BORN FOR TROUBLE: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HAP AND LEONARD by author Joe R. Lansdale is a collection of short stories of the adventures of the earlier days of Hap and Leonard that include stories that include some of the difficulties experienced in their youth that give a window into the development of their friendship and commitment to coming to the aid of those less fortunate that are discriminated against and taken advantage of.

Several of the stories will be recognized by fans of the television series that ended (unfortunately), and in my opinion is not a bad thing but rather separates the books from the television series in a way that keeps things interesting

Highly recommended to fans of both the books and the series involving the antics of the duo, it would also be a great place to start for any who are unfamiliar with Hap and Leopard and their “kick ass and take names” approach to investigation and the pursuit of justice, so get yourself some Nilla Wafers and Dr. Pepper and settle in for an enjoyable addition to the stories involving the duo..

4.5 stars

Born for Trouble is a collection of Hap & Leonard stories by Joe R. Lansdale from 2016-2019. Released 21st March 2022 by Tachyon, it's 310 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

Hap & Leonard are simply a mighty force of nature. The stories are violent, outlandish, over the top, and hysterically funny (often at the same time and with a suddenness which leaves the reader with whiplash). Lansdale is such a capable writer that I can simply go along for the ride knowing that he knows where we're going and I can just look around and enjoy the scenery. And what scenery it is. There's a real-ness and urgency to the storytelling that *must* be from the writer's stored experiences. He's simply a virtuoso storyteller and I love his work.

These 5 stories are all worthy of the canon. The stories are introduced by the author himself, who even brings his good game to the writing of the foreword.

5 stars. For readers unfamiliar with Hap & Leonard, fair warning - there's graphic, over the top violence and gunplay. They're unapologetically ride-or-die and on a mission. There are also cookies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I loved these stories. I posted reviews on pub date, but I forgot to post here. Sorry.

https://smile.amazon.com/reviews/edit-review/edit?ie=UTF8&asin=B09NF8L5NS&reviewID=R1DALJYSLM66U3

Born for Trouble is a collection of novellae and short stories in the universe of Hap and Leonard, issued from the pen of the prolific and always hugely entertaining Joe. R. Lansdale. Those of you who follow this blog on the regular will know that I’ve been a big fan of Hap and Leonard, and their various misadventures, for years. Getting another slice of East Texas mayhem and found-family affection is always a treat. And so it proves here!

I will say that if you’re a fan of the series, this is likely going to hit the spot for you. A newcomer will find it accessible and entertaining too, but might be advised to dig into the larger series as well. But either way, the crux of the thing: what is it, is it well written, do I want to spend money on it?


Lets start at the end. Yes. If you’re looking for more Hap & Leonard, this is going to meet your needs. Opening it up and reading through the stories, filled with warm banter, cold violence and a sense of place that you can feel in your bones…well. It’s like slipping into a pair of comfortable old shoes, which…may also happen to be a little bloodstained.


The stories themselves are, well, delightful, in the way they blend the weird and the prosaic. The way they bring to life a Texan swamp jungle in one breath, filled with predatory animals and people, and in the next ask us to consider the mundane, intimate absurdity of tracking down a lost stuffed dog. Though that one does go somewhere rather unexpected, come to think of it. In any case, they’re the sort of stories I’ve come to these books to read. Filled with a low-key camaraderie from the leads, a kind of low-key simmering energy which makes their loyalties and joy in each other obvious, while also not being afraid to let them run their mouths and give each other crap in an endless game of fat-chewing. Filled with vivid descriptions that manage to ensure that particular neck of Texas feels alive to me, feels real and is unflinching in showing off the horror and the death in it, but the beauty as well.


