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Hap and Leonard #3
The Two-Bear Mambo
Florida Grange, Leonard's drop-dead gorgeous lawyer and Hap's former lover, has vanished in Klan-infested Grovetown while in pursuit of the real story behind the jailhouse death of a legendary bluesman's blackguard son. Fearing the worst, Hap and Leonard set out to do the kind of investigating the good ole boy cops can't - or won't - do. In Grovetown they encounter a redneck police chief, a sadistic Christmas tree grower, and townsfolk itchin' for a lynchin'. Add to this a dark night exhumation in a voodoo graveyard, a thunderstorm of Biblical proportions, and flat-out sudden murder. Hap and Leonard vow to face the hate and find Florida, even if Leonard has to put a hole in anyone who gets in the way. Besides, they've packed a lunch.
273 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
107 people are currently reading
1,534 people want to read
About the author
Joe R. Lansdale
828 books3,759 followersChampion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.
He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
May 28, 2023
MUCHO FUN
Sono venuti a trovarmi i miei vecchi amici Hap e Leonard e…
Sbagliato: sono io che sono tornato a trovare loro.
E dopo il tradizionale “What’up, dude?”, ci siamo scambiati il cinque, perché sotto l’apparente scorza ruvida, sanno essere affettuosi e accoglienti.
È stato Hap a cominciare il racconto, anche se spesso interrotto e proseguito da Leonard.
Mi hanno raccontato una storia che sin dal titolo suonava bizzarra: il mambo degli orsi. Tra l’altro, proprio a me che con l’orso ho particolare familiarità.
Man mano che il loro racconto procedeva mi sono accorto di quanto erano bravi a inserire “brutto fottuto cazzo pallido di un leccaculo” in tutte le frasi senza farla sembrare una forzatura o un’esagerazione.
E il Texas orientale di qua, e il Texas orientale di là, e quanto è bello, e quanto è diverso dal Texas occidentale, e quanto è verde, e che bella e grande foresta abbiamo, la più grande d’America (Big Thicket, una sorta di immensa palude).
Poi, è ovvio, visto che Leonard è afroamericano, e per giunta omosessuale, e visto che Hap è il suo migliore amico – e Leonard è il migliore amico di Hap, si sentono un po’ famiglia – il loro racconto aveva molto a che fare con razzismo, diritti civili, KKK, segregazione e compagnia cantante.
Io ascoltavo, ma ogni tanto li incalzavo: sì, ma il mambo degli orsi? che c’entrano gli orsi che ballano il mambo?
E loro andavano avanti a raccontare come se non mi avessero sentito, come se io bisbigliassi, come se nulla fosse. E il Texas orientale di qua, e il Texas orientale di là…
Il mambo degli orsi [censurato].
Però, devo ammetter che nonostante la mia fretta di arrivare al punto, cioè al mambo degli orsi e il suo significato, il racconto di Hap e Leonard era interessante, e divertente come sempre sanno esserlo loro.
Interessante perché ruotava intorno a Florida, la bella giovane avvocata afroamericana che aveva illuminato la loro precedente avventura, Mucho Mojo, quando se la faceva con Hap, che per lei aveva proprio perso la testa, gran sesso e quant’altro, ma lei era tanto più giovane e cercava qualcuno con sogni e progetti, e Hap si sa è sprovvisto sia degli uni che degli altri. E allora, com’è e come non è, la bella giovane Florida era approdata a fidanzarsi e convivere con l’amico tenente di polizia e anche lui afroamericano.
Mi dicevano, un po’ Hap e un po’ Leonard, di essere stati a cercarla in questa piccola cittadina del Texas orientale (e dove altro?!) - così razzista da far sembrare una piantagione della Confederazione un luogo di villeggiatura – dove Florida era andata a mettersi nei guai ficcanasando su un detenuto afroamericano che si era impiccato coi propri lacci delle scarpe. Il che ovviamente puzzava di fasullo: come si fa a impiccarsi coi lacci delle scarpe, quando è buona consuetudine di ogni prigione quella di mettere in cella la gente dopo aver prelevato i lacci delle scarpe, le cinture e le cravatte, proprio per evitare suicidi.
Big Thicket
Alla ricerca di Florida, facevano domande in giro, Leonard sempre a stuzzicare e provocare, finché non le hanno prese di santa ragione. Ma Florida sparita, molto cercata, molto rimpianta, ma sempre assente.
Solo che adesso che ci penso è stata solo un’impressione quella che a raccontare fossero tutte e due: perché invece l’io-narrante è solo Hap, si tratta di un io e non di un noi-narrante. Il fatto è che voglio così bene a questa coppia di improbabilissimi detective scalcinati - ma macchine da guerra quando si tratta di sfoggiare le arti marziali – siamo ormai così in confidenza, che mi sembra di sentire la voce di tutti e due, e non solo quella di Hap.
Per la cronaca, il mambo degli orsi è un documentario del National Geographic dove si vedono accoppiamenti tra orsi. E quindi, per l’appunto, orsi che fanno il mambo. Svelato l’arcano.
Anche se io forse ci sono rimasto un po’ stranito, mi aspettavo altro. Così, salutandoli, gli ho detto: torno presto, e mi raccomando, mettetemi da parte il chili, e che sia davvero bad {Bad Chili = Hap & Leonard #4}.
[Il mio Lansdale #11]
Sono venuti a trovarmi i miei vecchi amici Hap e Leonard e…
Sbagliato: sono io che sono tornato a trovare loro.
E dopo il tradizionale “What’up, dude?”, ci siamo scambiati il cinque, perché sotto l’apparente scorza ruvida, sanno essere affettuosi e accoglienti.
È stato Hap a cominciare il racconto, anche se spesso interrotto e proseguito da Leonard.
Mi hanno raccontato una storia che sin dal titolo suonava bizzarra: il mambo degli orsi. Tra l’altro, proprio a me che con l’orso ho particolare familiarità.
Man mano che il loro racconto procedeva mi sono accorto di quanto erano bravi a inserire “brutto fottuto cazzo pallido di un leccaculo” in tutte le frasi senza farla sembrare una forzatura o un’esagerazione.
E il Texas orientale di qua, e il Texas orientale di là, e quanto è bello, e quanto è diverso dal Texas occidentale, e quanto è verde, e che bella e grande foresta abbiamo, la più grande d’America (Big Thicket, una sorta di immensa palude).
Poi, è ovvio, visto che Leonard è afroamericano, e per giunta omosessuale, e visto che Hap è il suo migliore amico – e Leonard è il migliore amico di Hap, si sentono un po’ famiglia – il loro racconto aveva molto a che fare con razzismo, diritti civili, KKK, segregazione e compagnia cantante.
Io ascoltavo, ma ogni tanto li incalzavo: sì, ma il mambo degli orsi? che c’entrano gli orsi che ballano il mambo?
E loro andavano avanti a raccontare come se non mi avessero sentito, come se io bisbigliassi, come se nulla fosse. E il Texas orientale di qua, e il Texas orientale di là…
Il mambo degli orsi [censurato].
Però, devo ammetter che nonostante la mia fretta di arrivare al punto, cioè al mambo degli orsi e il suo significato, il racconto di Hap e Leonard era interessante, e divertente come sempre sanno esserlo loro.
