In this second installment of Hap & Leonard's adventures, Leonard is still recovering from the injuries he suffered in book one, Savage Season. Using a cane doesn't deter Leonard much, thought it does give him a break from working in the rose fields.
When Leonard's Uncle Chester suddenly passes away, Leonard finds himself the beneficiary of a hundred thousand dollars, a safe deposit key, and a dilipated house. Now the money comes in handy so he can fix said house, but it doesn't help much with his new neighbors, a crack dealer. And that safe deposit key? Well, the safe deposit box is full of clipped coupons, and most of those are expired.
Hap is still working in the rose fields, but he takes a long extended (fired?) leave to move in with his pal Leonard and help fix up his new house. It's a perk that Leonard's lawyer is a young beauty who Hap sets his sights on.
But in the middle of cleaning out the disgustingly dirty house, Hap and Leonard come across an old trunk of Uncle Chester's buried under the floor boards. What concerns the bantering two is the fact that the trunk contains a skeleton of a child cushioned by magazine clippings of child porn. Leonard doesn't believe that his Uncle Chester would do such a thing, so he starts his own investigation to find the real killer. With Hap's help, the two are soon in over their heads.
Lansdale does such a remarkable job with Hap and Leonard's characters that their banter just carries the book. They get into such mishaps and in some humorous situations. An exciting crime thriller with two wonderful characters that has me itching for the next in the series, The Two-Bear Mambo.
That sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the review.
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