And the plots have that blend to them as well. From a dead child in a bookmobile, to the aforementioned stuffed dog, to the stalking of a psychologist - there’s no turning away from the reality of crime, or the sordid nature of much of its motivations. But it’s never unfair - you always know as much as the protagonists do, and if you’re as baffled as they are, well, that’s probably just as well.And the stories themselves…well, they’re Lansdale in fine form. Smartly paced, they’ll keep you turning pages. But they’re also clever, twisty, a little dark, sometimes surprisingly poignant, and usually able to elicit some genuine laughter too. Because they’re looking at people, at Hap and Leonard, and also at all the folks around them, their family, their friends, and the psychology of the people and events they’re looking into.


I don’t want to touch too much on the boys themselves here. I will say that Hap and Leonard’s genuine affection for each other, a friendship that seems to have long ago swerved into brotherhood, is palpable on the page. And it makes me happy to see that kind of relationship brought to the fore - two men working side by side, sharing hope and loss and dreams, and managing to do it without being appallingly toxic. They’re good lads, those two, and the heart of every story is the way they know each other. Which isn’t to say there isn’t some shit-talking and some very hurtful remarks about vanilla cookies. But still. It is worth noting that the boys themselves remark on their getting older, and Hap, at least, is starting to feel the effects of the pressure of their adventures - and it’s wonderful to see these stories look unflinchingly at depression, at trauma, at the costs of violence - and do so in a way which still feel real and human.


Which isn’t to say it’s all doom and gloom. Far from it.in the end, these stories are fun. They’ll make you feel, though, and no shame in that, cry and laugh while you try and figure out what the heck is going on, and then nod knowingly when the criminals are revealed or comeuppances are issued.


So, to circle back toi the point I drifted off of up there: what is it? It’s more Hap & Leonard. Is it well written? Yes, yes it is. Should you buy it? Abso-bloody-lutely.

Published by Tachyon Publications on March 21, 2022

I always enjoy Joe Lansdale’s stories about Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. I always enjoy anything Lansdale writes. Born for Trouble collects five Hap and Leonard stories. For readers who are unfamiliar with the duo, this is as good a place to start as any. These are excellent tales by a skilled storyteller.

The two longest entries I’ve read and reviewed before. “Coco Butternut” and “Hoodoo Harry” were published in their own volumes.

The other three:

“Sad Onions.” Hap and Leonard come upon a woman in the road who walked away from a single-car accident that killed her husband. The accident doesn’t seem right to Hap or Leonard. Since it is none of their business, they look into it. The wife is young, white, and beautiful. Her dead husband was a wealthy, older black man. The police don’t seem interested. Hap and Leonard uncover a murder plot and make their usual irreverent jokes as they try to avoid becoming the next victims.

“The Briar Patch Boogie” begins with a funny conversation about how perspectives change as we age. On a miserable camping and fishing trip that might have been fun when they were young, Hap and Leonard witness a murder. The killers are guys who make a sport of killing hookers. The story eventually turns into a “Most Dangerous Game” plot, with the twist that the hunters use bows and arrows. The story delivers a true rush of adrenalin.

“Cold Cotton.” Hap’s doctor recommends a once-over by a therapist named Carol Cotton as an alternative to Viagra when Hap isn’t getting the desired results with his wife Brenda. Perhaps Hap is stressed by the evil in the world or by his violent response to it (although he’s made a point of being less violent after moving past his midlife point). Before Hap decides whether to call the therapist, she hires Hap and Leonard (and Brenda and Leonard’s lover Pookie) to provide security in response to threats she’s received. The story takes a couple of unexpected turns and ends with the kind of bloodbath that Hap and Leonard regularly encounter. No wonder Hap needs therapy for his limp organ.

Hap narrates the stories and isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. Like, “in Texas every asshole walks around with a gun and thinks they’re Wyatt Earp.” All the characters, including minor characters, regularly exchange good natured insults; snappy dialog is part of the fun.

These stories reflect aging characters. Hap, at least, is mellowing. Leonard still views violence as a first option when villains deserve a good thrashing (or a good killing), as they usually do. The enduring value of the stories is that Lansdale has imagined a world in which a straight white liberal and a gay black Republican can agree on something — in fact, on most things. Their mutual understanding that human dignity, respectful behavior, and fishing are fundamentally important provide a bond that transcends their political views. Hap and Leonard could be role models for us all (regardless of how we feel about fishing).

