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eddiegenerous's review against another edition
5.0
Fuck, if the next ones are near as good as the first two, I can't imagine a better series of books.
motherhorror's review against another edition
5.0
Book 1, SAVAGE SEASON, has this heist thriller vibe and MUCH MOJO takes off into murder mystery territory.
Leonard's uncle dies and he inherits the property. Hap and Leonard make a discovery during renovations which leads the two men down a pretty dark path.
Lansdale does a fine job preserving the levity in Hap & Leonard's dynamic even though the situation they're involved in is extremely grim. The character development goes deeper in this story as the men struggle to find their bearings in an overwhelmingly heavy situation. We get to see their moral compass, their flaws, and strengths.
Much like Lansdale's newest book, MOON LAKE, I noticed the way he touches on themes of racism & homophobia but it's peppered into the narrative and done in a preachy way.
Joe R. Lansdale's storytelling is like a warm blanket. This is my happy place.
Leonard's uncle dies and he inherits the property. Hap and Leonard make a discovery during renovations which leads the two men down a pretty dark path.
Lansdale does a fine job preserving the levity in Hap & Leonard's dynamic even though the situation they're involved in is extremely grim. The character development goes deeper in this story as the men struggle to find their bearings in an overwhelmingly heavy situation. We get to see their moral compass, their flaws, and strengths.
Much like Lansdale's newest book, MOON LAKE, I noticed the way he touches on themes of racism & homophobia but it's peppered into the narrative and done in a preachy way.
Joe R. Lansdale's storytelling is like a warm blanket. This is my happy place.
jamelon13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
zsofia's review against another edition
5.0
Snappy banter, strong sense of place, well constructed mystery
pearl35's review against another edition
4.0
When Leonard inherits his hoarder Uncle Chester's house, it seems like the biggest problem Hap and Leonard will have is fending off the crack house denizens next door while they fix it up to sell. Instead, they find a child's skeleton in the crawlspace, along with bizarre collections of rotten porn, expired coupons and other clues that quickly lead to the conclusion that Uncle Chester, former security guard, and his irascible pal, an retired cop, were on the trail of something really nasty.
ojtheviking's review against another edition
4.5
When it comes to the first three Hap and Leonard novels, I haven't gone into them blind, as I started collecting these books to begin with because of the far too short-lived TV series. But usually, I try to separate a book and its movie/TV adaptation, thus I managed to enjoy this book all over again as if it were a different (albeit similar) story.
I'm not too well-versed in Southern noir, but I have a feeling that Joe R. Lansdale is one of the better authors within the genre. His writing style makes it all seem so easy, and as I indicated in my review of Savage Season, these stories feel less like standard literature and more like a person (I suppose in this case that would be Hap) just rambling on while reminiscing about his past experiences.
Because of this, I mean it in a good way when I say that it's as if the entire book lacks the classic form of narration, and is solely character narration. To clarify: There are plenty of novels that are narrated from the main character's point of view and still feel like classic, literary storytelling. But with the Hap and Leonard novels, you get more of a sense that these are Hap's personal memoirs.
At the same time, all the characters throughout the story are distinct and unique, all with their own personality and energy. I can retrospectively tell how well these characters lent themselves to the TV adaptation (even though there were some changes here and there), because the whole story has an ensemble of colorful, flawed, and quirky personalities that you can vividly imagine.
There's also this paradox of the story being compact and to the point, while at the same time, Lansdale manages to take his time with it and adds just enough embellishment and world-building to avoid making it feel like just a pointless string of action and plot. There is action for sure, but there is also a lot of warmth, and a delicious touch of humor throughout to make it entertaining and fun beyond just descriptions of macho men getting into brawls and investigating mysteries like a couple of more adult Hardy Boys. Humanity and societal issues are sprinkled on top of the overall plot, and give the story a bit more meaning than just an action-adventure (although the action-adventure part is pretty damn entertaining too).
I loved it!
I'm not too well-versed in Southern noir, but I have a feeling that Joe R. Lansdale is one of the better authors within the genre. His writing style makes it all seem so easy, and as I indicated in my review of Savage Season, these stories feel less like standard literature and more like a person (I suppose in this case that would be Hap) just rambling on while reminiscing about his past experiences.
Because of this, I mean it in a good way when I say that it's as if the entire book lacks the classic form of narration, and is solely character narration. To clarify: There are plenty of novels that are narrated from the main character's point of view and still feel like classic, literary storytelling. But with the Hap and Leonard novels, you get more of a sense that these are Hap's personal memoirs.
At the same time, all the characters throughout the story are distinct and unique, all with their own personality and energy. I can retrospectively tell how well these characters lent themselves to the TV adaptation (even though there were some changes here and there), because the whole story has an ensemble of colorful, flawed, and quirky personalities that you can vividly imagine.
There's also this paradox of the story being compact and to the point, while at the same time, Lansdale manages to take his time with it and adds just enough embellishment and world-building to avoid making it feel like just a pointless string of action and plot. There is action for sure, but there is also a lot of warmth, and a delicious touch of humor throughout to make it entertaining and fun beyond just descriptions of macho men getting into brawls and investigating mysteries like a couple of more adult Hardy Boys. Humanity and societal issues are sprinkled on top of the overall plot, and give the story a bit more meaning than just an action-adventure (although the action-adventure part is pretty damn entertaining too).
I loved it!
sarahetc's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh, I love Hap and Leonard. I think I like Leonard more than Hap, but Hap's the narrator so I hear more of his perspective. In Mucho Mojo, a healed and healing Hap and Leonard are notified that Leonard's beloved but estranged uncle has died and left Leonard his house and a sizable inheritance. For two field hands, that seems like a good thing. In reality not so much.
The book swings through all manner of mystery and villain and Hap and Leonard kick ass and get their asses kicked. They solve the mystery, but not without getting their hearts broken, in multiple ways, and testing the bond between them.
Lansdale's horror foundation comes across here and at once point there's a reference to his cult-classic Bubba Ho-tep. At times he can be wordy, and some of his descriptions are pretty flowery for describing horrible nightmares involving dead bodies and so forth. Nevertheless, his Texas tall tale style is more or less intact. The dialogue is masterful. I listened to a section while driving home sick from work, wanting more than anything to be able to vomit, and the scene where Leonard defines "honky motherfucker" to Hap actually had me laughing out loud.
The next one is in my queue and I can't wait to read it. These are vibrant characters in crazy situations and it's so enjoyable.
The book swings through all manner of mystery and villain and Hap and Leonard kick ass and get their asses kicked. They solve the mystery, but not without getting their hearts broken, in multiple ways, and testing the bond between them.
Lansdale's horror foundation comes across here and at once point there's a reference to his cult-classic Bubba Ho-tep. At times he can be wordy, and some of his descriptions are pretty flowery for describing horrible nightmares involving dead bodies and so forth. Nevertheless, his Texas tall tale style is more or less intact. The dialogue is masterful. I listened to a section while driving home sick from work, wanting more than anything to be able to vomit, and the scene where Leonard defines "honky motherfucker" to Hap actually had me laughing out loud.
The next one is in my queue and I can't wait to read it. These are vibrant characters in crazy situations and it's so enjoyable.
jimib1970's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pseudo_ursus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25