(hb; 2025: fourteenth novel in
the Hap and Leonard series)
From the back cover
“When Hap and Leonard are
called in on a strange request (subduing a meth-hopped hog) by a desperate
young lady, they quickly learn this woman is part of a fringe group: The
Hatchet Girls, who have pledged their allegiance to a crazed and
grudge-bearing leader bent on bloody societal revenge. The timing couldn't
be worse to be caught in such a vile, sticky wicket of a case: both boys are
wrapped up in their domestic lives: Leonard is in the midst of wedding planning
with fiance, Pookie. And meanwhile, Hap and Brett are hard at work on their
new home. Homemaking bliss will have to wait as Hap and Leonard are driven to
stop the danger in its tracks and better understand the group's mission and the
plans they have already set in place for helter-skelter-esque mayhem.
“Life changes, midnight sneaks, and dark encounters with misguided dames who
yell ‘Chop, Chop,’ lead Hap and Leonard into one of their darkest adventures
yet.”
Review
Hatchet, as with other Hap and Leonard [H&P] works, finds the colorful, quip-exchanging duo (as well as their friends and family) taking on another “simple job” only to have it metastasize into bigger, uglier, offbeat, timely and infinitely more dangerous situations. Unlike Sugar on the Bones, the previous H&P book, Hatchet feels downsized storywise, with only a few H&P core characters (Brett, Hap’s wife; Pookie, Leonard’s fiancé; Justin, the newest local sheriff; etc.) involved in the action—a nice offset from the excellent, warm Sugar, making for a more intimate, equally warm, occasionally nasty and (at times) hair-raising follow-up.
There’s a lot of meditation about getting older in Hatchet, a relatively lighter tone that further shows the maturation of Hap and Leonard, as well as those around them. I love this series; every entry inspires a sense of visiting old friends within me. Another great read from Lansdale, worth owning.
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