RECOMMENDED

As the title indicates, BORN FOR TROUBLE is a collection of stories about Hap and Leonard-two of my favorite people in all of literature. It's Lansdale. It's Hap and Leonard. It's a winner right out of the gate!

I've read a few of these stories elsewhere, but I didn't mind reading them again. COCO BUTTERNUT is one of the funniest stories I've ever read and to be honest? Revisiting this tale was pure delight. Everything I love about this duo is here. Their humor, their love for each other, Hap's love for Brett and Leonard's love of poking Hap by calling Coco Butternut, (a dog, by the way), everything BUT Coco Butternut, left me feeling like I had come home again.

SAD ONIONS and THE BRIAR PATCH BOOGIE were, once again, delightful. HOODOO HARRY is one of my favorite Lansdale stories and it was a pleasure to revisit it. A bookmobile plays a large part in this tale and those have a special place in my heart. (As a lover of libraries, growing up where there weren't many close by, the bookmobile inspired a love of reading in my heart, and delivered books almost right to my door.)

COLD COTTON -this was a new story to me, and it had everything. A mystery to figure out, interesting, vivid characters, and of course, Joe Lansdale's down-to-earth sense of humor that gets me every time.

There is nothing pretentious, nothing noble here, only fabulous story-telling. It seems obvious to me that the author loves these characters, and he says as much in the introduction. I didn't need to read that to know it, because it shows in nearly every word written in this volume.

Many of you may know that Hap and Leonard had their own TV show for a while. I watched and loved it, but unfortunately it got canceled. (I can't for the life of me figure out why.) Both the main actors were cultural icons, but Michael K. Williams will forever be Leonard in my mind. Michael recently passed on, but there is a lovely dedication to him at the beginning of this book that brought a tear to my eye. Whenever I read about Leonard now, I see Michael K. Williams' face and I hear his voice in my head. NO ONE could have done a better job in that role.

To recap: Hap and Leonard. Joe Lansdale's trademark sense of humor. (If it's not trademarked, it should be.) Interesting mysteries and vivid characters. Masterful story-telling. All of which add up to this: Joe Lansdale is a national treasure. He never fails to make me laugh or to keep me interested, even if I've read the story before. I don't care which genre he's writing in, if it's Lansdale, I'll read it. You should too!

Highly recommended!

*Thank you to Tachyon Publications, NetGalley and Kasey Landale for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

The latest Hap and Leonard work from Tachyon Publications is a terrific gathering of five different stories, all previously published in one form or another. Tachyon doesn't really do much on the original novel side for Lansdale. They specialize in packaging together shorter works (though <i>Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade</i> plays with the collection format by presenting itself as a mosaic novel), leaving the novel length works to Lansdale's other publishers (Mulholland Books has done the last five or so). <i>Born For Trouble: The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard</i> is a continuation of a series that kicked off not as a series at all, but as a standalone novel, about a couple of East Texas lads who are exactly as the title declares them, doomed from the first moments they slid into this world. Doomed to endure troubles aplenty, maybe, but not despair. It might show up from time to time as it does in everyone's life (the novel <i>The Two-Bear Mambo</i> explores this topic quite effectively), but it doesn't stick around for long. And each of these works, which range from short story to novella length, offers plenty of trouble, a blend of crime, suspense, horror, and humor in that Lansdale tradition. It's a fine starting place for Hap and Leonard's adventures, though I'd recommend going with <i>Savage Season</i> for that. It's a hell of a read.

A majority of the stories in <i>Born For Trouble</i> directly invoke the pastime of fishing. Two of the stories start out with our heroes heading home to LaBorde, Texas after a day spent with rod and reels. One of them kicks off in the middle of what must be among the worst fishing trips ever taken.

