I just finished reading The Donut Legion by Joe R. Landsdale and I have some thoughts. First I want to say that I liked the story, the cult business, and I love that Joe R. Landsdale writes about West Texas. He mentions places and towns that I love like Lufkin, TX. The cult, a poor man’s version of Scientology, owns a chain of donut shops all around Texas. And like most cults, it got weird and messed up pretty quickly. Charlie, the main character that writes books and used to be a PI, had a ghostly visit from his ex-wife who he still cares about. This starts the whole thing into motion and he starts looking into Meg’s disappearance. Meg is in the cult so naturally he starts looking into that whole mess. He enlists the help of his brother Felix and stuff gets real. Now here are my issues with this novel. The female characters were really just there as props for the big strong men. They even went by juvenile names. A brilliant, tough, and super successful lawyer just happens to go by the name Cherry and the freelance writer that just happens to want to write a book about the cult joins the team and she’s sexy and all the men just want to tell her all their secrets goes by Scrappy, when her actual name is Amelia Moon…uh sure. Even when they do something awesome it felt really flat. I won’t tell you what happened to Meg but even the reasoning behind her disappearance was some sexist nonsense. Though I will say how it came together for Charlie was pretty good. Oh and some crazy idiot had a chimpanzee on a chain that he used for muscle and it made me want to punch someone in the throat. There was adventure, suspense, and some violence and all in all it was an entertaining read. The cult and the glimpse of how it can all go wrong really made the novel. Oh and the language in this novel is very crude, which doesn’t bother me but it can be a downer for some. Honestly, Joe R. Landsdale really made it feel like West Texas, in all its glory and all its faults.

I did not realize when I downloaded this book that Joe R Lansdale is the same author of the Hap and Leonard books. I love his writing style and the Donut Legion is classic. Who else could turn a kooky, small town cult into edge-of-your-seat entertainment? I will definitely be searching out more Lansdale asap.

Pocked heavily with the dark Lansdale sense of humor, this is a satirical social statement regarding a fringe cult.

Charlie is an unsuccessful writer/former police officer while his brother Felix is a former psychologist now private investigator. Felix’s circle includes Cherry, an attorney. Charlie’s new squeeze is Amelia—better known as Scrappy. She’s a former dental hygienist who got very tired of dirty mouths and now wants to write a book regarding the “Saucer People,” a local cult being groomed to survive an impending invasion of aliens.

The depth with which the cult has pervaded the town and its people is revealed with the groups’ investigation, cynical Police Chief Nelson one of the few not involved. He has a dog named Tag who is quickly among the characters you come to love. The storyline takes a serious turn as their snitch is found murdered and Charlie comes to believe his ex and her new hubby are victims as well.

To say the plot turns deadly is not an over-statement—nor a spoiler. You’ll read it soon enough, which btw, (trigger alerts) is rife with crude language, violent description, and sexual innuendo.

A biting scrutiny of a cult compound whose leaders can hold an often deadly stranglehold on its followers. Written in the storytellers’ unusual snarky and biting writing style, this narrative may engage and entertain as many readers as it turns off.

Joe R. Lansdale may not have the name recognition of other major mystery/thriller authors, but his works are solid examples of hard boiled mysteries. This is not a Hap and Leonard tale, but two characters who are brother-Charlie and Felix. Charlie assumes the role of Hap and Felix is patterned after Leonard. But not exactly. Charlie feels something is seriously wrong about his ex-wife who has disappeared. He enlists the help of Felix, a lawyer not shy about using violence to get his way. What lingers in the background is a cult that believes spaceships will descent to Earth and take the chosen people away and they are willing to kill in order to protect their secrets. Great dialog and a crackerjack climatic scene!

Suspend your disbelief and bring your imagination while reading The Donut Legion. The ghosts, aliens and zany characters will entertain you throughout this mystery.

This book just didn't hit it for me. I was really interested in the storyline but it just dragged a lot. It needed more excitement earlier on!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Quirky, fun, engaging read. I needed something outside my normal focus and this was the story for me. I liked the uniqueness of the characters and while I didn't always agree with their actions, I stoll found myself enjoying the ride. The writing style was smooth and flowed well. It was an easy read and I was surprised how quickly I became immersed into the story. Looking forward to the next book.

THEDONUTLEGION #NETGALLEY. #JOELANSDALE

This book would make a good vacation read. Passes the time just fine while not needing a ton of attention or thought. Characters were interesting, writing was clever.

Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get started with this book. It just didn't work for me so I only read a few chapters.

After a mysterious, dream like- late night visit from his ex-wife, who turns out to have skipped town, Charlie teams up with his brother Felix to try and figure out where she may have gone and if it was on her own accord.
While searching for his ex-wife, Charlier learns she was working at a local Donut shop known to be owned by a local cult leader. Fearing the worst Charlie sets out to find out what happened to his ex and unravels a complex mystery surrounding this local legend of a cult. The Donut Legion was an easy and relatively quick read. This was my first by this author. The plot was interesting and had some not so surprising twist and turns, but it did keep me engaged.

I’ll be the first to admit—this is not my typical genre but it sounded intriguing so I thought “why not”?

Charlie gets a visit in the middle of the night from his ex-wife, Meg, giving him numerous warnings, then seems to vanish. He learns that her and her current husband have been missing for a few days so he sets out on a mission to find them. Along the way, he discovers a cult infamously named “The Donut Legion” or “The Saucer People” (depending on who you ask) and their secrets that lay beneath the surface.

The best thing this book has going for it is the interaction between the characters. I found myself laughing with it a lot, which I wasn’t expecting. There was also a thriller component, which I appreciated.

There were definitely a couple of negatives, for me. First, the writing felt very choppy and staccato, which broke up the flow of the book. Even though I appreciate the characters dialogue, it didn’t help the pacing of the story. This was a very slow burn and it felt like not much happened other than a few killings. The ending felt rushed and the overall twist was lackluster.

Overall, if you’re into cults, aliens, end of world, thrillers, this may be a good match for you! It’s definitely worth reading once!!

Thank you to #netgalley and Mulholland Books for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!!

Charlie Garner suffers from recurring headaches on a daily basis. After being visited by the spirit of his ex-wife, who warns him to "Watch out for omelets. And beware the great mound within the circle," he learns that she and her new husband have gone missing. Former cop turned PI turned author, Charlie knows the local cops are worthless and so enlists the help of his brother, Felix, who has taken over Charlie's PI biz, to help track down Meg. They believe her disappearance is related to the local UFO cult propping up May Town -- Meg worked at one of the many donut shops owned by the cult -- and as their investigation deepens the more the body count rises, and the more Charlie begins to realize that his headaches are only just getting started.

Let me admit at the outset here that I'm a relative newbie when it comes to the works of Joe R. Lansdale. I've only started reading him these last couple years, beginning with the publication of More Better Deals and Moon Lake. The Donut Legion isn't as good as Moon Lake, but I enjoyed it a bit more than More Better Deals. It's a fun, kooky bit of Texas noir with the usual Lansdale-ian flair that even Johnny-come-lately readers like myself are familiar with, largely due to osmosis thanks to the author's vast prolificness.

The dialogue is whip sharp and snappy, the premise as about as out-there as you can get while still being a grounded mainstream mystery, and the bad guys have an almost-80s action movie aesthetic about them. The Saucer People, as they're known about May Town, are the good ol boys answer to Scientology, and their enforcement arm, known as the Managers, are headed up by a 7-foot-tall ex-con known as The Cowboy. The Cowboy has a bloodthirsty chimpanzee capable of tearing a grown man limb from limb.

Along the way, we get a few reflections on religion and modern policing. The Garner brothers know the May Town cops won't bother investigating Meg's disappearance, let alone go after the cult that fills the town coffers, reflecting that "They mainly drink coffee and buy donuts, shoot a Black guy now and then," and are "trigger-happy assholes who watch too many cowboy movies." As far as the outlandishness of the cult itself... well, one certainly has to reckon with just how goofy they really are. Cults are certainly commonplace, after all, from smaller groups like Heaven's Gate, to far larger and wealthier organizations with a global reach, like Scientology, Christianity, and Islam. The Saucer People's space-age beliefs aren't really any more outlandish than the ancient myths of the Bible. A former cultist justifies his youthful foolishness with, "If you can be groomed to be a Baptist, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Mormon, or whatever, you can convinced." What's the difference between the Saucer People and their grifting con-man of a leader and any other religion? He then goes on to sum up all of religion in a nutshell: "Pretty sweet selling something invisible, isn't it?" It certainly makes Joel Osteen smile wide, that's for damn sure.