Interessante perché ruotava intorno a Florida, la bella giovane avvocata afroamericana che aveva illuminato la loro precedente avventura, Mucho Mojo, quando se la faceva con Hap, che per lei aveva proprio perso la testa, gran sesso e quant’altro, ma lei era tanto più giovane e cercava qualcuno con sogni e progetti, e Hap si sa è sprovvisto sia degli uni che degli altri. E allora, com’è e come non è, la bella giovane Florida era approdata a fidanzarsi e convivere con l’amico tenente di polizia e anche lui afroamericano.
Mi dicevano, un po’ Hap e un po’ Leonard, di essere stati a cercarla in questa piccola cittadina del Texas orientale (e dove altro?!) - così razzista da far sembrare una piantagione della Confederazione un luogo di villeggiatura – dove Florida era andata a mettersi nei guai ficcanasando su un detenuto afroamericano che si era impiccato coi propri lacci delle scarpe. Il che ovviamente puzzava di fasullo: come si fa a impiccarsi coi lacci delle scarpe, quando è buona consuetudine di ogni prigione quella di mettere in cella la gente dopo aver prelevato i lacci delle scarpe, le cinture e le cravatte, proprio per evitare suicidi.
Big Thicket
Alla ricerca di Florida, facevano domande in giro, Leonard sempre a stuzzicare e provocare, finché non le hanno prese di santa ragione. Ma Florida sparita, molto cercata, molto rimpianta, ma sempre assente.
Solo che adesso che ci penso è stata solo un’impressione quella che a raccontare fossero tutte e due: perché invece l’io-narrante è solo Hap, si tratta di un io e non di un noi-narrante. Il fatto è che voglio così bene a questa coppia di improbabilissimi detective scalcinati - ma macchine da guerra quando si tratta di sfoggiare le arti marziali – siamo ormai così in confidenza, che mi sembra di sentire la voce di tutti e due, e non solo quella di Hap.
Per la cronaca, il mambo degli orsi è un documentario del National Geographic dove si vedono accoppiamenti tra orsi. E quindi, per l’appunto, orsi che fanno il mambo. Svelato l’arcano.
Anche se io forse ci sono rimasto un po’ stranito, mi aspettavo altro. Così, salutandoli, gli ho detto: torno presto, e mi raccomando, mettetemi da parte il chili, e che sia davvero bad {Bad Chili = Hap & Leonard #4}.
[Il mio Lansdale #11]
December 20, 2018
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.
June 12, 2022
"Leonard and I were about as far from sleuths as you could get. We didn't know much besides instinct, and so far that had gotten our asses whipped, got us half drowned, shot at, in trouble with the law."
Initial Thoughts
I've read a number of books now by the superb Joe R Lansdale and although I'm not quite a die hard fan, I'm certainly getting there. I don't know any other author with his darkly outrageous sense of humour that has me rolling around on the floor wetting myself. And his Hap and Leonard series takes it to a whole new level. It is without doubt one of the best reading experiences I've come across in terms of pure fun and entertainment. And isn't that what reading fiction is all about? This is the kind of books I needed way back in senior school, instead of bloody Shakespeare and Chaucer!
Two Bear Mambo is the third novel in the continuing saga of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine and takes of right off after the events of Mucho Mojo. We have an aging ex-hippy in Hap and a snarky Vietnam War vet in Leonard. An odd couple for sure, but these two go together like Netflix and chill. Watching them land in a whole load of trouble and battle their way out of it has become the highlight of my week.
""You see, your manhood is tied up in your weapons, Hap. The revolver is a phallic symbol for your repressed manhood. Your impotence."
In the first novel, Savage Season, we followed the pair on a get-rich-quick scheme gone horribly wrong and in Mucho Mojo we had a murder mystery. I went into Two Bear Mambo expecting another piece of hot and sweaty crime noir but, as I've come to expect from Lansdale, I got a little bit more than I bargained for.
The Story
The story once again kicks off in 1980s East Texas on Christmas Eve, where once again Leonard is burning down the abode of the local drug pusher. Merry Christmas you filthy animal!
Police Lt. Marve Hanson, who was a key character in the second installment, agrees to forget the duo's role in the arson on one condition. There's always a catch and we then get the story of L.C. Soothe, a blues musician who makes a deal with the devil so he can play the guitar like an absolute hero.
See Florida Grange, the latest love of Hap's life, was investigating the sudden death in police custody of Soothe's son when she disappeared off the face of the earth. And with Hanson and Florida having a thing together, the proposition involves the two heading to Grovestown to find her. The only problem being that this backwater town is a hotbed for the KKK and just about anyone whose violently hostile toward black people. And with Leonard Pine being a person of colour, this is certain to cause the tension to rise past boiling point.
The Writing
"Champion" Joe Lansdale is just the type of writer I like. A consummate storyteller. His prose are full of strong language, that packs a brutal punch when it's not got you in hysterics. They're definitely not for the faint of heart, containing a lot of sexual references and violent racism. But he has a fantastic style with subtle lyricism and a real ear for dialogue that just flows.
"When I was a kid, I read a book like this, I became the main character, and the characters I liked were big and strong and fearless and always got the babe. I thought my life would go that way when I grew up."
Lansdale's brand is multifaceted and he intersperses some horrific moments with hilarious anecdotes. It's what makes this series tick. And tick it does, with things happening very quickly as he grabs his reader by the short and curlies and shuttles them along at a fantastic pace. In fact the quality of the writing may have been my favourite aspect of Two Bear Mambo if it wasn't for...
The Characters
Lansdale's series is all about the two main characters. That's Hap Collins and Leonard Pine for you that are still not in the know. Their friendship, their chemistry, their non-stop, back and forth banter is what keeps me coming back to this series. The depth of characterisation that the author has layered in at this point, portraying each as very macho men, tough as nails but with vulnerable qualities is absolutely first class. And in Two Bear Mambo were going to see a new side to our heroes as they face adversity like never before.
The thing with these two is that the level of writing is so damn good that you can almost believe they're real. They're two guys that go through the same relationship problems as you and me. Well at least me anyway! Despite being rough around the edges, they're very believable and the kind of guys I'd love to go for a drink with and shoot a few rounds of pool.
Lansdale extends this level of detail to all his characters and it's without doubt a highlight. Grovestown is a living breathing entity, full of lively and colourful individuals, akin to a pit of snakes. Pick of the bunch for me is Chief Cantuck. Really difficult to work out and absolutely hilarious at times. The way he interacts with Hap is a key part of this one and I hope to see him again.
Final Thoughts
So was Two Bear Mambo as good as it sounds? Most definitely. Was it the best so far in the Hap/Leonard saga. I have to say "YES!" It really does keep getting better and better. This has to be one of the premier reading experiences that I've encountered and something I really look forward to. I'm already salivating over the prospect of tearing into the next installment, Bad Chilli.
I rated the last book 4.5 stars and this one is slightly better. So 4.75 stars. Almost a perfect reading experience for yours truly. It really is just my type of book. I can't give it a better recommendation than that. So if brilliant characters, belly splitting humour and intense action is your bag jump on board the Hap/Leonard express. Choo Choo!
