I don’t mean to brag, but I bought this book at a BookPeople author event starring none other than Joe Lansdale! He is always entertaining at his book signings, and I’m happy to note that he is super nice to his fans. I fumbled while asking him a question about “The Donut Legion” and he took it all in stride. Seriously, y’all, I’m terrible at any kind of public speaking.

I’m also happy to report that this is a stellar Hap and Leaonard mystery filled with evil villains–including a sinister woman with purple eyes. Side note: I had no idea people could be born with purple eyes, but after a quick Google, I discovered that these natural beauties exist in the world, and Elizabeth Taylor was one of them.

Aside from that fun trivia fact, I really enjoyed this new installment, especially the colorful East Texas characters. I had family in Gladewater, so I can attest that the people over there are WEIRD, and I have no doubt Lansdale gets plenty of material whenever he leaves the house. As per usual, the pacing is great, the wisecracks are snappy, and the murder scenes are grisly. But what I love most about these books are the main characters. Hap and Leonard are rough and tough, yet they have soft underbellies that show when they do things like taking two young kids under their wings at the boxing studio. That said, they can be a**holes too, especially toward the beginning of this book when they turned down a potential client who later ended up burnt to a crisp–yikes!

Out of guilt, Hap and Leanord decide to take on her case, which involved two missing girls. Soon enough, they learn this is so much more than a simple missing-person’s case when they find clues leading to a highly organized crime ring. Things escalate VERY QUICKLY, when the bad guys catch wind of Hap and Leonard’s investigations. It’s a good thing they have connections (mainly the sharp-shooting Vanilla) because these killers are BAD NEWS! I’ll leave it right here to avoid spoilers, but I will say that this is one heck of a ride that I didn’t want to end. I’m interested to see what happens in the next book because Lansdale just dropped a bombshell about one of the main characters that could change everything!!!