Rumble Tumble: A Hap and Leonard Novel (5) (Hap and Leonard Series) Paperback – November 10, 2009

I suspect Joe Landale's DNA does not allow writing a bad book, and "Rumble Tumble" signals no break in that genetic code. As would be expected from Hap and Leonard, this is a no-holds-barred, darkly and cynically funny, mayhem-filled romp through East Texas - with an important detour south-of-the-border. In this episode, Hap's relatively new girlfriend, the foul mouthed fiery redhead Brett, convinces the boys to accompany her in "rescuing" her daughter Tillie from a life of drugs and prostitution - whether Tillie wants redemption or not. Stalwart fans of the series know that when Lansdale gets together with Hap and Leonard, a zany and dangerous cast of supporting characters is sure to come around for the ride. "Rumble Tumble" raises this bar, featuring a midget, his monster-sized reformed criminal and current preacher brother, a washed out bush pilot, some stoned Indians, and the obligatory gang of outlaw bikers. The results are predictable - lots of people maimed or murdered, the best one-liners in pop crime fiction, and Hap and Leonard managing to stay a step ahead of the law - barely - with most of their body parts intact.Lansdale is a cagey writer - he lulls the reader into an easy cornponed stupor with is good-old-boy yarn-spinnin' style, which is a way is a disservice to the brilliance of Lansdale's well-camouflaged prose. Make no mistake about it - this guy can write, whether he's describing a Texas landscape like "the bleakest ugliest GD terrain this side of the moon...the kind you think you'd fall off" or skewering an antagonist with raw with that can only be honed by an extraordinarily keen insight into human nature and American culture.Having said all of this, "Rumble Tumble" is not the best of the series. There is an ugliness in this one that extends beyond the landscape that the author captures so well - a dark side we see in Brett, and an insecurity in Hap, that is not endearing. Given that this was the next-to-the last in the series before Lansdale sent Hap and Leonard on a seven year vacation, one can't help but wonder if by now he has also getting a bit burnt out on the concept.But hey, lie I said - Lansdale can't write a bad book. Fans of the series will not want to miss this one - but the uninitiated should start with the unparalleled "Savage Season."

In some ways, I guess Rumble Tumble is the weakest of the Hap and Leonard books I've read so far, but that makes it sound far worse than it is; the reality is, I still had an absolute blast reading it, thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it highly; it just doesn't quite match up to the standards set by the earlier books in the set. As you might expect from a Hap and Leonard book, Rumble Tumble finds our heroes getting involved in a criminal situation that might be above their heads - in this case, it happens to be retrieving the daughter of Hap's girlfriend from the biker gang that she's recently been sold to. How that path ends intersecting with a dwarf pimp, a once-violent man of God, a violent crime lord, and too many other colorful characters to count...well, I'll let you discover that for yourself. That being said, it's worth noting that the plot in Rumble Tumble is a little disappointingly straightforward, especially by the standards of the series; there's not much here that's going to shock you, and things go more or less as you'd expect, if not better. Even so, that doesn't do anything to hurt the book's strengths: the great dialogue, the fantastic banter, the hard-boiled redneck noir prose, the fantastic characters, the intense action - in other words, all of the usual things that Lansdale knocks out of the park effortlessly. Rumble Tumble may not be terribly surprising, but its prose, character work, and willingness to explore the shades of gray that color in its characters' morality more than make up for any shortcomings along the way. Is it as good as the best of the series? Well, no...but is it better than most of what you'll read in any given day? Oh, most definitely, yes.

I think I've developed an addiction to Joe Lansdale. Since discovering his young adult novel "All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky", I've sought out as many of his books as I can find.Then I started the Hap and Leonard series and became hopelessly hooked. As I've said in my reviews for the first four H&L novels, they're not for everyone, but if you like ONE, you'll like them all. Hap and Leonard have become two of my favorite characters in modern literature for a variety of reasons. They're always trying to do the right thing, but somehow they always go about it in a less-than-well-thought-out fashion. They're definitely rough and tumble good guys, but because Lansdale has written them so well, they're multifaceted and have more depth than your average main characters in the 'pulp' genre. These guys are willing to fight at the drop of a hat but they are also funny, sincere and clever as hell.Most of Lansdale's Hap and Leonard books revolve around a mystery, Rumble Tumble doesn't. In this outing, our heroes are on a mission to rescue a friend's daughter from her life as a hooker trapped by a ruthless gangster. Their adventure takes them from Texas to Mexico with some of Lansdale's best supporting characters including an offensive red-haired midget/pimp, assorted thugs and a killer-turned-preacher-turned-prairie dog collector.Rumble Tumble's plot is, of course, far-fetched (think about any action movie you've ever seen) but with characters like Hap and Leonard, I don't care.Dark humor and adult language & situations are found throughout Rumble Tumble, it is not a book for the overly-sensitive. But for a lot of action led by two very strong, driven and surprisingly funny men, this book is highly recommended.

Master writer. I actually laugh out loud while reading Mr. Lansdale. The guy can cut a phrase. Having heroes who are black and white, straight and gay, friendship...our American culture idealized--the spirit of equality, compassion, trying to understand.I cringe at the graphic violence...I skip over it because I love this author's writing.

Joe R Lansdale is well-named The Bard of Texas. He can turn a phrase like nobody else. Every now and again I have to stop and reread something that's so elegantly written or so hilarious that I need time to savour it again. EG: "...he hit me with a glancing right that jolted me so hard that the coins in my pocket changed denomination."Hap and Leonard (aka The Disaster Twins) walk into one life-threatening situation after another, always with the very best intentions and usually to help a friend. They are perennial underdogs, mostly broke with dead-end jobs and often (unintentionally) on the wrong side of the law. Hap is a white, bleeding heart liberal who went to jail rather than go to Vietnam and Leonard is a black, gay, Republican Vietnam-vet. It shouldn't work but it does. It is their friendship, the fact that they would do anything for each other, and their determination to always try to do the right thing that keeps them lovable and keeps the books optimistic.This is the 5th book in Lansdale's very popular series and follows our hapless (no pun intended) heroes on a mission to rescue the daughter of Hap's girlfriend from a Mexican brothel owned by a highly dangerous biker gang. Lansdale writes the action scenes with a great deal of pace and excitement and the jokes come fast and furious. It's easy to see why the books were made into a tv series (which is available to buy through Prime and is well worth watching).

Great entertainment:Hap and Leonard one of the great literary double acts...For all the gore and violence there is a real humanity here in Lansdales work....one of the great underrated American writers...

Purchase was fine, story disappointing.

I really enjoy the majority of Lansdales books , in the past year I have read over 10 of his novels, and a collection of short stories.

My all time favorite novel featuring Hap and Leonard: funny, action-packed, rough n' tough, subtly and elegantly vulgar.Recommended to all those who like some good violence and a laugh.