Hap and Leonard find more trouble
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Long time friends Leonard Pine and Hap Collins are out in the woods, taking target practice and talking about an unfortunate turn in Leonard's love life (his lover, Raul, dumped him for another man, "Horse D**k" McNee). Without warning, a rabid squirrel explodes from the trees and attacks, zeroing in on Hap. The squirrel bites Hap on the right forearm before Leonard can kill it with his car. Hap, hospitalized for insurance reasons, starts treatment to prevent the onset of rabies.
Hap makes the best of his hospital stay, but is puzzled by Leonard's failure to visit. A friend on the police force explains why: shortly after Hap checked in, Leonard invaded a biker bar, beat the crap out of Horse D**k McNee, and fled. Unfortunately, Horse Dick later turned up dead, making Leonard a prime suspect. Hap, ignoring his doctor's wishes, and foregoing the chance to flirt with sexy nurse Brett Sawyer, checks out of the hospital to find his friend and clear his name.
Leonard does not remain a suspect for long, as he and Hap hook up and do what they do best, by which I mean they stir up trouble. They discover that Horse Dick was an undercover cop who apparently was investigating the producers of a series of stalk and rape movies in which gangs terrorize, then sodomize, unsuspecting gay men. Their investigations turn up Raul's corpse, and lead them to Charles Arthur, the self described "Chili King", who appears to be behind the movies and the killings.
Proving that a deck can have as many as three wild cards, Lansdale involves private detective Jim Bob Luke (who first appeared in Lansdale's brutal novel Cold in July) in the action. Investigating the case from another angle, Luke rescues Hap from an extremely tight spot (Hap's privates are wired up to a car battery at the time), and joins the pair as they close in on the lowlife behind all the mayhem. Luke adds a comic and savage element to the novel, helping propel it to a harrowing and surprising climax.
If you are a horror/suspense fan, I hardly need to sing Lansdale's praises--his distinctive voice and powerful storytelling are evident on every page. Like previous entries in this series (Savage Season, Mucho Mojo and The Two Bear Mambo), Lansdale uses Hap and Leonard's antics to counter the grim events occurring around them. Two of mystery fiction's more memorable characters, Hap and Leonard have a great talent for finding, then evading, trouble. An East Texas version of Travis McGee and Meyer, their philosophical discussions and wiseass humor will keep you laughing.
The highlight of the book is Jim Bob Luke, who gives new meaning to the phrase "larger than life." Luke steals every scene he's in (and some he isn't), leading me to speculate that Lansdale might inaugurate a new series featuring the hard boiled private eye. I, for one, would welcome it--hell, I'd welcome anything that puts more Lansdale books in my sweaty little hands.
Good Ole Hap and Leonard
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Man, I just love the Hap and Leonard series. Lansdale's dialogue is hysterical, and somehow the situations these characters keep finding themselves in doesn't feel forced at all. They're the greatest losers that ever lived (on page anyway).
Once again, our heores must solve a mystery surrounding the death of Leonard's boyfriend, and eek out the source of some gay bashing videos that have been circulating at local video stores. Along the way we deal with a self proclaimed Chili King, an ex wrestler who likes to hook people testicles up to car batteries, a nurse with a penchant for lighting people on fire, a particularly rabid squirrel, and then some.
Perhpas my favorite part of this novel is the introduction of Joe Bob, a gun totin', gun slingin' private Detective who accompanies Hap and Leonard on their quest. I hope he returns in the next novel becuase he's just a great character.
My only gripe about this particular book in the series is that the end falls a little flat. Lansdale goes for reality more than cliche'd entertainment..but you know what, I would have preferred the cliche at the end.
Still, it's a terrif book , and fast paced enough to read in a single day. Lansdale is truly the king of Mojo.
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