I am not sure if I have read any books by this author (my memory is shot) but I certainly plan on doing that.

This book was so good. The plot was a tad wacky, the characters the same. The good guys were mostly good, the bad guys, super bad and the chimpanzee....... I have nothing I can say.

The main protagonist has a visit by his ex-wife, except it never happened on this plane. Her warnings started off an investigation into where she went.

The saucer people, a truly bizarre cult (like most of them) appear to be at the center of everything. Actually, I found everything believable based on other cults and after watching Zombies wander around and do whatever media tells them to do.

This book has several laugh out loud moments and I enjoyed every moment of reading it.

Thank you Mulholland Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Mulholland Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't get into this one. The concept was interesting but it felt like the writing was trying too hard to be witty and relevant. I think a big part of reading and liking this book is being ready/willing to suspend your disbelief. Of course you must do that whenever you open a book, but this one in particular makes a lot of jumps. It just wasn't for me!

My official review to be posted…

I couldn’t finish it. I got 25% through and just couldn’t go any further. I kept saying is try, but it just sat for about a week on my nightstand. It just wasn’t for me.

I was interested in this book since I am from east Texas. I liked the idea of this book, but the way it was written just lost me entirely.
This authors attempt to feel relevant and cool was forced. I could tell when things were meant to be humorous but I didn’t find it funny at all. I also didn’t really love the women in this book - I can’t quite put my finger on it. I wanted to try to read it all to give it a fair shake, but I just couldn’t get back into it.

I really appreciate the opportunity to read this one though!

Where’s Mulder and Scully when you need them? The Donut Legion plays out like a fantastic X-files episode full of ghostly visions, alien doomsday cults, sordid small town drama and more. You won’t be able to put it down! This was my first Lansdale novel and what a fantastic writer. Loaded with humor, action, mystery, emotion, I loved it all. The first chapter literally took my breath away and it only gets better and crazier from there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I struggled with this, not because it was bad but because it tackled a subject (qanon style radical groups) that I find deeply upsetting and so this was just a little bit too much for me but that's my own problem not a fault with the book.

Lansdale thrills and delights like no other, and like all of his work, The Donut Legion is no exception. From page one until the very last, it's a wild and marvelously unwrapped tale of mystery. A tale of mystery I couldn't put down. Okay, I had the occasional break for a snack or two and whatnot, but those moments aside, this book is a page after page after page turner.

Of all the players in all of Lansdale's books, our crew here -- Charlie, Felix, Cherry, and Scrappy -- might just be my favorite. I would love to dive into further mysteries and tales with each and every one of them. The Donut Legion, however, is billed as a standalone, and that's fine and peachy by me as well. Whatever comes next from Lansdale will no doubt thrill me just as much (they always do).

If you like the Joe R Lansdale genre, I'm guessing you've already got this on pre-order, or maybe even in your hands for some advance read-review action, like myownself here and now. If the name Lansdale is just hitting your radar and you're deciding which of his many stories to dive into first, I'd say The Donut Legion would make for a darn fine entry point.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The Donut Legion is classic Lansdale. The plot and tone almost feel like this could've been a Hap and Leonard book, but the sparse interplay between Charlie and his brother, Felix, ultimately lends a different dynamic. Mystery unravels, accompanied by a UFO cult, a cowboy on the warpath complete with chimpanzee, an explosive finale, and some very creative uses for the alphabet. As one might expect when picking up a book by the master of Lansdalian Literature, the Donut Legion will make you laugh, make you wince, make you wonder why fart jokes are still so damn funny, and make you realize that somewhere along this ridiculous journey, you started to genuinely care about the lives of these people. A terrific addition to a terrific body of work, and a strong standalone place to start for those unfamiliar with Lansdale's work.

A former PI investigates when his ex wife is missing. I appreciated the attempt at wittiness but I didn’t get into this story as much as I thought I would.

Joe R. Lansdale really knows how to write compelling characters and snappy dialog that is nothing short of brilliant. He is in top form with THE DONUT LEGION, a mystery about a flying saucer cult much like the Heaven's Gate cult, except they run donut shops and murder their followers. This book has plenty of mystery, action, humor, and charm. Charlie, Felix, Scrappy, Cherry, and even Tag the pit bull are wonderful characters with unique personalities and they feel completely real. I would love to see more of them in a sequel or even a series. There's not much mystery to the saucer cult story, but it's enjoyable and the Meg subplot is well done. Another masterpiece by Lansdale.

Thanks to Mulholland Books, NetGalley, and Mr. Lansdale for an advance reader's copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

Another great fun story by Lansdale. I decided a long time ago that I will read anything the man writes. He just gets better with time. He will always be one of the greatest.

This book has interesting topics, space ships, donuts, a chimpanzee and throw in some evangelical influence. It all weaves together to tell a story. I enjoyed it!!

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

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Another fun filled, zany ride with Joe Lansdale. Charlie Garner's ex-wife has disappeared along with her new husband under circumstances that Charlie thinks look a little suspicious. Along with his brute-of-a-brother Felix, they look into Meg's recent past and find a cult know as "The Saucer People" who operate a frightening compound. Filled with Lansdale's trademark humor and prose, as well as his usual colorful characters (including a chimpanzee named Mr.Biggs), this was a very fun read.

I don't remember ever requesting this book and not for sure how I got picked for it.. It's not typically a book that would interest me. I gave it 4 stars since I didn't read this one, just don't know why I got picked for this. It's not a book that I would personally read. Thanks!

