Hatchet Girls by Joe R. Lansdale

 

(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.

Sugar on the Bones by Joe R. Lansdale

 

(pb; 2024: thirteenth novel in the Hap and Leonard series)

 

From the back cover

“Minnie Polson is dead. Burned to a crisp in a fire so big and bad it had to be deliberate. The only thing worse is that Hap and Leonard could have prevented it. Maybe. Minnie had a feeling she was being targeted, shaken down by some shadowy force. However, when she’d solicited Hap & Leonard, all it took was one off color joke to turn her sour and she’d called them off the investigation. Wracked with a guilty conscience, the two PIs—along with Hap’s fleet-footed wife, Brett—tuck in to the case. As they look closer, they dredge up troublesome facts: for one, Minnie’s daughter, Alice, has recently vanished. She’d been hard up after her pet grooming business went under and was in line to collect a whopping insurance sum should anything happen to her mother. The same was due to Minnie’s estranged husband, Al, whose kryptonite (beautiful, money-grubbing women) had left him with only a run-down mobile home. But did Minnie’s foolish, cash-strapped family really have it in them to commit a crime this grisly? Or is there a larger, far more sinister scheme at work?”

 

 

Review

Sugar, Lansdale’s follow-up to the last Hap and Leonard [H&P] novel, The Elephant of Surprise (2019), finds the longtime friends, along with Brett (Hap’s wife) investigating a suspicious arson-murder case, with (possible) help from friends (or frenemies) from past H&P novels and stories. These characters include: Jim Bob, Vanilla Ride, Veil and Kung Fu Bobby.

Reading a H&P story is like visiting old friends—they’re raw, sometimes salty and scary, but always interesting and sincere in their intentions, and Sugar is no exception. There’s plenty of quip-quotable dialogue, raw action, hissable villains, fully realized and often warm frenemies/friend, though this time out it feels like it “H&P and friends” reunion, with a few new characters. It’s also, like other books in this series, a burn-through read, tonally falling somewhere between darker and recent lighter H&P fare. If the last third ran a bit long for me, it might be because I listened to this an audiobook and wasn’t doing my usual series-beat-familiar fast/physical book read. Worth owning, this, as are other H&P works, book- and television-wise. Followed, in book form, by Hatchet Girls.

Of Mice and Minestrone by Joe R. Lansdale

 

(pb; 2020; story/vignette anthology)

Overall review

Excellent anthology that fills in some of the timeline gaps in the Hap and Leonard oeuvre, a timely (with its social underpinnings) work that entertains even as it provides a brief, page-turning antidote to current real-life events.

 

Review, story by story

“The Kitchen”: Hap-POV vignette about him and his family visiting his grandmother’s house when he was six or seven years old. Fuzzy-warm, and vividly described.

 

“Of Mice and Minestrone”: Sixteen-year-old Hap tries to help a woman (Minnie) escape her abusive husband (Dash) when she turns up dead in a ditch, setting off a new chain of tragic events in the small Texas town of Marvel Creek.

Excellent two-part tale with all the elements of a worthwhile Hap and Leonard work—well-written, relatable and hissable characters, memorable bouts of violence, with strong social underpinnings.

 

“The Watering Shed”: Hap and Leonard, young men, go to the story-titular backwoods bar where Joe Shank, a no-nonsense barkeep-owner, holds sway. Of course, a racist idiot turns Hap and Leonard’s coming-of-age visit into something more violent.

 

Good, fun read, one that sets the tone for future adventure for the two heroes.

 

“Sparring Partner”: Leonard and Hap eat in a whites-only diner. Leonard enters a boxing ring and fights a gigantic bruiser (Hedge), who may knock more than wind out of Leonard. Another good, fun read.

 

“The Sabine was High”: Leonard, just back from Vietnam, goes fishing with Hap, freshly divorced from Trudy (from Savage Season) and just out of prison (for being a conscientious objector).

“Sabine” is well-written (a Lansdale trademark), solid, one of the quieter/non-action-oriented Hap and Leonard works.

