Rusty Puppy

A Hap and Leonard Novel

by Joe R. Lansdale

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Feb 21 2017 | Archive Date Mar 21 2017

Mulholland Books

General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

Description

Hap and Leonard investigate a racially motivated murder that threatens to tear apart their East Texas town.

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.

Filled with Lansdale's trademark whip-smart dialogue, colorful characters, and relentless pacing, Rusty Puppy is Joe Lansdale at his page-turning best.

Advance Praise

“A unique mix of sly humor and horrific violence. Readers will laugh at some particularly profane smart-ass repartee and then want to cover their eyes a couple sentences later as the violence explodes. Another fine entry in a great series.” —Booklist (starred review)

“The pleasure of any Hap and Leonard mystery is the yin-yang of the two heroes . . . Without making any brotherhood speeches, the books are rough-hewn fables of tolerance in action. . . . This puppy tells a waggly tale the reader is happy to follow.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A unique mix of sly humor and horrific violence. Readers will laugh at some particularly profane smart-ass repartee and then want to cover their eyes a couple sentences later as the violence...

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780316311564
PRICE	$26.00 (USD)
PAGES	288

Additional Information

Average rating from 6 members

See all member reviews

Featured Reviews

Charlene C, Reviewer

Rusty Puppy is the latest entry in the Hap and Leonard series by Joe Lansdale.

The pair are hired by the lady across the street to help find her son's murderer. The local cops are not only unhelpful, they are suspected of being involved. As always, the pair are happy to help and find themselves involved with corrupt lawmen, scuzzy lawyers and a foul-mouthed, 400 year old midget vampire. (You'll see.)

I believe the main draw for these books is the back and forth between Hap and Leonard and this book is no exception. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit and with everything going on in the world today, I welcomed the respite.

There's also a killer fight scene towards the end of the book that loyal readers won't want to miss.

Hap and Leonard lovers should enjoy this volume of the series just as much as the rest of them, if not just a smidge more. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the series!

*Thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

Was this review helpful?

Librarian 188475

Hap and Leonard are at it again. This new book in the series finds Hap a bit out of sorts since his near-death experience in the last book. Leonard’s love has gone again causing his consumption of vanilla cookies to increase. The woman across the street from their office has had a son murdered possibly by the corrupt police and she wants them to look into it for her. As usual the boys step on some toes leading to violence and mayhem. Our lads come out on top of course and solve the crime. They meet up with a number of interesting characters one of whom helps them solve the mystery. She is a smart-ass 14 year-old street-wise girl from the projects, or as Leonard calls her, a 400-year-old vampire. Naturally the boys are very taken with her and when she runs into trouble because she knows too much they are incensed and set out to get even.

Joe Lansdale has a really good formula going here and this latest book doesn’t disappoint. The repartee between Hap and Leonard is delightfully funny. On the surface they should not be acquaintances, much less best friends/brothers. They are very violent men, but that violence is only visited on the evil people. They care about the downtrodden and do their best to right the wrongs visited on the people that seek them out for help. I always enjoy the Hap and Leonard series and look forward to many more to come.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.