As you might expect from a noir about a murderous UFO cult and a killer chimp, The Donut Legion is the kind of crazy that only Lansdale can pull off successfully. I doubt many other authors could handle these oddball elements even half as capably (I can think of only Adam Howe as a similarly exceptional storyteller in the Lansdale vein), but Lansdale is one of those unique once in a generation kind of authors. He brings all these oddities together, seemingly effortlessly, to craft a fun pulp detective novel. It's a brisk, easy read, but at the same time it's not one you'll be thinking about when you put the book down, longing to get back to it. It doesn't redefine the genre or turn it on its head. The Donut Legion is a simple time-killer and, like many of the genre's earliest pulp works, ultimately disposable. But it sure is fun when you're engaged with it.

An author like none other with his signature East Texas setting, the dry wit and humor and dependably vivid descriptions. He makes a mystery fresh and relevant with characters that pop off the page. The premise of an evangelistic cult, flying saucers, little green men and doomsday theories may sound unbelievable and unlikely, it isn’t. Cults and their leaders are not new, hopeless folks grab on to something to trust in and blindly follow. This mystery follows that thread in a smartly written plot.
Charlie might still be in love with his X-wife, Meg, even though she’s moved on. Charlie has some private investigator experience and his brother, Felix, to lend advice and assistance. Charlie thinks Meg and her new husband are in some sort of trouble when he can’t find them. As he asks around and tries to figure out where they are threats to “back off”. A small town reporter with big dreams arrives and teams up with hopes of writing a book.
The local cult owns a string of donut shops and members are called the Saucer People, based on legend of a buried flying saucer which crashed. Their leader has an adversary who is disillusioned by the cult, an unbalanced man decides he is God dispensing death at will. Charlie and the newly formed team believe Meg might be with the cult. The secrets they uncover are as strange as the leader’s promised redemption. A crazy mystery unraveled as I sped through the pages, really enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the digital advance reader copy of “The Donut Legion” by Joe R. Lansdale, published by Mulholland Books. Publication expected March 21, 2023. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Not being a fan of cult stories, it’s highly unlikely that I would pick up a book about a bunch of doomsday, space nuts who believe that aliens will invade the world and that only one man (it’s almost always a man) can save them, if they follow his orders and beliefs. I have absolutely no sympathy, and very little patience, for supposedly sane and responsible people who willingly become obsessed slaves to some idiotic, narcissistic, criminal, @$$#*!%$ with a God complex. There’s already too much of that stupid nonsense in real life, I certainly don’t want to waste my precious free time reading about it. However, the one thing that was the deciding factor for me was this paragraph:

"Brimming with colorful characters and Lansdale’s characteristic bounce, this rollicking crime novel examines the insidious rise of fringe groups and those under their sway with black comedy and glints of pathos."

Knowing that the author intended to amuse and entertain the reader by making fun of this type of scenario was definitely something I knew I would enjoy. And enjoy, I did. This was another one of those books that hubby told me I had to go and read out in the living room, if I was going to read it at night, because my laughing was keeping him awake.

The book summary lays out the premise for the primary storyline, so I won’t repeat it here. Pretty much from the get-go, Lansdale’s introduction of the MC’s has me chuckling or cracking up over the chemistry and interactions between the characters as well as the scrapes they get themselves into. There’s Charlie, a former police officer turned mediocre writer, his brother Felix (LOVE FELIX!!!), a former psychologist turned private investigator, Felix’s girlfriend, Cherry, an attorney that Felix affectionately calls “The Shark”, and Amelia “Scrappy” Moon, a former dental hygienist who wants to write a book about the “Saucer People”, the doomsday space nuts who believe that aliens will invade the world and that only one man can save them, if they follow his orders and beliefs. All of this taking place in east TX, where large groups of people believe that the perfect planet is a “planet where they can wake up with plenty of guns, food and supplies and be made whole again.” (Lansdale’s words, not mine). LMAO, only in TX😂

For most of the story, Charlie and his motley crew spend their time investigating the cult as well as the disappearances of Charlie’s ex-wife, Meg (who he’s still in love with), and her current husband, Ethan. They hook up with a cult member, Kevin, who works at a donut shop where the cult launders their money. Kevin ends up dead after providing Charlie with info on the cult as well as Meg and Ethan’s participation. This is not a spoiler because it’s revealed early in the story.

The second half of the story reveals the depths and extent that the cult’s power as well as their control over many of the town’s residents, businesses and even some of the police department. Charlie and his gang, along with the Police Chief Nelson (one of the few on the force who is not a member of the Saucer People), and his dog, Tag, discover some important evidence that takes the investigation into a different direction that suddenly makes it a whole lot more dangerous for all of them.

