Monday, February 1, 2016

CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS by Joe R. Lansdale

*Book 6 of the Hap and Leonard series*

Hap and Leonard have been in some pretty bad situations over the years but nothing can prepare them for the open seas. After Hap gets a sizeable reward for saving a teenage girl from a tweaked out murderer, he decides to go on a cruise ship vacation with Leonard. But rather than the restful trip they had planned, they end up on the cruise from hell and find themselves balls-deep in trouble as usual, when their ship leaves them stranded in a Mexican beachtown. 

One weird thing that stood out is that this novel felt like the most negative Hap and Leonard installment. With how much they constantly nagged, it felt like everything that the boys experienced was the absolute worst thing to ever happen to them: from the ocean, to the food on the cruise ship, to the hotel in Mexico and every person they meet along the way. In the past, our heroes have usually been pretty positive throughout everything, but here, both Hap and Leonard felt like those friends you have that just complain about everything under the sun. But, this book is ultimately a big improvement over the last one, Rumble Tumble, because of its much more engaging storyline. The story takes it's time to get going, but once it does it really takes off and you forget the grumbling first act. The action is clear and concise, many of the supporting characters really come into their own here, and the new characters really shine, including Leonard's new boyfriend John. Even with issues, it's hard to resist reading about the adventures of Hap and Leonard, and this novel is no exception.

GRADE: B-

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