The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2013)

From the inside flap

“Jack Parker thought he’d already seen his fair share of tragedy. His grandmother was killed in a farm accident when he was barely five years old. His parent have just succumbed to the smallpox epidemic sweeping turn-of-the-century East Texas─orphaning him and his younger sister, Lula.

“Then catastrophe strikes on the way to their uncle’s farm, when a traveling group of bank-robbing bandits murder Jack’s grandfather and kidnap his sister. With no elders left for miles, Jack must grow up fast─and enlist a band of heroes like the which has never been seen─if his sister stands any chance of survival. But the best he can come up with is Shorty, a charismatic, bounty-hunting dwarf; Eustace, the grave-digging son of an ex-slave; and Jimmie Sue, a street-smart-for-hire who’s come into some very intimate knowledge about the bandits (and a few members of Jack’s extended family to boot).

“In the throes of being civilized, East Texas is still a wild, feral place. Oil wells spurt liquid money from the ground. But as Jack’s about to find out, blood and redemption rule supreme.”

Review

Thicket is an excellent, timely mix of revenge thriller and western, an often-grim work of brutal violence balanced with humor (often with quip-filled exchanges) and well-placed instances of cautious empathy. Its key characters’ pasts and other aspects are effectively established and reader-involving, without slowing up the pace of this terse, dire mission (to rescue Jack’s sister, Lula, from a trio of sadistic villains, Fatty, Cutthroat and N***er Pete).

Thicket is not a novel for those who are especially sensitive about murder, rape (not explicitly shown, but emotionally recounted), torture, brief instances of animal cruelty, racism, and other human-born horrors. Anyone else who enjoys a masterful and especially nasty-twist thriller may find this burn-through book a more-than-worthwhile read.

#

A film version of this is supposedly forthcoming. IMDb lists the following information (as of December 18, 2019).

Elliott Lester is set to direct, from a screenplay Chris Kelley.

Charlie Plummer plays Jack Parker. Peter Dinklage plays Reginald Jones. Sophia Lillis is attached to the project as well as Noomi Rapace.

The Elephant of Surprise by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2019: twelfth novel in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the inside flap

“Hap Coillins is a self-proclaimed white-trash rebel. Leonard Pine is a tough-as-nails gay, black, Republican Vietnam vet. They couldn’t have less in common, except for the fact that they’re each the other’s best friend in the world.

“Amid the worst flood East Texas has seen in years, the two run across a woman who’s had her tongue cut out, pursued by heavily armed pair of thugs. After a chase that blows back even the Texas swamp grass, they learn that their new companion recently survived a mob hit─and that the boss has sent his men to clean up the mess.

“It’s Hap and Leonard’s most dangerous case yet, and for the first time, they have more than just their tails riding on the outcome─their loved ones are in the line of fire, too. The clock is ticking and the waters are rising: Hap and Leonard have to save the woman, and themselves, before the flood washes away friend and foe alike.”

Review

Elephant, plotwise, is one of the lighter entries in the Hap and Leonard series. That said, there’s plenty of quip-quotable dialogue and almost nonstop action to keep fans of the series riveted in this burn-through read, which introduces new, interesting characters, e.g. Nicole Beckman, the young albino woman fleeing an offshoot of the Dixie Mafia─a vicious organization that Hap and Leonard have tangled with before. While this is not the best book in the series to introduce new readers to the complexities of Hap and Leonard’s characters, it is an entertaining, fast-moving and damn-near-breathless tale that succeeds as a sometimes humorous, action-packed standalone work and a slight furthering of their characters. Novel-wise, this is followed by Sugar on the Bones (2024).

The Big Blow by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2000: novella)

From the inside flap

“Galveston, 1900.

“Local fighter, future legend, Jack Johnson versus a professional street fighter brough in to put the black upstart in his place.

“Galveston, 1900.

“Whorehouses, gambling, racial tension, the intersection between myth, history, legend and reality.

“Galveston, 1900.

“The hurricane of the century is coming to destroy it all.”

