Judith Mulhaney's daughter, Jackrabbit, has been missing for five years and Hap and Leonard take the case. It isn't long until they find themselves mixed up in a revivalist cult that believes Jesus will return flanked by an army of lizard-men-- solving a murder to boot.
For such a freewheeling stylist, Lansdale can write a sensitive obituary for a 'confused and tortured soul' like Sebastian, as well as boisterous action scenes for his irrepressible leads. And he has compassion for places like Hell’s Half Mile, 'a line of honky-tonks full of drunken patrons trying to wash down poverty, bad marriages and gone-to-hell children.'
Bigotry may be part of the plot, and the smiling white supremacist may be a metaphor for a recently emboldened brand of intolerance, but part of what makes this book exceptional is the way Lansdale portrays the long legacy of race and class discrimination as the characters’ lived experience ... Lansdale is one of a kind, with a deceptively folksy and funny voice that hides real darkness; fans of the eponymous SundanceTVseries will be delighted to find the books are even better.
Lansdale has hit an interesting stride in the series that works perfectly for fans. While there is the action and pulp style you’ve come to expect, Joe puts complete faith in his characters ... The plot also entwines perfectly with the social issues that propel the story just as equally. He dives into strong commentary on race and religion. This is one of the few times where discussing the themes could allude to the spoilers, because they are so well fused to the the tale. Even though he rails against the narrow mindedness of society and their institutions, he sees hope in the individuals who break through the barriers that are putting up, proving their lack of true existence ... They are working class heroes in the best sense of the term and Lansdale proves John Lennon’s belief that that’s something to be.
