Hap and Leonard, the unlikely partners and stars of Joe R. Lansdale’s long-running and popular series (and the basis of the Sundance TV series) are back in JACKRABBIT SMILE. This time, however, Lansdale brings a serious topic that has simmered under many previous stories to the forefront – yet still manages to include all the humor, mystery and suspense we’ve enjoyed in all of the earlier entries.

Hap and Leonard are enjoying a backyard barbecue and celebrating Hap’s marriage to Brett, his longtime girlfriend who also manages the investigative agency he and Leonard work for, when their little party is interrupted by an uninvited couple. The woman is Judith Mulhany and the man is her son, Thomas. And it doesn’t take long for their white supremacist attitudes to surface.

But the mother and son aren’t there to cause trouble. They want to hire Hap and Leonard. Judith’s daughter, Jackie (called Jackrabbit because of her two prominent front teeth) has gone missing, and Jackie wants Hap and Leonard to find her.

They take the case and drive across the Sabine River to the town where Jackrabbit lived, first with her father and then her boyfriend. Everyone they meet recalls the girl, but insists they have no idea where she might be, or even if she is still alive.

Before long Hap and Leonard get mixed up in a murder investigation, and discover there is more to Jackrabbit and her disappearance than meets the eye. But those who control the town across the river want the two noisy investigators gone – and aren’t above threatening their lives to get them out of the way.

Racism has always been present in the Hap and Leonard series – especially since the two main characters have been interracial best friends in East Texas since childhood. But it usually appears briefly and just as quickly dismissed with a comedic quip or two. In this latest novel, however, racism is thrust front and center. From the most blatant expressions (Thomas wears a t-shirt that reads “White Is Right”) to the calmer discussions that attempt to appeal to logic (a town boss explains why keeping the races separate is part of the natural order), Lansdale demonstrates how racial prejudice is very much a part of everyday life in contemporary America.

Yet this theme also provides the fuel for much of the humor that is a series trademark. Leonard is never shy about expressing his feelings out loud, and his satiric comments about the racist beliefs of both the clients and the suspects are one of the highlights of the story. Hap occasionally joins in Leonard’s tirades, but most of his feelings about the absurdity of racism are expressed in his first-person narration – another series trademark.

Characters are another of the series features. And here Lansdale’s unfailing ear for dialogue enhances the down-home attitudes and actions of everyone from the seemingly lethargic town Sheriff to the world-weary waitress at a local coffee shop.

Amidst all this Lansdale also spins a complex and engaging tale of secrets and murder. As the facts about Jackrabbit’s past are revealed, her often contradictorily life adds to the mystery of her disappearance. And the resolution is one that will surprise even the most devoted of Hap and Leonard fans.

JACKRABBIT SMILE is another reason why the Hap and Leonard series continues to grow in popularity; and why Lansdale is among the finest and most versatile contemporary authors working today. —Alan Cranis

Get it at Amazon.