Thanks for reading. Cheer!
January 3, 2017
Another great adventure with my buddies Hap Collins and Leonard Pine! Leonard has a new boyfriend but is still surly, having just burnt down the neighborhood crack house for the third Christmas Eve in a row. But to stay out of jail this time, Leonard and Hap agree to help their friend Marvin locate his girlfriend Florida Grange, who happens to be Leonard's old lawyer and Hap's former sweet thang. The stakes are pretty high though this go round because Florida, an attractive black woman, was last seen in Grovetown, which is not only being threatened by heavy rains and flooding, but which also happens to be the most scummy hotbucket of racism this side of Texas, which doesn't bode well for an ex-hippie and his black, gay best friend with a hot temper.
"Hell, I can't figure Raul. He's all mopey and shit. Today is the anniversary of when we met, and he wanted us to go out to dinner, go to a movie, do some serious fucking. I wanted us to do that too, but I didn't want it getting in the way of me killing somebody."Lansdale does it once again, creating a thoroughly entertaining country romp, that's well-balanced with great dialogue, action, laugh-out-loud comedy, surprising insight and depth, and even a somber bleakness this time as our heroes realize that they may have stepped into some serious shit that they might not be able to handle. Again, there's a great cast of colorful characters that really stand out (Charlie really flew off the page this time) and in three books I've developed a real fondness for Hap and Leonard, I don't want them hurt, and I'm invested in their adventures. Mr. Lansdale created something special with this series and these characters so far.
"No one is anything better than human. Just some humans are better humans than others, but the best humans are still just human."
March 31, 2016
When Hap goes to spend Christmas Eve with his friend Leonard, he finds that Leonard’s idea of a Yule log is burning down the neighborhood crack house. Since this is the third time Leonard has torched it, the cops are a little miffed even though he always pulls the drug dealers out of the fire. Police lieutenant Hanson offers to help get Leonard off the hook for his pyromania if the guys will look for his girlfriend, Florida, who has gone missing while poking around the story of the relative of a legendary bluesman who allegedly committed suicide while in jail.
There’s a couple of problems with this request. Florida disappeared in Grovetown, a racist hotbed of Klan-like activity that probably didn’t like a black female lawyer looking into what seems to be a classic civil rights violation. Grovetown surely won’t appreciate a guy like Leonard, who is black and gay and more than willing to fight anyone who has a problem with it. Plus, Florida dated Hap before breaking his heart to take up with Hanson so he isn’t thrilled about potentially getting killed while looking for her.
But Hap and Leonard never saw a bucket of crap they wouldn’t willingly step into so they’re off to Grovetown, which turns out to be the biggest cracker hellhole imaginable. Hap and Leonard are tough, but can they take on an entire town?
Another great entry in the Hap & Leonard series, Lansdale started to really explore the guys’ complex relationship to violence. Hap and Leonard aren’t scared of a fight and can usually hold their own, but their adventures are starting to take a serious toll on their bodies and their psyches. Lansdale has a knack for making violence and its aftermath seem genuine and horrifying while not getting bogged down in faux angst about it.
There’s a couple of problems with this request. Florida disappeared in Grovetown, a racist hotbed of Klan-like activity that probably didn’t like a black female lawyer looking into what seems to be a classic civil rights violation. Grovetown surely won’t appreciate a guy like Leonard, who is black and gay and more than willing to fight anyone who has a problem with it. Plus, Florida dated Hap before breaking his heart to take up with Hanson so he isn’t thrilled about potentially getting killed while looking for her.
But Hap and Leonard never saw a bucket of crap they wouldn’t willingly step into so they’re off to Grovetown, which turns out to be the biggest cracker hellhole imaginable. Hap and Leonard are tough, but can they take on an entire town?
Another great entry in the Hap & Leonard series, Lansdale started to really explore the guys’ complex relationship to violence. Hap and Leonard aren’t scared of a fight and can usually hold their own, but their adventures are starting to take a serious toll on their bodies and their psyches. Lansdale has a knack for making violence and its aftermath seem genuine and horrifying while not getting bogged down in faux angst about it.
October 20, 2022
3.5 stars
This 3rd installment of the fantastic, tres non-PC Hap & Leonard series starts out almost exactly where book 2 left off.
If you haven't read that one, you may be puzzled as to why Leonard is setting fire to his neighbours' house -for the 3rd time - and the police don't seem particularly bothered.
But if you can get past that little oddity, then the story meanders around doing nothing much of interest for the next 100 pages, except for treating us to some stomach-turning racism in a small Texan town, uselessly piggybacking 2 to 3 metaphors on top of each other and getting the words dick and nigger into the dialogue about 300 times each.
I'll admit, that last one must have been a challenge.
But then something must have happened...Lansdale found his missing magic writing cap down the back of the radiator ... and the story fireworks back into all the Hap and Leonard glory at about page 150.
The writing massively improves, the characterisation deepens, the action gets even more creatively violent and the relationship between the two gets more than real.
This is what I came in the door for!
Two-Bear Mambo isn't the greatest of Lansdale's but it manages to really hit the bull's eye in the end.
PS
On a personal niggle note: Many readers apply some unsavory words to Hap & Leonard: hicks, rednecks, hillbillies.
They aren't. They are the Southern working poor. That's different from a hick, redneck or hillbilly, which carry the connotation of being white, stupid, racist and parochial. There aren't many of those who vote Democrat, have a gay best friend and actually *read novels* like Hap does. (And what about Leonard? He's black, gay, dates Latino and has a white best friend. Wherein is he white, racist and stupid?)
Good, if you aren't Southern, you might throw all of those words in the same basket to describe the Southern working poor, but they aren't the same thing.
This 3rd installment of the fantastic, tres non-PC Hap & Leonard series starts out almost exactly where book 2 left off.
If you haven't read that one, you may be puzzled as to why Leonard is setting fire to his neighbours' house -for the 3rd time - and the police don't seem particularly bothered.
But if you can get past that little oddity, then the story meanders around doing nothing much of interest for the next 100 pages, except for treating us to some stomach-turning racism in a small Texan town, uselessly piggybacking 2 to 3 metaphors on top of each other and getting the words dick and nigger into the dialogue about 300 times each.
I'll admit, that last one must have been a challenge.
But then something must have happened...Lansdale found his missing magic writing cap down the back of the radiator ... and the story fireworks back into all the Hap and Leonard glory at about page 150.
The writing massively improves, the characterisation deepens, the action gets even more creatively violent and the relationship between the two gets more than real.
This is what I came in the door for!
Two-Bear Mambo isn't the greatest of Lansdale's but it manages to really hit the bull's eye in the end.
PS
On a personal niggle note: Many readers apply some unsavory words to Hap & Leonard: hicks, rednecks, hillbillies.
They aren't. They are the Southern working poor. That's different from a hick, redneck or hillbilly, which carry the connotation of being white, stupid, racist and parochial. There aren't many of those who vote Democrat, have a gay best friend and actually *read novels* like Hap does. (And what about Leonard? He's black, gay, dates Latino and has a white best friend. Wherein is he white, racist and stupid?)
Good, if you aren't Southern, you might throw all of those words in the same basket to describe the Southern working poor, but they aren't the same thing.
