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Hap & Leonard are the main characters in a series of ten mystery books, three collections of stories, three novellas and several excerpts by Joe Lansdale. The two characters are adventurers and amateur sleuths, best friends working as private detectives for Hap’s girlfriend, Brett Sawyer. The two amateur sleuths always end up in a lot of trouble with several criminal gangs in the small fictional town of LaBorde, East Texas. They often try to solve several unpleasant crimes, and the two characters are well versed in martial arts.
Order of Hap and Leonard Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savage Season | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Mucho Mojo | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Two-Bear Mambo | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Bad Chili | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Rumble Tumble | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Captains Outrageous | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Vanilla Ride | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Devil Red | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Hyenas | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Dead Aim | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Honky Tonk Samurai | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Briar Patch Boogie | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Miracles Ain't What They Used to Be | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Coco Butternut | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Rusty Puppy | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | Cold Cotton (Short Story) | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | Jackrabbit Smile | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 18 | The Elephant of Surprise | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 19 | Born for Trouble | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 20 | Sugar on the Bones | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Order of Hap & Leonard Collections By: Andrew Vachss, Joe R. Lansdale
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veil's Visit | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Hap and Leonard | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade | 2017 | Description / Buy |
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Order of Hap & Leonard Collection Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
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Joe Lansdale began the publication of Hap & Leonard series in 1990 when Savage series the first book in the series was published.
HAP & LEONARD BOOKS INTO MOVIES
Hap & Leonard series has been adapted into an American TV drama series written and developed by Jim Mickle and Nick Damici. The duo had previously adapted Joe Lansdale book Cold in July. The drama series premiered on March 2, 2016, on the American cable network and it received many positive reviews.
The series was renewed for a six-episode in the third season in March 2018 and the season was inspired by The Two-Bear Mambo, the third book in the series.
BEST HAP & LEONARD BOOKS
These are two best in Hap & Leonard series by Joe Lansdale, Savage Season (1990) and Mucho Mojo (1994).
Savage Season: When Hap Collins’ divorced wife Trudy shows up back into Hap’s life telling him about recovering unrecovered cash from a bank heist, Hap’s up for the challenge. Aiding him in the mission is his good gay black friend Leonard the most terrible thing on the universe. Will these two amateur sleuths finally cash in and make a fortune or is Trudy leading them to their deaths?
The first book in Hap & Leonard series introduces us to Leonard Pine and Hap Collins world. Hap Collins is an ex-hippy who spent almost two years in prison for dodging the Vietnam draft, and his friend Leonard is a gay man vet considered as the toughest man ever to live. The two coast through life on low wages. After the prison years ended his marriage, Collin’s ex-wife still likes to come around and break the man’s heart all over again. Trudy is a woman who thinks she can transform the world while Hap is in prison.
The first book in Hap & Leonard series is wonderfully written. The plot is pretty straightforward; the characterization is beautifully done making it a great series opener.
Mucho Mojo: When Leo’s uncle Chester passes on and leaves him a home, Hap and Leo move to fix it up, but they discover a child skeleton wrapped in a porn mag. Was Leo’s uncle preying on children or was someone else living in the house a killer? And does the skeleton has something to do with the crack house next door?
The series second book continues the redneck noir epic adventures of Hap and his best friend, Leonard Pine. The two amateur sleuths discover not only a child’s skeleton in their uncle’s house but also a wasp’s nest of religious-based serial killings that have been performed for decades. While the first book fired on all cylinders, the second in the series roars like of those big tractors with five engines on it. Hap and Leonard investigations mainly are centered on walking aimlessly around, pissing off a bunch of people and eventually solving the case in the middle of some bloodshed.
Some of Hap & Leonard series longtime secondary characters are introduced in this book like Florida and Marvin Hanson. Marvin is also the main character in the act of Love- a serial killer horror book by Joe Lansdale. Like most of the early amateur sleuths, Hap and Leo do a lot of philosophizing when not cracking wise or skulls. The mystery in the book is intricate, and Lansdale clearly shows his writing chops in his characterization, plot development and scene detailing.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
If you fancy reading Hap & Leonard series, then you will definitely fall in love with these two book series. The “DCI Jericho” by Douglas Lindsay featuring detective chief inspector Robert Jericho who goes around solving intricate crimes. You will also love reading “Ben Gates” series by Robert Terrall featuring Ben Gates a private investigator solving crimes.
What Is The Next Book in The Hap And Leonard Series?
The next book in the The Hap And Leonard Series by Joe R. Lansdale is Sugar on the Bones and will be released on July, 16th 2024.