Review: Captains Outrageous

Captains Outrageous by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Hap comes into some money, he and Leonard go on a vacation and wind up stranded in Mexico. True to form, they end up helping a fisherman and his daughter with a problem they're having...

This is my third read of Captains Outrageous but the first time in over a decade so it was like a completely new book.

Captains Outrageous sees Hap and Leonard going up against a Mexican loanshark and his goons. It also brings the crew back together with Jim Bob Luke, Marvin Hanson, Charlie Blank, and Veil. Unlike a lot of series mysteries, Lansdale isn't afraid to upset the apple cart in a big way.

Hap and Leonard go through quite a bit in this one and we all needed a break after it, even Lansdale, for this was the last Hap and Leonard book for something like eight years. While hilarious, crude, and full of violence, it's also really bleak.

There's a lot of interesting stuff going on but it's easily my least favorite of the Hap and Leonard books up to this point. It felt unfocused at times and might have worked better as two linked novellas.

All things considered, though, it was a pretty good read. Hap and Leonard had some good character moments and things ended with the pair in a good place for once, a place they'd stay in until Lansdale brought our boys back in Vanilla Ride. Three out of five stars.


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