Read
November 11, 2021Book three, The Two-Bear Mambo in the Hap & Leonard series, does not fuck around. This rough & tumble, country noir is filled to the brim with crude sexual innuendos, obscene racism, and Hap & Leonard once again, fighting their demons in the devil’s lair.
And it’s brilliant.
The evolution of this series is actually blowing my mind. Savage Season works well as an introduction because it bends the reader’s affections toward the duo. It’s impossible not to fall in love with these guys. The second book, Mucho-Mojo, takes a deeper dive into the dynamic of Hap & Leonard’s relationship and what makes these two tick. It asks the reader to buy in,
Are you invested? Are all your chips on the table?
The reader answers, YES.
Book three throws down a challenge. Hap is going to set fire to a crack house next door to him on New Year’s Day right there in the first couple of pages. To chase that down, these two are going to go rescue a damsel in distress somewhere in a hell-hole called Grovetown filled with violent, racist assholes.
All manner of bananas shit happens
(man, Joe Lansdale can write a vivid fight scene!).
This book is not for sensitive readers, it’s triggering. Intentionally. The things Hap and Leonard go through aren’t watered down or palatable. Leonard is a gay, Black man in the South. Horrible people say horrible things to him. Hap is a very horny man. Women are seen with a male gaze. Nothing about this series holds back but it is tempered by a social justice and a moral compass that flows from the author’s heart, through the pen, and on to the page where the reader can feel that energy throughout the entire story. Book to book. I love it. The Two-Bear Mambo was more action-packed than the previous two and while I enjoyed the fire our duo brought, I was hoping for that boil to simmer down. I’m hoping book four dials it back a bit but even if it doesn’t, I’m down to just be with my friends Hap & Leonard.
And it’s brilliant.
The evolution of this series is actually blowing my mind. Savage Season works well as an introduction because it bends the reader’s affections toward the duo. It’s impossible not to fall in love with these guys. The second book, Mucho-Mojo, takes a deeper dive into the dynamic of Hap & Leonard’s relationship and what makes these two tick. It asks the reader to buy in,
Are you invested? Are all your chips on the table?
The reader answers, YES.
Book three throws down a challenge. Hap is going to set fire to a crack house next door to him on New Year’s Day right there in the first couple of pages. To chase that down, these two are going to go rescue a damsel in distress somewhere in a hell-hole called Grovetown filled with violent, racist assholes.
All manner of bananas shit happens
(man, Joe Lansdale can write a vivid fight scene!).
This book is not for sensitive readers, it’s triggering. Intentionally. The things Hap and Leonard go through aren’t watered down or palatable. Leonard is a gay, Black man in the South. Horrible people say horrible things to him. Hap is a very horny man. Women are seen with a male gaze. Nothing about this series holds back but it is tempered by a social justice and a moral compass that flows from the author’s heart, through the pen, and on to the page where the reader can feel that energy throughout the entire story. Book to book. I love it. The Two-Bear Mambo was more action-packed than the previous two and while I enjoyed the fire our duo brought, I was hoping for that boil to simmer down. I’m hoping book four dials it back a bit but even if it doesn’t, I’m down to just be with my friends Hap & Leonard.
November 22, 2024
While the mystery here is no great shakes, the snarky (often rude and definitely not PC) dialogue and social commentary made this a really fun read. Leonard starts the novel burning down the crack house next door and once again he and Hap (who was just stopping by) find themselves at the mercy of the police. Now, the police know about the crack house and indeed, that the police chief gets a cut of the proceeds, but still! Hap and Leonard have come to know some of the police and this time, they make them a deal-- we will forget about the burning house if you go look for Florida Grange.
Florida, Hap's ex-lover (and now the ex-lover of a cop), thought there might be a story, or even a ticket to the big leagues, in the 'suicide' of a guy in jail in a small, redneck town in East Texas. The (now) dead guy in jail apparently was the grandson of a famous bluesman, someone like Robert Johnson, and played a little blues himself. He claimed he found some old, unpublished tracks of his granddaddy and met some Yankee who wanted to buy them; well, the Yankee got murdered and the dead guy probably killed him, which is why he was in jail. Did he commit suicide, however, or was he lynched? Florida started poking around and now she vanished...
The redneck town where Florida was last seen seems to stuck in the 1960s regarding race relations and even have some local Klan wannabes. Hap, the 'nigger lover' and Leonard, the 'smartest nigger in the world' do not expect a warm welcome, but jeez! Lansdale picks at the explicit racism like a terrier going after a rat-- I lost count of the 'n' word being used. Expect some violence here and make no mistake! Also, this installment probed to meaning of friendship and relationships in general, but perhaps in the most un-PC way possible. Good stuff, but not for the easily offended. 3.5 wicked stars, rounding up!
Florida, Hap's ex-lover (and now the ex-lover of a cop), thought there might be a story, or even a ticket to the big leagues, in the 'suicide' of a guy in jail in a small, redneck town in East Texas. The (now) dead guy in jail apparently was the grandson of a famous bluesman, someone like Robert Johnson, and played a little blues himself. He claimed he found some old, unpublished tracks of his granddaddy and met some Yankee who wanted to buy them; well, the Yankee got murdered and the dead guy probably killed him, which is why he was in jail. Did he commit suicide, however, or was he lynched? Florida started poking around and now she vanished...
The redneck town where Florida was last seen seems to stuck in the 1960s regarding race relations and even have some local Klan wannabes. Hap, the 'nigger lover' and Leonard, the 'smartest nigger in the world' do not expect a warm welcome, but jeez! Lansdale picks at the explicit racism like a terrier going after a rat-- I lost count of the 'n' word being used. Expect some violence here and make no mistake! Also, this installment probed to meaning of friendship and relationships in general, but perhaps in the most un-PC way possible. Good stuff, but not for the easily offended. 3.5 wicked stars, rounding up!
February 7, 2017
It's difficult not to be enamored with Joe R. Lansdale's prose. He has such a wonderfully engaging style.
Hap and Leonard are two very different people, but who happen to be lifelong friends. When they are asked to go in search of a missing woman with whom they have history, they feel obliged to find her. But their travels lead them to the hate-fueled, Klansmen infested streets of Grovetown. On any given day, stopping off here would seem a really bad idea; Leonard is gay, he is black, and he has serious anger issues.
Hap & Leonard's Two-Bear Mambo is sure to end badly for someone.
Hap and Leonard are two very different people, but who happen to be lifelong friends. When they are asked to go in search of a missing woman with whom they have history, they feel obliged to find her. But their travels lead them to the hate-fueled, Klansmen infested streets of Grovetown. On any given day, stopping off here would seem a really bad idea; Leonard is gay, he is black, and he has serious anger issues.
Hap & Leonard's Two-Bear Mambo is sure to end badly for someone.
December 20, 2018
Our intrepid misanthrope heroes are asked by local cop Hanson to travel to mostly racist Grovetown, TX. Job - to look into the whereabouts of Florida, lawyer and lover of both Hap and the cop. She's researching a story about a black man killed while in police custody.
I find myself alternately shaking my head in their antics, then chuckling over the dialogue and action.
