''Captains Outrageous'' is a suspense/crime novel written by American author

Joe R. Lansdale Joe Richard Lansdale (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer and martial arts instructor. A prose writer in a variety of genres - Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense - he's also written comic books and screenplays. Se ...

, the sixth novel in the ''

Hap and Leonard Hap and Leonard are two fictional amateur investigators and adventurers created by American author Joe R. Lansdale. They are the main characters in a series of twelve novels, four novellas, and three collections of stories and excerpts. They are ...

'' series of books.

Plot summary

The novel opens with both Hap Collins and Leonard Pine working as a security guards at a chicken plant. One night Hap saves the owner's daughter from a violent rapist, and the owner rewards him with hundred thousand dollars. Hap and Leonard take a cruise, but they get into a dispute with the ship's maitre de about protocol and find themselves marooned in Mexico. While there they are mugged, and then rescued by a fisherman named Ferdinand and his daughter Beatrice. Hap forms a sexual relationship with Beatrice while the two stay with them, and discovers that she owes a large amount of money to a local gangster named Juan Miguel. Just before they leave to go back to Mexico, Beatrice is violently murdered, presumably by Juan Miguel's thugs. Once back in Texas, Hap and Leonard attempt to move past the events of the last few days, but when their friend Charlie is killed they realise that Juan Miguel is attempting to silence them. Along with their associate, a detective named Jim Bob, and Hap's main girlfriend Brett, they return to Mexico to finish matters. They first attempt to stage a kidnapping of Juan Miguel's favorite mistress, but this attempt goes awry and some deaths of friends and associates occurs. Deciding that matters must be settled in the most direct and uncomplicated manner possible, Hap breaks into Juan Miguel's compound, hides in his backyard and executes him, along with his extreme henchman, Hammerhead. At the novel's conclusion Leonard has a new job and Hap returns to his old one; Hap and Brett are now back together.

Reception

''Captains Outrageous'' has received positive reviews from critics, with ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' saying that "Lansdale's quick wit is in top form, and his raunchy, sometimes ridiculous and yet so lovable heroes continue to amuse."

Editions

This book was originally published as a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...

and as a

trade hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occas ...

Mysterious Press The Mysterious Press is an American publishing company specializing in mystery fiction based in New York City. The company, founded in 1975 by Otto Penzler, has been associated with various publishing companies over the years, most recently with Gr ...

. Both of these editions are out of print. In 2009 it was reissued as a

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Vintage Crime/Black Lizard is the corporate amalgamation of Random House's Vintage Crime, and Random House's 1990 acquisition, Black Lizard, a major publisher of classic crime fiction. History Vintage Crime/Black Lizard was founded in June 1 ...

Publications.

References

External links

Author's Official WebsiteSubterranean Press WebsiteVintage Crime/Black Lizard Website
{{Joe R. Lansdale Works by Joe R. Lansdale Novels by Joe R. Lansdale American crime novels 2001 American novels Novels set in Texas Subterranean Press books