Photograph by LeAnn Mueller

JUST A GUY WHO LIKES TO READ enjoys Joe R. Lansdale’s HAP AND LEONARD.

This collection of short stories is a great way to get introduced to Hap and Leonard, two colorful characters that jump off the page and hit you like a ax handle the chops (read the book, you’ll appreciate the statement). They’re the private detectives who aren’t quite private detectives; rather a pair of daring and courageous hard men with a moral compass who moonlight for a PI firm when they’re not undertaking menial day jobs. 

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Not being overly familiar with the series of books, having only read VANILLA RIDE, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lucky I was treated to a novella and short stories that each read like a longer form of fiction. Author Joe R. Lansdale managed to pack a hell of a punch in each story. Well executed plotting, character depth, and a pleasant mix of humor and serious violence to balance things out.

I can’t name a favorite which is a rare thing in a collection such as this but each story was equally enjoyable. My advice to fans of the Hap and Leonard books – this is one you’ve got to have in your collection, and for those readers who aren’t familiar with the series, I strongly recommend checking this out as a great starting point.

Andrew Wheeler from his THE ANTICK MUSINGS
OF G.B.H. HORNSWOGGLER, GENT. mentions the book, even though it’s not SFF nor a graphic novel.

HAP AND LEONARD collects all of the short stories to date about the eponymous duo – also the heroes of about a dozen novels – by Joe R. Lansdale. It’s coming out at the same time as a TV series about the duo, for which I’ve been seeing a bunch of ads in the subway. So it collects six old stories (including one co-written with Andrew Vachss), one brand-new story, an “interview” conducted by Lansdale with Hap and Leonard, and an afterword by Lansdale about the series. How could you want more than that?

For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story