Now, I know a lot of people won’t like that I did this, but the dog doesn’t die. I know I always want to know that info whenever a dog is introduced into the story (especially a story about a bunch people who are absolutely cray cray), and I know there are others like me who like to know too. The ending seems to come pretty quick after this and while it was a little sad and heartbreaking for some and got a kind weird at parts (but still hilarious), it was a satisfying end.

This story was definitely a rollicking examination of insidious fringe groups and those under their sway. It was also brimming with colorful characters and black comedy. Lansdale is a pretty good writer and storyteller with a wicked sense of humor too. This was the first book I’ve ever read from Lansdale, but it definitely won’t be the last. I’ve already checked out his other work and added another book to my to-read list. I want to thank NetGalley and Mulholland Books, for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @MullhollandBooks @TheDonutLegion

The Donut Legion is a surprisingly fun read! Charlie is on the hunt for his missing ex-wife and her new husband who have been missing for over a week now. After doing some initial digging, Charlie realizes they came into contact with a cult convinced that there is a spaceship coming to the donut shop they work at to rescue them from earth. The plot evolves into many twists and turns as Charlie, his brother, and a reporter, “Scrappy” try to find the truth and stay out of harms way. The characters are likable and the dialogue is funny and crackles along. The plot and set up are intriguing and fun, but almost fade to the background because the characters are so engrossing. Not your traditional mystery/thriller, but definitely enjoyable and fast-paced!

Charlie is on a mission to find out what happened to his ex-wife, Meg, after she & her new husband have been missing for over a week. What starts out as a simple missing person investigation takes more twists & turns than anyone involved could have ever imagined. Complete with a chimpanzee & an oversized dog named Tag, will Charlie be able to uncover what happened to Meg or will he end up just like her?

This was my first book by Joe Lansdale & let me just say, it definitely did not disappoint. The storyline itself was enough to keep the reader interested, but my absolute favorite part was the tone of story along with the character dialogue. When reading character dialogue, it has tendency to read as if from a script and can lack that real world appeal it, but that was not the case here. Each character had their own distinct voice which was able to shine through, and their interactions at no point felt forced. The story was the right mix of humor, sarcasm, mystery & suspense and I without a doubt would recommend it to others.

Thank you #NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing me with an ARC for my honest review

Mulholland, I'm forever in love with the books y'all publish. Thank you so much for a copy!

This is the first book for me from this author and it was 🤌🤌🤌. It was different, funny, weird. I loved cults and alien saucer people, and wild chimps.

You say to yourself, "Tabitha? What are you babbling about?" I'm babbling about a FUN read! So different than anything I've read before and I loved it!

Lansdale returns to the thing he does best: coming up with a pair of characters, both likeable, both smartasses, plopping them into a sticky situation, and having them fling witty repartee at everyone around them.

Here we have two brothers busting up a sinister cult that involves donuts, aliens, and murder. It's a great mix of humor, action, and powdered sugar, AND a treat for Hap 'n Leonard fans.


And, yeah - let's settle this for once and for all - you GOTTA have chips with a sandwich.

I'll admit I haven't read a lot of Lansdale, but this book makes me rethink that! These characters are larger than life - both the good ones and the bad ones. Loved the idea of saucer people and donut shops as a cover for something diabolical. A lot of 'boots on the ground' detective work with a group of four. Also appreciated that Charlie and Felix were super sarcastic...and very funny! Read this one!

Charlie gets a bad feeling when he speaks with his ex-wife late one night. She drops by unannounced to visit and after a strange conversation, she vanishes. Was it only a dream or was Charlie speaking with a ghost? Charlie decides to find out what happened to Meg and her current husband, when he discovers that they really have gone missing.
Charlie enlists the help of his older brother Felix, a private Investigator. Other characters join the investigation as it leads the brothers deeper into a sinister cult organization. The believers give their money to fund weapons purchases and canned food stockpiling, readying for the day when benign aliens come to take them to a battle against evil aliens, their reward being the inheritance of a paradise planet and immortality.
This story is full if enjoyable characters. My only issue is the view point shared by most of the main characters, that anyone with any kind of belief system is as brainwashed and demented as group of people who would believe in an alien apocalypse.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for the opportunity to enjoy this fun break from reality.