Review

Lansdale’s stripped-to-the-bone, perverse and violent tale is─for this reader, anyway─a perfect read. Lansdale deftly sketches out his characters’ actions and motivations,  and the results when these characters collide. When Mother Nature, in the form of a hurricane, hits the shore, Blow becomes  a darker, headier brew of the aforementioned bluntly stated elements and characterization. This is one of my all-time favorite books, not for those who require pretty, drawn-out and pleasant stories.

#

According to a May 31, 2018 deadline.com article, Reinaldo Marcus Green is preparing to direct the forthcoming film, scripted by Oren Moverman. 

Coco Butternut by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2017: third novella in the Hap and Leonard series; sixteenth book in the overall series)

From the back cover

“Coco Butternut marks the always-welcome return of Joe R. Lansdale’s dysfunctional duo: Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. As usual, wherever Hap and Leonard go, trouble seems to already be there, awaiting their arrival. And in the case of this twisty, hilarious, and heartfelt new novella, Lansdale sends his heroes to Oak Rest mortuary and cemetery to grapple with the living and the dead—both canine and human.

"When the mummified corpse of a beloved prize-winning daschund named Coco Butternut is stolen from her final resting place, Hap and Leonard are hired by the owner to get her body back. The job is straightforward: they must simply exchange a bag full of cash for the missing pooch's mummy. But they can feel something is not on the up-and-up, and how right they are.

"With assistance from Hap's significant other, Brett, and his daughter, Chance, Hap and Leonard are soon embroiled in a gripping mystery tied to the dark secrets lurking beneath the hallowed ground of Oak Rest cemetery."

Review

Tone-wise, this is one of the lightest, if not the lightest, entries in the Hap and Leonard series. It also sports one of the slightest storylines in the series. That said, this is still an entertaining, light-on-quips-and-violence and semi-quirky read. Followed by Rusty Puppy.

Jackrabbit Smile by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2018: eleventh novel in the Hap and Leonard series; twenty-first book in the overall series. Sequel to: Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella; Cold Cotton; and Hoodoo Harry.)

From the inside flap

“Hap and Leonard are an unlikely pair ─ Hap, a self-proclaimed white trash rebel, and Leonard, a tough-as-nails black gay Vietnam vet and Republican ─ but they’re the closest friend either of them has in the world. Hap is celebrating his wedding to his longtime girlfriend, when their backyard barbecue is interrupted by a couple of Pentecostal white supremacists. They’re not too happy to see Leonard, and no one is happy to see them, but they have a problem and they want Hap and Leonard to solve it.

“Judith Mulhaney’s daughter, Jackrabbit, has been missing for five years. That is, she’s been missing from her family for five years, but she’s been missing from everyboy, including the local no-goods they knew ran with her, for a few months. Despite their misgivings, Hap and Leonard take the case. It isn’t long until they find themselves mied up in a revivialist cult believing that Jesus will return glanced by an army of lizard-men, and solving a murder to boot.”

Review

Like its prequel novel, Rusty Puppy, Jackrabbit is one of the lighter entries in the Hap and Leonard series. It is, as are the other related books, an engaging read, with its smart-aleck levity, intriguing characters, heart and violent darkness. Another great, scorch-through tale, this. Jackrabbit is, of course, worth owning.

Followed by The Elephant of Surprise.

Rusty Puppy by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2017: tenth novel in the Hap and Leonard series; seventeenth book in the overall series. Release-wise, this is a sequel to Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella. It is a prequel to Cold Cotton.)

From the back cover

“While Hap, a former 60s activist and self-proclaimed white trash rebel, is recovering from a life-threatening stab wound, Louise Elton comes into Hap and Leonard's PI office to tell him that the police have killed her son, Jamar.

“Months earlier, a bully cop pulled over and sexually harassed Jamar's sister, Charm. The officer followed Charm over the course of the next couple of months, leading Jamar to videotape and take notes on the cop and his partner. The next thing Louise hears, Jamar got in a fight and is killed in the projects by local hoods. It doesn't add up: he was a straight A student, destined for better things, until he began to ask too many questions about the racist police force.

“Leonard, a tough black gay Vietnam vet and Republican, joins Hap in the investigation, and they stumble upon the racial divides that have shaped their Eastern Texas town. But if anyone can navigate these pitfalls and bring the killers to justice, it's Hap and Leonard.”

