Born for Trouble: The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard

The five stories in this uneven collection featuring the righteous East Texan PIs Hap Collins and Leonard Pine from Edgar winner Lansdale (Of Mice and Minestrone) follow a familiar, cyclic pattern. “Coco Butternut,” the high point, finds the dogged pair employed by a pet mortuary owner to deliver ransom money to the grave robbers who stole his mummified dog. Extortion and slaughter surface again in “Cold Cotton,” where thieves target a wealthy therapist with a seedy past. In the superior “Hoodoo Harry,” the duo narrowly escape death after colliding with a bookmobile, and their subsequent research into the deceased driver uncovers a series of gruesome murders. Low points include the forgettable “Sad Onions,” where the pair discover foul play while investigating the survivor of another car crash, and the lamentable “The Briar Patch Boogie,” in which a hunting party, armed with bow and arrow, attempts to slay the defenseless investigators in the woods. Though high on action, adventure, and carnage, these tales are short on humor, characterization, and personal reflection. Hap and Leonard enthusiasts will hope for better next time. Agent: Danny Baror, Baror International. (Mar.)