Then again, most crime fiction is about luring the reader in the way expert and amateur fishermen lure in their prey. Regular readers will look forward to falling for a good author's efforts to nab them, hook, line, and sinker. It's a treat to have an expert craftsman, a solid wordsmith, or an engaging storyteller spin away the hours with a yarn worth listening to. Lansdale is actually all three of these.

Let's take a look at each of the five stories in turn:

"Coco Butternut" is the first of the bunch, and here we find Hap and Leonard as well as Hap's wife Brett and his daughter Chance getting hired to exchange a satchel of money for some stolen goods. It's a situation plucked right out of Raymond Chandler, but of course Lansdale makes it his own straight away. The item in question is not blackmail materials or even a purloined trinket of real value, it's the embalmed carcass of a dog. Why shell out cash for a dead dog? Well, it was a favorite of the client's mother, you see, and since she's gone the client has sentimental reasons to see the pooch carcass come back home. Still, when the pair cannot help but peek in the satchel, they quickly realize something else is happening. No dead dog is worth one hundred grand, even a departed momma's favorite departed mutt. When the exchange reveals a heretofore unrevealed corpse and the client himself turns up dead, things get suspenseful in a hurry. This story first appeared as a limited edition chapbook from Subterranean Press.

Second in the book is "Hoodoo Harry," a story that finds the guys returning home from a fishing trip and nearly getting run off the road by an out of control bus. That bus is no bus at all, but a bookmobile that's been missing for years, being driven by a kid who dies before he can offer answers. However, stowed away on board are the elements of a crime, the dead bodies of a woman and several kids soaked in oil for preservation purposes. Hap and Leonard's investigation turns over some stones to reveal dark, squirming secrets indeed. Coming to this story after the recent passing of Andrew Vachss (who cowrote the Hap and Leonard story "Veil's Visit" with Lansdale, and with whom Lansdale maintained a brotherhood/friendship), I could not help but see Vachss' influence here. The situation and the execution are close cousins to some of that author's own works though Lansdale makes it his own. However, it serves as a fitting tip of the hat from one master storyteller to another. "Hoodoo Harry" first appeared as a part of the Bibliomysteries series of standalone eBook novella released from Mysterious Bookshop.

Next up is the shorter yarn, "Sad Onions," which finds Hap and Leonard coming back from a fishing trip to discover an auto accident, a woman in the road, and a dead man in the car below. She's upset, naturally, worried about her husband, but something about the whole situation doesn't sit well with our heroes. There's something more going on here than first meets the eye. Of course they make a choice to keep their lives interesting: "So, we talked about the night before, kicked that around a bit, and since it was really none of our business, we got right on looking into it." What they find is a situation that is a flipside to something Jim Thompson or James M. Cain would've conceived, a woeful story about a guy who married the wrong gal, the plan she enacted to get his fortune, and the sinister coverup involved in hiding the crime. However, neither Thompson nor Cain ever figured on a couple of loveable troublemakers like these to interfere in such a plan. This story first appeared in the anthology <i>Odd Partners</i>, edited by Anne Perry.

Fourth up is a story that finds Hap and Leonard on a fishing trip in one of the worst imaginable cabins ever. There's comedy aplenty here, including one of the most delightfully passive-aggressive morning coffee preparations written. However, the humor shifts to suspense when the pair encounter a woman in the swamps, arrow sticking out of her side, claiming that a quartet of people are hunting her. Hap and Leonard soon find themselves involved living out their own version of "The Most Dangerous Game," with a group of psychos that would not be out of place in a Richard Laymon novel. This one is a nail biter of a story. "The Briar Patch Boogie" first appeared as a novelette from Gere Donovan Press.