Hap talking to Chief of Police Cantuck: "We're looking for a friend of ours," I said, "and we thought you might know something about her. Her name is Florida Grange."
"Colored gal?" Cantuck said.
"Could be her," Leonard said. "Depends on what color she was."
I find myself alternately shaking my head in their antics, then chuckling over the dialogue and action.
Hap talking to Chief of Police Cantuck: "We're looking for a friend of ours," I said, "and we thought you might know something about her. Her name is Florida Grange."
"Colored gal?" Cantuck said.
"Could be her," Leonard said. "Depends on what color she was."
April 18, 2022
I believe I might have the honor of being the only living human being on this planet that doesn't get the sense of humor in these books. This is my second try, and I just don't see anything comical or entertaining about this couple. Since I'm sure I am in the minority, I will leave Hap and Leonard to those that are members of their fan club and go on to something else.
July 9, 2019
"When I got over to Leonard's Christmas Eve night, he had the Kentucky Headhunters turned way up over at his place, and they were singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," and Leonard, in a kind of Christmas celebration, was once again setting fire to the house next door."
The Two-Bear Mambo (named from a nature program where two bears get it on) is the third book in the long-running Hap and Leonard series. I am seriously loving these two characters so goddamn much! Their banter is ::chef's kiss::
This installment begins with Hap stopping by Leonard's house on Christmas Eve, only to discover that Leonard has set fire to the drug den next door. Again. For the third time. Because of course. Just another day in Texas!
Needless to say, the police are getting fed up with these calls.. even if Leonard does help the drug dealers escape the fire in the end. Police Lieutenant Hanson makes them a deal to avoid jail time - all they have to do is track down his girlfriend who went missing. The same girlfriend who happens to be Hap's ex, Florida. She was investigating a case in Grovetown that involved a legendary blues musician, undiscovered recordings and a young black man supposedly committing suicide while in jail. Grovetown is notoriously racist and unfortunately the Klan is a constant presence. The locals don't take kindly to the duo sniffing around their town, asking questions. They do not let Hap and Leonard off easily. Far from it. This is by far the darkest volume yet!
Often Lansdale makes the reader uncomfortable. He isn't a safe writer. He takes on bigotry and violent racism issues head on. At times, the extreme language could overshadow the storytelling, but it doesn't. Because it's JOE FUCKING LANSDALE! With his brilliance at the helm, it never feels gratuitous. There’s an emotional depth to his work that lingers.
Profanity-laced, brutal and dark, yet so goddamn funny. This series will have you cringing one minute and earnestly weeping the next. Arson and ass-whipping and cynical humor!
Since I'm just getting started, there is still plenty more Hap and Leonard for me to get caught up in and this delights me! This has been my favorite installment in the saga, for sure! I am completely invested.
The Two-Bear Mambo (named from a nature program where two bears get it on) is the third book in the long-running Hap and Leonard series. I am seriously loving these two characters so goddamn much! Their banter is ::chef's kiss::
This installment begins with Hap stopping by Leonard's house on Christmas Eve, only to discover that Leonard has set fire to the drug den next door. Again. For the third time. Because of course. Just another day in Texas!
Needless to say, the police are getting fed up with these calls.. even if Leonard does help the drug dealers escape the fire in the end. Police Lieutenant Hanson makes them a deal to avoid jail time - all they have to do is track down his girlfriend who went missing. The same girlfriend who happens to be Hap's ex, Florida. She was investigating a case in Grovetown that involved a legendary blues musician, undiscovered recordings and a young black man supposedly committing suicide while in jail. Grovetown is notoriously racist and unfortunately the Klan is a constant presence. The locals don't take kindly to the duo sniffing around their town, asking questions. They do not let Hap and Leonard off easily. Far from it. This is by far the darkest volume yet!
Often Lansdale makes the reader uncomfortable. He isn't a safe writer. He takes on bigotry and violent racism issues head on. At times, the extreme language could overshadow the storytelling, but it doesn't. Because it's JOE FUCKING LANSDALE! With his brilliance at the helm, it never feels gratuitous. There’s an emotional depth to his work that lingers.
Profanity-laced, brutal and dark, yet so goddamn funny. This series will have you cringing one minute and earnestly weeping the next. Arson and ass-whipping and cynical humor!
Since I'm just getting started, there is still plenty more Hap and Leonard for me to get caught up in and this delights me! This has been my favorite installment in the saga, for sure! I am completely invested.
October 24, 2024
Easily the best of the series so far. Lansdale is hitting his stride with these crazy dudes...
4 Satisfying Stars
4 Satisfying Stars
September 5, 2016
“When I say act like a man," Leonard said, "I mean act honorably and with courage. Macho has been turned into a bad word by turds who act like beasts, not men.”
Another step up in the quality of entertainment provided by Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard books as he juggles wisecracking, climbing up on his soapbox, brutality, psychological surveys and an interesting mystery with great dexterity. Collins & Pine are on fire throughout this one, hardly stopping to recover from threats and beatings before launching on another wiseass parade of side splitting quips as they accept the task of locating a missing black woman in redneck Klan central Texas.
I've hardly known a crime mystery novel where the protagonist(s) are so poor at detecting as these two are in this book, it's quite the refreshing change to read about how the protagonists are judgemental fools who do everything wrong and end up punished for it, perhaps even as much as the villains of the piece. And it is Lansdale's skill at creating his characters with such care and consideration that the mystery can be so backgrounded as it is here in favour of putting bigoted behaviours and mental health issues front and centre and still be a compelling crime novel. On top of that it still manages to be hilarious, clearly Joe Lansdale is a master of his craft.
This is the first H&L book I've read since devouring the new TV adaptation and it's a testament to the work of Mickle, Williams and Purefoy that the men in this book feel like the men in that show so perfectly.
Another step up in the quality of entertainment provided by Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard books as he juggles wisecracking, climbing up on his soapbox, brutality, psychological surveys and an interesting mystery with great dexterity. Collins & Pine are on fire throughout this one, hardly stopping to recover from threats and beatings before launching on another wiseass parade of side splitting quips as they accept the task of locating a missing black woman in redneck Klan central Texas.
I've hardly known a crime mystery novel where the protagonist(s) are so poor at detecting as these two are in this book, it's quite the refreshing change to read about how the protagonists are judgemental fools who do everything wrong and end up punished for it, perhaps even as much as the villains of the piece. And it is Lansdale's skill at creating his characters with such care and consideration that the mystery can be so backgrounded as it is here in favour of putting bigoted behaviours and mental health issues front and centre and still be a compelling crime novel. On top of that it still manages to be hilarious, clearly Joe Lansdale is a master of his craft.
This is the first H&L book I've read since devouring the new TV adaptation and it's a testament to the work of Mickle, Williams and Purefoy that the men in this book feel like the men in that show so perfectly.
February 8, 2025
Joe Lanadale is a national treasure. This book and the series so far are just perfect. It's hilarious, violent, heartwarming, and brutal. Crime fiction at its absolute best. This book actually made me laugh out loud maybe 10 times. Do yourself a favor and read this series ASAP.
February 19, 2024
3.5
Those who have read the first two books in the 'Hap & Leonard' series - and have become new fast-fans - may not agree with my take on installment #3. They may not notice much that's amiss in terms of the direction Lansdale goes with it. Part of me would agree with them.
