Scan barcode
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Hap and Leonard are talked into looking for a young woman who has gone to an East Texas town where a Klan like group holds sway. Some humor but this entry was more serious and the violence and suspense were ratcheted up.
dantastic's review
4.0
Hap's ex-girlfirend Florida disappears while investigating the murder of blues musician's son. Hap and Leonard, on behalf of Marvin Hanson, go to Grovetown, a racist hive of scum and villainy, to investigate. Will they find Florida and bring her back?
2016 Reread:
My quest to reread all of the Hap and Leonard books before the TV series drops so I can lord it over everyone else continues. In this, the third Hap and Leonard book, the boys go looking for Florida, Hap's ex and the current girlfriend of Marvin Hanson, their detective friend. Florida went to the most racist town in Texas investigating a jailhouse suicide that may have been murder and wound up missing.
The boys don't actually do a whole lot of detective work in this one. They mostly crack wise and get their asses handed to them. I'd forgotten the beatings Hap and Leonard take in earlier books.
Grovetown seems like a horrible place, backward and racist, but all too plausible. Lansdale peoples it with interesting characters, most of them with hidden depths. Since it's been at least a decade since I read this the first time, I'd forgotten most of the wrinkles of the plot and was pretty surprised by the ending.
The Lansdale wit is in full effect in this one. Even after reading mostly Lansdale in recent days, I still find myself surprised at his skill with colorful similes, like Raymond Chandler drenched in Miller High Life.
While it wasn't my favorite Lansdale book, The Two-Bear Mambo was still a very solid read, even the second time. Four out of five stars.
2016 Reread:
My quest to reread all of the Hap and Leonard books before the TV series drops so I can lord it over everyone else continues. In this, the third Hap and Leonard book, the boys go looking for Florida, Hap's ex and the current girlfriend of Marvin Hanson, their detective friend. Florida went to the most racist town in Texas investigating a jailhouse suicide that may have been murder and wound up missing.
The boys don't actually do a whole lot of detective work in this one. They mostly crack wise and get their asses handed to them. I'd forgotten the beatings Hap and Leonard take in earlier books.
Grovetown seems like a horrible place, backward and racist, but all too plausible. Lansdale peoples it with interesting characters, most of them with hidden depths. Since it's been at least a decade since I read this the first time, I'd forgotten most of the wrinkles of the plot and was pretty surprised by the ending.
The Lansdale wit is in full effect in this one. Even after reading mostly Lansdale in recent days, I still find myself surprised at his skill with colorful similes, like Raymond Chandler drenched in Miller High Life.
While it wasn't my favorite Lansdale book, The Two-Bear Mambo was still a very solid read, even the second time. Four out of five stars.
sandin954's review
3.0
Hap and Leonard are talked into looking for a young woman who has gone to an East Texas town where a Klan like group holds sway. Some humor but this entry was more serious and the violence and suspense were ratcheted up.
merrysociopath's review against another edition
3.0
Lo dico subito perché ce l'ho proprio qui: l'Einaudi dovrebbe smetterla di affidare le traduzioni di Lansdale a degli incompetenti che non hanno la minima conoscenza della parlata gergale statunitense. E che palle, ci sono tutti gli errori di Mucho Mojo e Una stagione selvaggia più qualche espressione tradotta ad cazzum così tanto per guarnire.
Detto questo, sul romanzo nulla da rilevare. Lansdale è sempre Lansdale, e Hap e Leonard sono sempre Hap e Leonard. La storia in sè non è molto coinvolgente (Mucho Mojo era assai meglio), ma la prosa veloce e molto visiva di Lansdale si fa leggere con piacere. Qui è predominante il tema del razzismo e del segregazionismo, e mi è piaciuto come è stato affrontato, ossia senza scadere nella retorica facilotta.
Nel complesso un romanzo caruccio, niente di più.
Detto questo, sul romanzo nulla da rilevare. Lansdale è sempre Lansdale, e Hap e Leonard sono sempre Hap e Leonard. La storia in sè non è molto coinvolgente (Mucho Mojo era assai meglio), ma la prosa veloce e molto visiva di Lansdale si fa leggere con piacere. Qui è predominante il tema del razzismo e del segregazionismo, e mi è piaciuto come è stato affrontato, ossia senza scadere nella retorica facilotta.
Nel complesso un romanzo caruccio, niente di più.
optionalobjectives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is an ugly book that pushes Lansdale's "Raymond Chandler but in East Texas" to a bitter end. The story is part of what's so ugly and it has the most serious violence of the three Hap and Leonard books that I've read so far. The racism is extreme. Some of that makes sense because the main characters are up against a Klan town. I also appreciate how heavily affected and injured those main characters are as the result of showing up in a town like that without a plan. Nobody gets out in one piece and post-traumatic stress is depicted rather than merely named or glossed over. Even so, I don't know if there's much of a point here beyond the difficulty of getting justice in places and situations like the ones in this story. I doubt that there's enough here to justify its extremes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
hunkerdown's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
itsmarkyall's review against another edition
5.0
This may be the best of the Hap and Leonard books I've read so far. Joe Lansdale ups the comedy and intensity with each of these books. All must reads.
newsguy45's review against another edition
5.0
The third installment of Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard books is one hell of a ride. No punches pulled in this one. Plenty of action, laugh out loud dialogue and great characters. This one might be my favorite so far.
pbanditp's review against another edition
5.0
I’m having so much fun with this series. It is always entertaining and keeps me laughing. No matter how serious the matter at hand is, Hap and Leonard can throw out a good line to keep you smiling. Even when dealing with horrific racism, rape, or murder the boys like to push others buttons and not take any crap from anyone. When they are dealing with a whole town of racism and the klan, maybe it would be best if they left it alone.