Finally, we have "Cold Cotton," a story that reads like a compressed Hap and Leonard novel in all the best ways. Here, we kick off on both a comic and somber note: Hap's having some difficulties getting aroused. His doctor suggests trying a therapist before turning to medications, and Hap sits on the fence until the therapist in question calls on him. She's got a situation involving death threats, and she needs private investigators to look into the situation. Enter Hap, Leonard, Brett, and Leonard's boyfriend Officer Curt "Pookie" Carroll, who do what they can. Unfortunately, when Dr. Cotton's secret past rears its ugly head, she dismisses the investigators, and that proves her undoing. Soon, she's dead, and the guys are left to figure out whodunit and why. What follows is gut wrenching, heartbreaking, and yet funny as hell. The perfect Lansdale mix, in other words. This story first appeared as an original novella from Crossroads Press.

All five yarns show Lansdale's keen synthesis of crime fiction's history. While I call out some of the bigger names his stories tip their hats to, it's hard not to see a touch of Day Keene here, John D. MacDonald there, etc., etc. These are not awkwardly shoehorned homages, but glimpses at Lansdale's influences. The stories are all Lansdale, of course, and Hap and Leonard never come across as anyone but themselves (even if Leonard sometimes takes to wearing a fedora).

It's challenging to write series characters, and although we seldom worry about whether Hap or Leonard will make it out alive, we are left to wonder how they're going to get out of this or that encounter, and if they might lose fingers, ears, limbs, or companions along the way. The suspense is still powerful, and the storytelling is still high bar.

In "The Boys," the author's introduction to the collection, Lansdale mentions that he writes Hap and Leonard stories between novels. Kind of breather moments. These certainly read as breaths of fresh air, an author playing with some ideas and revisiting a couple of characters he knows so well. The stories are never phoned in, they are well crafted and entertaining works, engaging for all the right reasons and as capable of belly laughs as of moving us with a turn of unexpected, raw emotional honesty … or grossing us out with an unexpected, nasty, yet poignant turn of phrase or moment.

That's the secret recipe Lansdale has been perfecting over his career, evident in standalone stories as well as his series work, and it's a recipe I've grown rather fond of. Hap and Leonard are some of the first of the author's characters I encountered. They entered my life back when <i>Mucho Mojo</i> hit stands at my local Waldenbooks (remember them?) in a Mysterious Press hardcover that sported an unusual-yet-compelling cover image for a strange, enchanting, and disturbing story. It is nice to revisit these characters and find them still getting into (and out of) trouble almost thirty years on.

After all, they were born for it.

<i>Born For Trouble</i> finds Lansdale penning some terrific tales. They are suspenseful and sometimes laugh out loud gems of story from one of our country's finest storytellers, featuring two of his most beloved characters. If the stories themselves don't seem too deep at first brush, that should not be a matter of concern. These are short works, straight ahead narratives that chill the blood, rouse a laugh, or give us a moment of sad reflection. The depth is there if you care to dig in, visible in craft, characterizations, and the workings of the world. However, the stories also offer the not-to-be-missed chance to catch up with perhaps the least likely pairing of investigators to come along in crime fiction since Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin.

How can you go wrong with Hap and Leonard, the two most likeable characters to come out of East Texas?
This book is several new novellas about the fellas (even though I could swear I've read one of them before) and there are no surprises here--just straight-forward crime/detective mystery/thrillers that keep the reader turning pages to see what could possibly happen next.
In Joe Lansdale's hand, even a far-fetched plot comes together as believable, most especially when it involves two of my old friends from way back when.
Just a good, overall mixture of suspense, mystery, comedy, and thrills like every Hap and Leonard tale. Great fun.

Joe Lansdale is one of the best writers out there! If you’re already a fan of Hap and Leonard, you’ll love this collection. If you’re new to their offbeat adventures, this is a great place to start. Either way, you’re in for a great ride and I think you’ll love every minute!

Born For Trouble by Joe R. Lansdale- This Hap and Leonard omnibus is packed with crazy stories about two of our favorite Lansdale characters. Though some have been available in other places(Heck! I've already read the long ones: Coco Butternut, Hoodoo Harry and Cold Cotton) this is a nice volume if you need to catch up. The only things I hadn't laid eyes on were Sad Onions and The Briar Patch Boogie, which went down real nice. If you want to be entertained by one of the best check it out.