Why have I never read Joe Lansdale before? Besides his last name being the name of the Pennsylvania town where the extended family on my mother's side began, I've noticed his name and books in reviews. What a brilliant writer. Understated and lovely while building suspense. I'm a quarter of the way in and I have to say thank you for providing a copy on Netgalley.

Lansdale is an absolute master at creating memorable characters who use witty, biting dialogue. The banter back and forth between his cast is unrivaled by any author I’ve ever read… and I’ve read my share.

Ex-detective, now turned full-time writer, Charlie receives a late-night visit from his ex-wife, Meg. Or does he? Wondering if he’s going crazy, he attempts to contact her the next day. No dice. She’s missing. But where did she go? And why is he getting a visit from her what? Apparition? Charlie needs answers, and his question of Meg’s whereabouts leads him down one mysterious rabbit hole after another, including a UFO cult who has done a remarkable job of not only luring in weak-minded followers looking for answers, but control the money and the minds of their little Texas burg, May Town.

Only Lansdale could take these characters, add in a cantankerous sheriff, a money laundering donut shop, a UFO cult run by an evil seven-foot tall ex-con who has a penchant for starting fires, a face-ripping chimpanzee, a rhino for a brother who runs his old detective firm, and a spunky grifter who shows up to write a book and ends up catching more than his eye. I blew through The Donut Legion like a runaway freight train and loved every delightful page. Lansdale is money in the bank. I can’t recommend his writing any higher than this. If you haven’t read Joe’s work, The Donut Legion would be a great place to start before moving on to his Hap and Leonard series.


Rating: 5 Acid-Laced Donuts out of 5

I’m going to put this right at the top where you can’t miss it—pre-order The Donut Legion now! The novel releases March 21st, 2023, but believe me when I tell you, this is one you want in your hands the second it’s available. For fans of Lansdale, for fans of top-notch crime fiction, for fans of addictive page-turners in general, The Donut Legion is more fun than a murderous chimpanzee in cowboy hat and boots with a penchant for tearing the arms and legs clean off folks.

Did I mention the novel features a murderous chimpanzee in a cowboy hat and boots with a penchant for tearing the arms and legs clean off folks? There’s also a possible ghostly visitation, a flying saucer cult waiting to be raptured by aliens, a warehouse allegedly stockpiled with weapons, assorted donuts, assorted psychotic bad guys, and a gorgeous redheaded journalist named Scrappy.

Charlie has an ex-wife named Meg he still has feelings for, so when she goes missing he gets a bad feeling. A retired private detective turned writer, Charlie enlists the help of his brother Felix (who took over the detective biz from him) and the aforementioned Scrappy to find Meg. The three are soon embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse with those saucer people and psychos. As the bodies pile up, Lansdale does what he does best, ratcheting up the tension in a tightly wound plot that grabs you by the neck and never lets go. The cool thing with Lansdale is, even as the story propels you forward, he never forgets to season it with large dollops of his trademark, often profane humor, much of it in the form of dialogue. The Donut Legion is a novel begging to be read out loud, preferably in an East Texas twang, just to hear those words sing.

Charlie, Meg, and Felix are my favorite Lansdale creations since Hap and Leonard. And, as usual, he surround them with a rogues gallery of characters as colorful as they are dangerous. The Donut Legion is a fast, fun, immensely satisfying read. Like I said, pre-order it now, and maybe take March 21st off of work for some you-time. You’ll be glad you did.

Joe R. Lansdale's latest, The Donut Legion, at first blush seems a departure from his usual novels (see:
his Hap and Leonard series-especially if you haven't). But as always, laugh out loud situations and dialogue are constant throughout. The story revolves around an East Texas flying saucer cult, and a writer who believes his ex may have been brainwashed by them.
By turns suspenseful and hilarious, The Donut Legion is a stand-alone example of Mr. Lansdale's amazing storytelling abilities. Not to be missed!

After an otherworldly visit from his ex-wife Meg, writer and former cop turned PI Charlie decides to look into her disappearance. This leads him to a cult who owns and operates Saucer Donuts, where Meg had worked. Charlie recruits his beefy brother Felix, Felix’s beautiful lawyer girlfriend Cherry, and Amelia, a mysterious stranger who is already looking into the cult. Unfortunately, what they find is a murderous upper-level cult manager called Cowboy and his terrifying attack-chimpanzee Mr. Biggs whose mission is to keep cult business quiet.

The quirky characters make this book a super fun read. Charlie is a likable protagonist and his writing journey and love of astronomy add to his appeal. Felix and Cherry complement each other. Their relationship is sweet and their skills often give Charlie an edge. The only character I didn’t adore was Amelia, who fit the manic pixie dream girl trope a bit too much for my taste. However, she did add to the humor and served as a wild card in the plot. My favorite secondary characters were donut shop employee Kevin, Cowboy, and Mr. Biggs. Even when Cowboy and his pet weren’t in the scene, they still provided plenty of menace and conflict. This book definitely tapped into my primal primate fear.

Being such a huge fan of Lansdale’s more dramatic books such as THE THICKET, LEATHER MAIDEN, THE BOTTOMS, and COLD IN JULY to name a few, I found that DONUT LEGION proves that he is also a master at comedy. Despite the comedic elements, there’s plenty of murder and mayhem to keep hardcore crime readers hooked.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Mulholland Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.