Review

Tone-wise, Rusty is one of the lighter entries in the Hap and Leonard series. It is, as are the other related books, an engaging read, with its smart-aleck levity, intriguing characters, heart and violent darkness. My new, favorite character introduced in this book: Reba, a “four-hundred year old vampire”. This is, of course, worth owning.

Followed by Cold Cotton (2017, novella); Hoodoo Harry (2017, novella) and Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade (2017, mosaic novel) and Jackrabbit Smile (2018).

Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2017: story anthology. Twentieth book in the Hap and Leonard series.)

From the back cover

"Hap Collins is a complicated man. He looks like a good ‘ol boy, but his politics don’t match. After way too many jobs, Hap has discovered what he’s best at: kicking ass. Vietnam veteran Leonard Pine is even more complicated: black, Republican, gay—and an occasional arsonist. As childhood friends and business associates, Hap and Leonard have a gift for the worst kind of trouble: East Texan trouble.

"Joe R. Lansdale’s popular Texan crime-fighting duo are immortalized in this collection of new Hap and Leonard short stories and tall tales. Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade follows the exploits of the early years of these beloved characters. Many of these intertwined stories appear for the first time."

Overall review

Excellent, entertaining, timely and darkly hilarious anthology that fills in a lot of tales about Hap Collins’s youth, many of which feature Leonard Pine, his longtime friend. Many of the stories are above average – even haunting, in some cases – and all are worth reading.

Story by story review

1.)  “Parable of the Stick”: Hap and Leonard discuss the pros and cons of Old School schoolyard rules, over-parenting and schoolyard scuffles.

2.) “Tire Fire”: Hap tells the tale of the first time he met Leonard at a late night, backwoods fighting ring.

3.) “Not Our Kind”: In 1968, a young Hap and Leonard encounter racist, homophobic bullies. They also glimpse a scene from their possible future. This story also appeared in the 2016 anthology Hap and Leonard.

4.) “Down By the Riverside”: Hap recalls the day he discovered a childhood friend was less than honorable – a day that has tragic echoes. This is one of my favorite entries in this collection.

5.) “Short Night”: Hap and a friend with a secret hang out.

6.) “The Boy Who Became Invisible”: Originally published in the Hyenas novella and the Hap and Leonard anthology, “Boy” is told from Hap’s first-person perspective. In it, he looks back on an unfortunate childhood friend (Jesse) whose hard life leads to some brutal choices. The interaction between Hap and Jesse provide an effective heart punch to this timely, you-can-guess-where-it’s-going piece.

7.) “Blood and Lemonade”: During Hap’s boyhood, he and his mother help a black boy (Nathan) find his family – it proves to be an unexpected lesson for Hap. This is one of my favorite entries in this collection.

8.) “In the River of the Dead”: Hap and Leonard – seventeen and fishing at the time of this tale – are menaced by torture-dispensing rednecks. This is one of my favorite entries in this collection.

9.) “Stopping for Coffee”: An adolescent Hap goes to a coffee shop where a sudden conflict between older racists and youthful liberals takes place. The ending to this is disturbing and effective because of what is not shown.

10.) “Apollo Red”: Hap’s father stands up to a rich arrogant man and – in doing so – stirs up trouble.

11.) “Coach Whip”: Wise work about snakes and people.

12.) “The Bottom of the World”: In 1960, Hap’s father tells his ten year-old son a spooky story about the Water Witch, an undead river woman.

13.) “Squirrel Hunt”: Twelve year-old Hap and his father discover a dead body in the woods. Good tale about justice.

14.) “The Oak and the Pond”: Hap reminisces with Leonard about one of his old hangout places, a site since razed. This is a nostalgic and melancholic piece.

Hap and Leonard by Joe R. Lansdale

(2016: story/novella anthology -- fourteenth book in the Hap and Leonard series)

Overall review:

Hap compiles seven stories, which have been previously published and take place at different times. One of the stories, Veil's Visit, by itself makes this collection worth owning, because prior to this, it was only available in an expensive collector's item book.  Inexpensive, practical (for most Hap and Leonard fans) and entertaining, Hap is worth your time and cash.