~ and part of me doesn't. Mainly because, as the novel moves into its final third, it starts feeling (to me, at least) lethargic. At first, I couldn't pinpoint why I was feeling that way. But then I looked back on something I suggested in my review of 'Mucho Mojo'.
With this series, there appears to be a staple element of scenes that go over-the-top. Such scenes can be tricky for a writer; he may not always know when he has pushed credulity too far, even if we're still reminding ourselves as readers that 'It's just fiction, so relax.'
I had an easier time of it in the first two books. Yeah, the envelope was pushed here and there but I still didn't feel distracted when that happened - nor did I feel either book going off the rails. But I felt that through the last 3rd of 'The Two-Bear Mambo' (best title in the series so far).
I didn't particularly buy into where the plot ultimately leads, much less its execution. But it's not just that. Leonard is here (finally) given (something of) a love interest - and I didn't really buy that either. ~ not the way it's depicted. ... There's a major supporting character who, oddly, gets short shrift just as he's ignited. ... One other main annoyance: This story has a lot of rain. A. Lot. Of. Rain. Somehow it feels like it never stops raining... which often makes the progression of things sluggish. Understandably so, but still, like I said, lethargic.
I had much less trouble - almost none, in fact, with the earlier 2/3 of the story - even though the protracted set-up is a particularly-slow burn. A real plus-factor here is that 'TT-BM' contains some of Lansdale's juiciest, most authentic-sounding dialogue - and, as usual, he can be relied upon for pithy description.:
Those who have read the first two books in the 'Hap & Leonard' series - and have become new fast-fans - may not agree with my take on installment #3. They may not notice much that's amiss in terms of the direction Lansdale goes with it. Part of me would agree with them.
~ and part of me doesn't. Mainly because, as the novel moves into its final third, it starts feeling (to me, at least) lethargic. At first, I couldn't pinpoint why I was feeling that way. But then I looked back on something I suggested in my review of 'Mucho Mojo'.
With this series, there appears to be a staple element of scenes that go over-the-top. Such scenes can be tricky for a writer; he may not always know when he has pushed credulity too far, even if we're still reminding ourselves as readers that 'It's just fiction, so relax.'
I had an easier time of it in the first two books. Yeah, the envelope was pushed here and there but I still didn't feel distracted when that happened - nor did I feel either book going off the rails. But I felt that through the last 3rd of 'The Two-Bear Mambo' (best title in the series so far).
I didn't particularly buy into where the plot ultimately leads, much less its execution. But it's not just that. Leonard is here (finally) given (something of) a love interest - and I didn't really buy that either. ~ not the way it's depicted. ... There's a major supporting character who, oddly, gets short shrift just as he's ignited. ... One other main annoyance: This story has a lot of rain. A. Lot. Of. Rain. Somehow it feels like it never stops raining... which often makes the progression of things sluggish. Understandably so, but still, like I said, lethargic.
I had much less trouble - almost none, in fact, with the earlier 2/3 of the story - even though the protracted set-up is a particularly-slow burn. A real plus-factor here is that 'TT-BM' contains some of Lansdale's juiciest, most authentic-sounding dialogue - and, as usual, he can be relied upon for pithy description.:
The woman was sixty-ish, attractive in an "I've been hit by a truck" kind of way.Moreover, the author here is typically sharp with race relations.:
"Words like dick cause her consternation."All told, though, 'TT-BM' kept me more at a distance. I was pulled-in, but only until I wasn't. Won't stop me from continuing with #4, however. From the looks of it, Lansdale could have a few new, slick moves.
"Ah," I said.
"Consternation," Leonard said. "That's a big word for a police officer, ain't it?"
"Maybe," said Officer Reynolds, placing the file on top of the cabinet. "I also have a few nice phrases. Like, 'The nigra died slowly and painfully after a methodical beating.'"
March 21, 2021
Lansdale e Hap e Leonard sono sempre una garanzia. Dissacranti e politicamente scorretti ma anche con un grande senso del dovere e della giustizia! E soprattutto con l’amicizia come valore imprenscindibile ed assoluto. Non si può non amarli, mi mancano già.
January 25, 2021
I found this one hair raising and sinister- the worst trouble Hap and Leonard have been in so far- mixing in with really bad people but also finding the odd nugget of goodness. Hap and Leonard are the best bromance in town.
January 13, 2017
Another sterling novel from Lansdale, opening with a burning crackhouse and closing with a flood of Biblical proportions. I have to say that there was a lot less light-hearted “fun” to be had in this one, due to the subject matter and the way things stand at the end of the book. There’s still plenty of funny banter and one-liners, but things are a lot darker and severe in this one. The story concerns Hap and Leonard traveling to the “town that time forgot” of Grovestown, a progressive’s nightmare full of racist, violent hicks and depressing, shitty trailer parks.
Lansdale has played around with the race issue quite a bit so far, but this one is definitely seems to be “Hap and Leonard vs. Racism” of the series. The n-word is dropped here more than in a Tarantino film and Grovetown’s history of racial violence is profoundly disturbing. Thankfully Hap and Leonard’s presence in the town has the gratifying effect of being a kind of lance on the boil, as you know they’re not gonna put up with any good-ol-boy bullshit. Asses will be kicked and names will be taken!
Can’t give this one any less than five stars, in fact it may be better than the awe-inspiring Mucho Mojo. Like I said, there’s less goofy good-natured fun but watching these two dudes drive into town and take no shit is hugely cathartic. The characters leap off the page and there’s more two-fisted action than in the previous books. If you’ve read the previous two books there’s no reason at all to hesitate to pick this one up, but be warned that shit gets pretty fucking dark (which is saying something considering the last book had to do with a series of horrifying child murders.)
Lansdale has played around with the race issue quite a bit so far, but this one is definitely seems to be “Hap and Leonard vs. Racism” of the series. The n-word is dropped here more than in a Tarantino film and Grovetown’s history of racial violence is profoundly disturbing. Thankfully Hap and Leonard’s presence in the town has the gratifying effect of being a kind of lance on the boil, as you know they’re not gonna put up with any good-ol-boy bullshit. Asses will be kicked and names will be taken!
Can’t give this one any less than five stars, in fact it may be better than the awe-inspiring Mucho Mojo. Like I said, there’s less goofy good-natured fun but watching these two dudes drive into town and take no shit is hugely cathartic. The characters leap off the page and there’s more two-fisted action than in the previous books. If you’ve read the previous two books there’s no reason at all to hesitate to pick this one up, but be warned that shit gets pretty fucking dark (which is saying something considering the last book had to do with a series of horrifying child murders.)
March 10, 2021
Un noir ironico e dissacrante.
È il terzo romanzo della serie Leonard e Hap ma per me è il primo e sicuramente mi procurerò anche gli altri.
Linguaggio tosto, crudo e volgare ma perfetto nel suo ambito, con questa coppia di strampalati investigatori e scene dipinte alla Quentin Tarantino. La storia è credibile, il suo Texas molto crudo e finale epico.
Consigliato a chi ama il genere lucido e disincantato della provincia americana, con le sue storie sopra le righe e dove il lieto fine non è prerogativa necessaria.