Hap and Leonard are back in another series of short adventures (three short stories and two novellas). Brent and occasionally Chance participate in the duo's shenanigans at times as well. There is the tale of the ransom of the canine corpse which led to murder and mayhem. The return after 10 years of a bookmobile and passengers (I had read this novella when it was published as a stand-alone title). The vegetable chips king murder. A really nasty fishing trip that way off-track! And the final story dealt with families in a very strange and twisty way. Overall, this volume is time well-spent in the company of Hap, Leonard and relations. If you liked previous tales, do pick this one up!

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.

It's always nice to visit with Hap Collins and leonard Pine two of my favorite Texas characters. Born For Trouble by Joe R. Lansdale is a compilation of short stories that some of you might have already read and some you might have missed. For me it was familiar ground all of the stories except for Sad Onion which I somehow never read before. Still as I said, it's always nice to visit with these rascals. They are some of the best created characters ever and I love to see what they are up to. The stories are filled with mysteries and humor and whitty dialogue. If you by some strange rason never have read any of these adventures you should remedy this at once. I am never disapointed by the stories from this author. I must thank @netgalley and @tachyonpub for letting me read this advance copy out in stores in the end of March. and of course @joe_r_lansdale for coming up with these adventures. Great work. #BornForTroubleTheFurtherAdventuresofHapandLeonard

Lansdale is one of the few authors who can mix humor, action, and violence into a tasty chili. Our heroes Hap and Leonard are back and despite being at it a long time, they haven't gotten boring.

I had previously read most of the stories in this collection, but read them again happily. There are some pretty dark elements here, but Lansdale doesn't linger on it just to shock you. Everything has its reasons.

Overall, I think this may be my favorite Hap and Leonard collection. The tales are memorable and it's a good read if you're a fan of noir and horror.

A great collection of Hap and Leonard - if you've read any of the two's adventures before you'll know what to expect and this certainly won't disappoint. If you haven't, it's a find introduction to Hap Collins, Vietnam conscientious objector and Leonard Pine,, black, gay and proud - and both of them more than handy in a fight.
The book is dedicated to Michael K Williams, who played Leonard in the sadly cancelled TV series, and consists of previously published shorts - either in small press, anthologies or one-offs.
The writing is as tight as ever from Lansdale - his ear for dialogue is second to none and he writes action like few others.
Seriously recommend this and all the Hap and Leonard adventures.

I’m going to start this review with a short digression. Somewhere near the turn of this new century I walked into my local Half Price Books with a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I had a plan—rather than choosing back catalog books from one or more of my go-to authors, I would expand my horizons with someone new to me.

I walked out of the store that day with four books. Strega and Blue Belle by Andrew Vachss, and Mucho Mojo and Bad Chili by Joe R. Lansdale. To say these books were revelations to me would not be overstating it. With Vachss’ Burke, I got hard-nosed noir as black as a moonless night, unflinching in their depiction of the horrors people are capable of, particularly against children. With Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard, I was introduced to pure, unfiltered mojo storytelling. From that day on I would seek out and read every book by them I could get my hands on. When I found out later that the two men were friends, I wasn’t surprised. Both men were uncompromising and unapologetic in their approach to writing and life. Sadly, Vachss passed away not long ago, which I found out in a post from Lansdale. The world of crime fiction has lost a giant.

Now back to our regularly scheduled review! Born for Trouble is a new collection of Hap and Leonard stories, which is always cause for celebration. Unlike the past couple of collections, which focused on the boy’s early years, the stories in Born for Trouble cover Hap and Leonard in their later, more mature years. Don’t panic, mature refers only to their age. They are still, for the most part, the same shit-talking, shit-kicking badasses you know and love. Hap may be coming to terms with married life and fatherhood, and he’s a little less quick to pull the trigger, but he’s still tough as nails. And Leonard is still Leonard, just as volatile, just as willing to fuck shit up.