Followed by the story anthology Hap and Leonard Ride Again.

Story by story:

1.)  "Hyenas": See Hyenas review.


2.)  "Veil's Visit" (co-authored with Andrew Vachss): Leonard's new lawyer, a bad-ass named Veil, defends him in court -- the charge: arson, stemming from events in Mucho Mojo.

This story, full of Lansdale's trademark lively banter, was originally published as an expensive/out-of-print novella Veil's Visit: A Taste of Hap and Leonard (1999), the sixth book in the Hap and Leonard series. It is also the first story collection in the series.


3.)  "Death By Chili": Leonard solves a decades-old murder case without resorting to busting heads. This fun, super-short work sports a post-script recipe for "Lansdale Chili".


4.)  "Dead Aim": See Dead Aim review.


5.)  "The Boy Who Became Invisible": Originally published in the Hyenas novella, "Boy" is told from Hap's first-person point of view. In it, he looks back on an unfortunate childhood friend (Jesse) whose hard life leads to some brutal choices. The interaction between Hap and Jesse provide an effective heart-punch to this timely, you-can-guess-where-this-is-going short story.

6.)  "Not Our Kind":  In 1968, a young Hap and Leonard encounter racist, homophobic school bullies. They also glimpse a scene from their possible future.


7.)  "Bent Twig": Tillie, prostitute daughter of Leonard's girlfriend (Brett), becomes -- once again -- the reason why Hap and Leonard put themselves in danger, this time to rescue her from herself and her live-in pimp boyfriend. Of course, this is only the beginning of a much-larger-in-scope adventure for the do-right, brawling duo.

Honky Tonk Samurai by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2016: thirteenth book in the Hap and Leonard series)


From the inside flap:

"Only Hap and Leonard would catch a cold case with hot cars, hot women, and ugly skinheads.

"The story starts simply enough when Hap, a former 60s activist and self-proclaimed white trash rebel, and Leonard, a tough black, gay Vietnam vet and Republican with an addiction to Dr. Pepper, are working a freelance surveillance job in East Texas. The uneventful stakeout is coming to an end when the pair witness a man abusing his dog. Leonard takes matters into his own fists, and now the bruised dog abuser wants to press charges.

"One week later, a woman named Lilly Buckner drops by their new PI office with a proposition: find her missing granddaughter, or she'll turn in a video of Leonard beating the dog abuser. The pair agrees to take on the cold case and soon discover that the used car dealership where her granddaughter worked is actually a front for a prostitution ring. What began as a missing-person case becomes one of blackmail and murder."

Review:

Honky is one of my favorite entries in this series thus far. It has all the best aspects of previous Hap and Leonard page-turners, with its effective levity, lots of raw and realistic action, characters who are worth rooting for or hissing at, effective twists and a storyline that blends old and new elements – and characters, as well. New, colorful characters include the creepy, strange and compelling Booger; older characters include Vanilla Ride, Jim Bob, Cason Statler (Hap and Leonard’s playboy-reporter friend) and Marvin. Throw in a bunch of especially sicko hillbillies, and you have another future classic worth owning.

Followed by the story anthology Hap and Leonard (2016); Coco Butternut: A Hap and Leonard Novella (2017); Rusty Puppy (2017; novel); Cold Cotton (2017, novella); Hoodoo Harry (2017, novella) and Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade (2017, mosaic novel) and Jackrabbit Smile (2018).

Dead Aim by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2013: novella. Eleventh book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the back cover:

"The story begins simply enough when the two agree to provide protection for a woman harassed by her violent, soon-to-be-ex husband. But, as readers of this series will already know, events in the lives of Hap and Leonard rarely stay simple for long. When a protracted stakeout ends in a lethal shooting and a pair of moldering corpses turn up in an otherwise deserted trailer, the nature of this “routine” assignment changes dramatically. The ensuing investigation unearths a complex web of lies, duplicity, and hidden agendas that leads from an upscale Texas law firm to the world of organized crime. . . "


Review:

Dead Aim is a good, succinct read that reunites Hap Collins and Leonard Pine in a series-familiar and accelerated arc of humor, amity and violence. When the two brawlers are hired for a surveillance-and-forceful-persuasion job, inevitable corpses, complications and character-centered twists ensue. This is an entertaining, fast-burn work penned by a master-of-his-genres author, a work worth owning.