È il terzo romanzo della serie Leonard e Hap ma per me è il primo e sicuramente mi procurerò anche gli altri.
Linguaggio tosto, crudo e volgare ma perfetto nel suo ambito, con questa coppia di strampalati investigatori e scene dipinte alla Quentin Tarantino. La storia è credibile, il suo Texas molto crudo e finale epico.
Consigliato a chi ama il genere lucido e disincantato della provincia americana, con le sue storie sopra le righe e dove il lieto fine non è prerogativa necessaria.
September 26, 2017
They just keep getting better! I finished this yesterday and was going to start 4 today but I had some trouble with audible and I can't actually read at work anymore so I guess I'm just taking a break and listening to some music.
November 15, 2015
I thought this one started perilously slow, with Lansdale on his soap-box a lot, and if I hadn't already grown attached to Hap and Leonard from the previous two books I might have been tempted to set this one aside, or at least skip ahead until something started happening. And then . . . holy crap, all the darkness in this world just gets shoveled onto these errant knights. Survival does not seem possible, yet they do. The aftermath, where Lansdale portrays the psychological damage - their grail wounds - is stunning writing. And then he has them mount up, go back to try to finish the job, heal themselves.
April 16, 2017
This is the third book in the Hap and Leonard series, and the strongest in both story and structure, so far. The characters really come into their own here, functioning like living entities that exist outside of the novel’s pages, instead of being merely plot-and-ideology-delivery machines (although what is a character besides that, really?) It’s a great, gory, occasionally funny, and often action-packed southern noir. I really enjoyed reading this.
(Be forewarned: the n-word drops about a 100x more than it does in the n-wordiest of Tarantino movies, though it is never used in an exploitative way.)
(Be forewarned: the n-word drops about a 100x more than it does in the n-wordiest of Tarantino movies, though it is never used in an exploitative way.)
May 20, 2015
Hap & Leonard book 3, loved this. Lansdale to me is a master story teller. He sucked me right into this with an unlikely duo on an East Texas adventure into the vilest evil racist town to ever exist. If easily offended by bigotry or racism stay far away from this book. Hap & Leonard run into the true evils of human nature…..how do they survive? Read and find out!
May 28, 2020
Still my favorite Hap And Leonard book!
June 21, 2020
Tanz den (Bären)blues
Was Leonard unter besinnlicher Weihnachtsstimmung versteht, erfahren wir direkt zu Beginn des dritten Teils der kultigen Hap & Leonard-Reihe. Richtig – er sorgt für angemessene, stimmungsvolle Beleuchtung und setzt einmal mehr das Crackhaus nebenan in Brand. Die örtliche Polizeibehörde hat so ihre liebe Mühe, die Beiden immer wieder aufs Neue rauszuhauen und so schlägt Lieutenant Hanson ihnen einen Deal vor: Seine Freundin und Haps frühere Flamme Florida ist im Provinzkaff Grovetown verschwunden und die beiden Jungs sollen sie aufspüren. Doch die Sache hat mehr als nur einen Haken, an dem besonders Farbige leicht hängenbleiben könnten. In Grovetown ticken die Uhren nämlich anders und der Rassismus hat dort noch immer Hochkonjunktur. Ein gefährliches Pflaster für Leonard und eben auch für die vermisste Florida, die einem vermeintlichen Lynchmord auf der Spur war.
Also einmal kräftig in die Hände gespuckt und los geht´s für unsere beiden Hobbydetektive. Doch in dem Kaff werden sie gleich ordentlich in die Mangel genommen und stoßen schmerzhaft an ihre Grenzen, denn gegen eine solche rassistische Übermacht helfen alle coolen Sprüche und Selbstverteidigungskniffe nichts. Doch Aufgeben war noch nie eine Option für die beiden Freunde und so lecken sie zwar ihre Wunden, stehen aber allsbald wieder auf und setzen ihre gefährliche und immer auswegloser anmutende Suche nach Florida fort.
In »Mambo mit zwei Bären« (OT: The Two-Bear Mambo) schockt Lansdale seine Leser, indem er unsere beiden sprücheklopfenden Freunde von ihrem Superhelden-Sockel stösst und sie derb an ihre Grenzen führt. So derb, dass man richtig Angst bekommt. Und so kommt es auch, dass man sich nach einem gewohnt fluffigen Einstieg plötzlich in einem düsteren Setting wiederfindet mit einer überaus finsteren und unheilverkündenden Aussicht.
»Hier waren die Bäume mächtig und schwarz und gespenstisch. Tiefhängende Regenwolken waren aufgezogen und hüllten den kalten Sonnentag in traurig-graue Witwenschleier. Die pechschwarzen Wolken klebten über dem Wald beiderseits des schmalen, rissigen Highways, als wären sie flauschige Baumwollhüte, die nur von ein paar Sonnenstrahlen wie von polierten Hutnadeln durchbohrt wurden.«
Die Töne werden rauer und das ernste Hintergrundthema (Rassismus) wird vom Autor durch die Ausweglosigkeit der Lage, in der sich unsere Protagonisten befinden, grandios unterstrichen. Es ist wie eine Welle, die einen fortspült, wenn man sie nicht reiten kann. Ein Bild, das passender nicht sein kann, wenn man das Buch erst gelesen hat.
»Bärenblues« (Golkonda Verlag) ist die Neuauflage dieses Romans und beide Titel passen hervorragend, denn der Bezug findet sich in der Story mehrfach wieder. Hap & Leonard tanzen den Blues, ob sie es letztlich gut machen, muss jeder selbst lesen aber dieser dritte Teil der Reihe zeigt unsere beiden Protagonisten von einer sehr verletzlichen Seite, unterstreicht ihre innige Freundschaft und offenbart so einen tiefen Blick auf das Seelenleben beider Männer. Es sind wichtige Werte, die Lansdale neben all dem Sarkasmus hervorhebt: Treue sich selbst und seinen Freunden gegenüber; das Einstehen für die eigenen Überzeugungen und füreinander; der Kampf gegen Vorurteile und Intoleranz. Und so ist dieser Krimi trotz des gewohnt derben Humors und der Brutalität auch ein Apell an die Menschlichkeit. Unterhaltsam und spannend aber bei Weitem nicht seicht, klingt »Mambo mit zwei Bären / Bärenblues« noch lange nach.
– 4.5 | 5 ⭐︎ –
Was Leonard unter besinnlicher Weihnachtsstimmung versteht, erfahren wir direkt zu Beginn des dritten Teils der kultigen Hap & Leonard-Reihe. Richtig – er sorgt für angemessene, stimmungsvolle Beleuchtung und setzt einmal mehr das Crackhaus nebenan in Brand. Die örtliche Polizeibehörde hat so ihre liebe Mühe, die Beiden immer wieder aufs Neue rauszuhauen und so schlägt Lieutenant Hanson ihnen einen Deal vor: Seine Freundin und Haps frühere Flamme Florida ist im Provinzkaff Grovetown verschwunden und die beiden Jungs sollen sie aufspüren. Doch die Sache hat mehr als nur einen Haken, an dem besonders Farbige leicht hängenbleiben könnten. In Grovetown ticken die Uhren nämlich anders und der Rassismus hat dort noch immer Hochkonjunktur. Ein gefährliches Pflaster für Leonard und eben auch für die vermisste Florida, die einem vermeintlichen Lynchmord auf der Spur war.
