I will read others, but I'm not going to be buying them with my own money. I'll borrow the next one or check it out from the library. So far, I may as well have flushed the cost of this oinker down the toilet. The man is skilled as a writer. I just don't know if he's got the talent to back up the skill. This story was dull and contrived. A festival of obnoxious, unlikable characters and plot conveniences. By the end of the book I was hoping that all of the major characters would get killed in a bus crash or something. Not a good sign when the author places himself in the story as the protagonist. Mr. Friedman-- I wish you all the best in the world and a long and happy life... but this story stinks.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Kinky with a Hitch
Review: This book will feel familiar to Kinky Friedman fans, with the usual cast of characters included. The themes of loyalty and loneliness are well drawn. This book is a classically enjoyable Kinky-style mystery; however, I must downgrade my rating of this tale to a 3-star rating. The character of Stephanie DuPont is so irritating and unlikeable that it is distracting from the whole. Unfortunately, she plays a large role in this mystery, so you cannot skim past her appearances. I hope Kinky's next mystery will be investigating her death.