‘Jackrabbit Smile’ sprints through danger
In mystery fiction — or pretty much in any kind of fiction — the partnership of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine is one of the most unusual pairings. Hap — straight, white, liberal — and Leonard — gay, black, Republican — have been best friends since childhood.
Now private investigators, the two feed off their differences and their similarities. Joe R.Lansdale’s excellent series thrives on the banter between the two men, their hatred of racism and stupidity, and their affinity for getting themselves into the worst predicaments.
Hap and Leonard do not live in a nice area, nor do they encounter nice people. Violence often comes swiftly, but not unexpectedly. There is little justice in their world, and there is much retribution.
The partners’ 13th outing kicks off with Hap and his longtime girlfriend and boss, Brett Sawyer, celebrating their wedding East Texas style with burgers, hot dogs and beer in their back yard. The party is interrupted by avowed racists Thomas Mulhaney and his mother, Judith, who want to hire the private investigators to find his Jackie Mulhaney.
Jackie — nicknamed Jackrabbit because of her toothy smile — hasn’t been in contact with her brother and mother for five years, and they want to know if she is still alive. The Mulhaneys have been turned down by every other agency in the area, and they are not thrilled that Leonard might be working on their case. Neither is Leonard.
But the partners agree to look into the case. “Jackrabbit Smile” takes them to a Marvel Creek, “a rough played-out oil town” where Hap grew up. There, they encounter Jackie’s ex-boyfriend, a black man with whom she had a child; a segregationist called Preacher who wants to establish a white utopia; and creepy twins who supply security on a hog farm.
Hap and Leonard barely have time to breathe as “Jackrabbit Smile” careens from one danger to the next. Lansdale skillfully weaves racism, greed and a sense of menace into the tightly coiled “Jackrabbit Smile.”
Lansdale’s series also has made a successful transition to TV with “Hap and Leonard” now in its third season on the Sundance network.
“Jackrabbit Smile” is classic Lansdale.
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol.com.