Followed by Briar Patch Boogie (novella) and Honky Tonk Samurai.

Hyenas by Joe R. Lansdale

(2011: novella. Tenth book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the back cover:

". . . The story begins with a barroom brawl that is both brutal and oddly comic. The ensuing drama encompasses abduction, betrayal, robbery, and murder, ending with a lethal confrontation in an East Texas pasture. Along the way, readers are treated to moments of raucous, casually profane humor and to scenes of vivid, crisply described violence, all related in that unmistakable Lansdale voice."


Review:

Hyenas is a good, succinct read that brings Hap Collins and Leonard Pine back together in a familiar but sped-up arc of violence and revenge. When a former bar fight opponent (Kelly Smith) hires them to get his dumbass brother (Donnie) away from criminals, it of course leads to the usual and entertaining reprisals many readers have come to expect from this series.

An additional story, "The Boy Who Became Invisible", is told from a first-person point of view by Hap, looking back on an unfortunate childhood friend (Jesse) whose hard life leads to some brutal choices. The interaction between Hap and Jesse provide an effective heart-punch to this timely, you-can-guess-where-this-is-going short story.

Followed by Dead Aim.

Devil Red by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2011: ninth book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the inside flap:

"Hap Collins and Leonard Pine return in a red-hot, mayhem-fueled thriller to face a vampire cult, the Dixie Mafia, and the deadliest assassin they’ve ever encountered—Devil Red.

"When their friend Marvin asks Hap and Leonard to look into a cold-case double homicide, they’re more than happy to play private investigators: they like trouble, and they especially like getting paid to find it. It turns out that both of the victims were set to inherit serious money, and one of them ran with a vampire cult. The more closely Hap and Leonard look over the crime-scene photos, the more they see, including the image of a red devil’s head painted on a tree. A little research turns up a slew of murders with that same fiendish signature. And if that’s not enough, Leonard has taken to wearing a deerstalker cap . . . Will this be the case that finally sends Hap over the edge?"

Review:

Devil Red is another hard-to-set-down, superb book in the Hap and Leonard series, full of lively, character-veracious banter, romance and sex, vicious bad guys, action and gore. Like previous Hap novels, Devil 's action, banter and characters' decisions stem from the events and characters from the book before it (in this case, Vanilla Ride), with all the elements that make Lansdale's books so entertaining: raw violence, humor, sex and romance, friendship, with a few plot twists thrown into its successful blend. The plot corkscrews are not always unexpected, but they work -- again, Lansdale's work is worth purchasing.

Followed by Hyenas.

Vanilla Ride by Joe R. Lansdale

(2009: eighth book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the back cover:

"In this Texas-sized thriller, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine—best friends, freelance troublemakers, and tough guys with good intentions—find themselves in the crosshairs of the Dixie Mafia.

"Hap is an East Texas smart mouth with a weakness for southern women. Leonard is a gay, black veteran pining for a lost love. They’re not the makings of your typical dynamic duo, but never underestimate the power of a shared affinity for stirring up trouble and causing mayhem. When an old friend asks Leonard to rescue his daughter from an abusive, no-good drug dealer, he gladly agrees and, of course, invites Hap along for the fun. Even though the dealer may be lowly, he is on the bottom rung of the Dixie Mafia, and when Hap and Leonard come calling, the Mafia feels a little payback is in order. Cars crash, shotguns blast, and people die, but Hap and Leonard come out on top. Unfortunately for them, now they’re facing not only jail time but also the legendary—and lethal—Vanilla Ride, who is still out to claim the price on their heads."