As far as the stories go, this is a book of crime fiction, and there are few better than Lansdale. In several of them, Hap and Leonard are working as private investigators, with Hap’s wife Brett. His adult daughter Chance is along for the ride as well. They are often working with, and sparring with, their friend Marvin Hanson, the police chief of LaBorde, Texas. There are murders aplenty here, colorfully corrupt characters, and the sort of wall to wall mayhem and adventures Hap and Leonard always seem to fall into.

I had read several of these stories before as Kindle singles, and I didn’t mind rereading them a bit. Lansdale is a master storyteller. Settling down with this collection is like getting together with old, cherished friends—the kind of friends who you just know are going to get you in trouble, and you just don’t care.

Born for Trouble will be released March 21, 2022. This one’s a must-have.

Who am I kidding? I'm simply addicted to the adventures and misadventures of the greatest duo in contemporary American crime fiction.

A newly reprinted collection of adrenaline-fueled stories full of mayhem, violent deeds, dead dudes, coffee breaks and lots of scrumptious vanilla cookies, uproariously funny situations, unforgettable East Texas verbal pyrotechnics.....
Lansdale is the best wordsmith at work today and I would probably swim all the way from France to the American shores in order to buy any new publication involving Hap and Leonard. Long live the King of American Crime fiction!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for this latest fictional jewel and for keeping my terrible addiction alive and kicking!!!

Absolutely, 100% love Hap and Leonard and anytime I catch wind of a new title coming out I jump on it as soon as I can find it. So huge thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Born for Trouble.

Just to be clear, most of these stories are not new. Sad Onions is the only one I had not read yet. This collection, however, does make the previous released stories easier to find. Coco Butternut, Hoodoo Harry, The Briar Patch Boogie, and Cold Cotton are rereleased here in this new collection.

That’s perfectly fine with me. Although I’d read these stories before it’s been many years and anytime spent with Joe, Hap, Leonard, and the gang is time well spent.

Another great Hap and Leonard book. The short stories work as well as the novels, but most of these are longer short stories. It would be hard to select the best, The Briar Patch Boogie is probably my favorite, but all the others are a close second. Joe R Lansdale never lets you down. #BornForTroubleTheFurtherAdventuresofHapandLeonard #NetGalley

Hap and Leonard return in this excellent collection of novellas. The boys (and Hap's wife Brett and daughter Chance) get caught up in several murder mysteries, all with the action, wit and adventure that is to be expected. I've read all these stories before, but they were fun to read again, like visiting old friends. And these tales work really well together as a coherent narrative from beginning to end. The dialog is laugh out loud funny, the action is sharp, the plots are smart. Anyone who knows Hap and Leonard from the novels will genuinely appreciate this book, and it could also serve as a good introduction to the characters for new readers. I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Tachyon Publications, and my favorite author Joe R. Lansdale for providing an advance reader copy to review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for an advance copy of Born for Trouble, a collection of short novellas featuring PIs Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, set in East Texas.

The book comprises five tales of murder, misdeeds and mayhem where “the boys” solve various crimes, mete out their own justice and go fishing.

There is an ambience to these characters and their adventures that is irreplicable. The humour is occasionally crude and almost always harsh, if not downright black, but it’s authentic and very funny. Then there are the characters, Leonard is the only gay, black, Republican vet that Hap knows and while Hap comes across as a good ole boy he is actually a liberal with a love of reading. No need for stereotypes with this strong characterisation.

The stories are fun. They are well constructed and varied in their themes, although they inevitably end with Hap and Leonard spending time in the cells while law enforcement sort out their story. I don’t imagine that this shorter form is easy to write with so much to cram into a smaller space and yet the author makes it look easy. There is plenty of meat on the bones in the plots, they are imaginative and full of both action and humour. Equally, they are well paced with enough build up to hold the reader’s attention.

Born for Trouble is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.