Also einmal kräftig in die Hände gespuckt und los geht´s für unsere beiden Hobbydetektive. Doch in dem Kaff werden sie gleich ordentlich in die Mangel genommen und stoßen schmerzhaft an ihre Grenzen, denn gegen eine solche rassistische Übermacht helfen alle coolen Sprüche und Selbstverteidigungskniffe nichts. Doch Aufgeben war noch nie eine Option für die beiden Freunde und so lecken sie zwar ihre Wunden, stehen aber allsbald wieder auf und setzen ihre gefährliche und immer auswegloser anmutende Suche nach Florida fort.
In »Mambo mit zwei Bären« (OT: The Two-Bear Mambo) schockt Lansdale seine Leser, indem er unsere beiden sprücheklopfenden Freunde von ihrem Superhelden-Sockel stösst und sie derb an ihre Grenzen führt. So derb, dass man richtig Angst bekommt. Und so kommt es auch, dass man sich nach einem gewohnt fluffigen Einstieg plötzlich in einem düsteren Setting wiederfindet mit einer überaus finsteren und unheilverkündenden Aussicht.
»Hier waren die Bäume mächtig und schwarz und gespenstisch. Tiefhängende Regenwolken waren aufgezogen und hüllten den kalten Sonnentag in traurig-graue Witwenschleier. Die pechschwarzen Wolken klebten über dem Wald beiderseits des schmalen, rissigen Highways, als wären sie flauschige Baumwollhüte, die nur von ein paar Sonnenstrahlen wie von polierten Hutnadeln durchbohrt wurden.«
Die Töne werden rauer und das ernste Hintergrundthema (Rassismus) wird vom Autor durch die Ausweglosigkeit der Lage, in der sich unsere Protagonisten befinden, grandios unterstrichen. Es ist wie eine Welle, die einen fortspült, wenn man sie nicht reiten kann. Ein Bild, das passender nicht sein kann, wenn man das Buch erst gelesen hat.
»Bärenblues« (Golkonda Verlag) ist die Neuauflage dieses Romans und beide Titel passen hervorragend, denn der Bezug findet sich in der Story mehrfach wieder. Hap & Leonard tanzen den Blues, ob sie es letztlich gut machen, muss jeder selbst lesen aber dieser dritte Teil der Reihe zeigt unsere beiden Protagonisten von einer sehr verletzlichen Seite, unterstreicht ihre innige Freundschaft und offenbart so einen tiefen Blick auf das Seelenleben beider Männer. Es sind wichtige Werte, die Lansdale neben all dem Sarkasmus hervorhebt: Treue sich selbst und seinen Freunden gegenüber; das Einstehen für die eigenen Überzeugungen und füreinander; der Kampf gegen Vorurteile und Intoleranz. Und so ist dieser Krimi trotz des gewohnt derben Humors und der Brutalität auch ein Apell an die Menschlichkeit. Unterhaltsam und spannend aber bei Weitem nicht seicht, klingt »Mambo mit zwei Bären / Bärenblues« noch lange nach.
– 4.5 | 5 ⭐︎ –
September 15, 2024
Setting: East Texas, USA; present day.
Straight back into the lives of zany best friends Hap and Leonard - Leonard is in trouble with the local police for burning down the next-door crack house. Whilst the police have some sympathy, they cannot let his actions go totally unpunished. So local police chief Hanson sets the intrepid pair a task: travel to the town of Grovetown to discover what has happened to black lawyer Florida Grange, who went there to investigate the death in custody of a black man but has not been seen since. Florida had been in a relationship with Hanson but also happened to be Leonard's lawyer and a former lover of Hap, so the pair are only too willing to help. The only problem being that Leonard is black (and gay) and Grovetown is a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity so the pair's safety is likely to be in jeopardy, as they soon discover....
Another excellent book in the series - zany characters, black humour, gripping storylines and graphic violence make for another great read so am glad that I have a couple more of these already on my TBR shelves! - 9/10.
Straight back into the lives of zany best friends Hap and Leonard - Leonard is in trouble with the local police for burning down the next-door crack house. Whilst the police have some sympathy, they cannot let his actions go totally unpunished. So local police chief Hanson sets the intrepid pair a task: travel to the town of Grovetown to discover what has happened to black lawyer Florida Grange, who went there to investigate the death in custody of a black man but has not been seen since. Florida had been in a relationship with Hanson but also happened to be Leonard's lawyer and a former lover of Hap, so the pair are only too willing to help. The only problem being that Leonard is black (and gay) and Grovetown is a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity so the pair's safety is likely to be in jeopardy, as they soon discover....
Another excellent book in the series - zany characters, black humour, gripping storylines and graphic violence make for another great read so am glad that I have a couple more of these already on my TBR shelves! - 9/10.
February 14, 2025
I'm absolutely in love with the Hap and Leonard series to this point, and this was likely my favourite so far. Lansdale's hilarious back and forth dialogue, his love for these two characters, and his ability to shift tones from comedic, to extremely tense, is superb. I was once again able to identify the villain long before it was revealed, but that barely bothered me considering how much I enjoyed every other element of the novel. Can't wait for book four next month.
April 3, 2019
Third book in the Hap and Leonard series is on an even par with book 2 for me. I love that Florida Grange, who was introduced in book 2, is incorporated into the mystery in this one. She's beautiful, Leonard's lawyer, and an ex-girlfriend of Hap's. Not only that, but she is also the current girlfriend of Marvin, a friend of theirs who is also a detective. So when she goes missing they are on it and they are determined to find her, come hell or high water!
What I didn't like is how racist the people in Grovetown were. The expression "colored" was used negatively. With Hap and Leonard being so opposite yet strongly bonded, being in this town together was a challenging time for them. The story at times is a bit dark but Lansdale is good to add humor (much needed comic relief) throughout.
I was ready to read book 4 and added it to my TBR shelf, but when I went to get it I realized it is only in Spanish. At least that's the only one I saw. Now why would that be?
What I didn't like is how racist the people in Grovetown were. The expression "colored" was used negatively. With Hap and Leonard being so opposite yet strongly bonded, being in this town together was a challenging time for them. The story at times is a bit dark but Lansdale is good to add humor (much needed comic relief) throughout.
I was ready to read book 4 and added it to my TBR shelf, but when I went to get it I realized it is only in Spanish. At least that's the only one I saw. Now why would that be?
May 18, 2015
This is how brilliant Joe Lansdale is. Twenty pages in this novel, I was super excited because it started at a point Hap & Leonard had never been before. A hundred pages in, I was about to give up because it shaped up to be a Hap & Leonard vs evil novel. Then it took another, darker turner and finally headed in a darker direction than I've ever seen in a Joe Lansdale novel before. In THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO, Hap & Leonard have to survive before even thinking about saving the day. These two white knights, these samurai of modern times are up against an all-seeing enemy that has eyes and ears everywhere and no matter how chivalrous they might be feeling, they'll have to same themselves. An amazing dark twist in the series. I can't wait to read BAD CHILLI now.
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