Review:

Vanilla is one of my favorite books in Lansdale's Hap and Leonard series. It is a heady word brew of familiar, feel-like-worthwhile-family characters (Hap, Leonard, Brett, Marvin, Jim Bob) and new faces (Tonto, Vanilla Ride), as well its snappy semi-philosophical dialogue, cinematic slam-bang action, heartfelt romance and sex. This novel -- this series -- is the embodiment of superior pulp writing and it is worth purchasing.

Followed by Devil Red.

Captains Outrageous by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2001: seventh book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the inside flap:

"Hapless chicken-plant guard Hap Collins gets into trouble when he takes his best friend Leonard on a Caribbean cruise. The two find themselves abandoned in Mexico, saved from armed attackers by a geriatric fisherman and his lovely daughter, who's currently having to fend off a Mexican mobster who is also a practicing nudist... Trying for once to stay out of other people's business, Hap returns to East Texas but is overwhelmed when he learns of the senorita's murder. He then persuades Leonard to return with him to Mexico to even the score."

Review:

Captains is another excellent entry in the Hap and Leonard series, full of lively, character-veracious banter, romance and sex, vicious bad guys, action and gore. It brings together many of the characters from earlier books, including Veil (from Veil's Visit: a Taste of Hap and Leonard), Jim Bob and others. As indicated in past reviews, all the Hap and Leonard novels thus far are worth owning.

Followed by Vanilla Ride.

Rumble Tumble by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 1998: fifth book in the Hap and Leonard series)

From the back cover:

"Hap Collins is hitting the hard edge of a midlife crisis. By night, he's bouncing at a local club. By day, he's living by the grace of his best friend -- black, gay Vietnam vet Leonard Pine -- and his good woman, former Sweet Potato Queen Brett Sawyer. Hap may be down, but he's a long throw from out.

"That's the good news. He'll need it for the bad news.

"Brett's daughter, Tillie, who is turning tricks and taking drugs, stands in need of a quick and merciful rescue. It will be no easy chore, starting with a hard trek from mosquito-ridden but familiar LaBorde, Texas, to the fleshpots and hardasses of Hootie Hoot, Oklahoma.

"On the road the trio picks up new friends, like a hulking Pentecostal preacher and retired hitman, as well as fresh enemies, including a redheaded midget with a giant chip on his shoulder and an army of bikers turned vice profiteers and cold-blooded killers."

Review:

Rumble is one of my favorite Hap and Leonard novels thus far. Like previous books, it is an excellent, entertaining pulp stew of action, cinematic-worthy and humorous dialogue, bigger-than-life characters and bloody action. At the heart of Rumble, as with other Hap and Leonard works, the core of the book is the titular characters' banter-punctuated sense of brotherhood.

This is worth owning, as are the previous novels in this series -- Rumble is followed by Veil's Visit: a Taste of Hap and Leonard (a side-story anthology, an expensive collector's item) and Captains Outrageous.

Preacher: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

(pb; 1995, 1996: graphic novel, collecting issues of Preacher #1 - 7. "Foreword" by Joe R. Lansdale. First entry in the Preacher graphic novel series.)

From the back cover:

"Jesse Custer is a small-town minister slowly losing his faith. . . until he merges with a half-angelic, half-demonic being called Genesis. Together with Tulip, Jesse's trigger-happy ex-lover, and Cassidy, a hard-drinking Irish vampire, Jesse sets out on a bizarre road trip from the heart of Texas to the bitter soul of New York City."


Review:

Preacher is a hyper-violent, more-Texas-than-Texas, blasphemous and darkly hilarious graphic novel series whose character interactions and supernatural storyline elements come together into a wild-ride, distinctive and entertaining read. This is one of my all-time favorite comic book/graphic novel series, not for the easily offended (religious) and faint of heart.

Followed by Preacher: Until the End of the World.

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The television series version, created by Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, is scheduled to debut on the AMC channel on May 22, 2016.

Dominic Cooper plays Jesse Custer. Joseph Gilgun plays Cassidy. Ruth Negga plays Tulip O'Hare. W. Earl Brown plays Hugo Root. Jackie Earle Haley plays Odin Quincannon.

Ian Colletti plays Arseface. Lucy Griffiths plays Emily. Tom Brooke plays Fiore. Anatol Yusef plays DeBlanc.