The Donut Legion
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
Edgar award-winning author Joe R. Lansdale beams a light on an East Texas town held in the grip of conspiracy. Charlie Garner has a bad feeling. His ex-wife, Meg, has been missing for over a week and one quick peek into her home shows all her possessions packed up in boxes. Neighbors claim she's running from bill collectors, but Charlie suspects something more sinister is afoot. Meg was last seen working at the local donut shop, a business run by a shadow group most refer to as 'The Saucer People'; a space-age, evangelist cult who believe their compound to be the site of an extraterrestrial Second Coming. Along with his brother, Felix, and beautiful, randy journalist Amelia "Scrappy" Moon, Charlie uncovers strange and frightening details about the compound (read: a massive, doomsday storehouse of weapons, a leashed chimpanzee!) When the body of their key informer is found dead with his arms ripped out of their sockets, Charlie knows he's in danger but remains dogged in his quest to rescue Meg. Brimming with colorful characters and Lansdale's characteristic bounce, this rollicking crime novel examines the insidious rise of fringe groups and those under their sway with black comedy and glints of pathos.
Reviews with the most likes.
The Donut Legion is a fun Lansdale thriller. Set in East Texas, this book has everything! After a vision of his ex-wife (a ghost?) and finding her missing, Charlie sets out to find out what happened. The resulting journey involved donut shops opened by the local UFO cult, an alphabet of sexual acts, a very good lawyer, and a chimpanzee (not a monkey). Overall, this book was a lot of fun. I had previously read Moon Lake, and generally found this one to be a bit lighter and comic, while still being exciting. The audiobook is read by a cast including both the author and his daughter. It was enjoyable listening to Joe R. Lansdale read his own story, although the audio quality was not up to the level I'm accustomed to. Some of the dialogue strained believably and almost sounded like a comedic bit in a sitcom rather than a crime fiction novel, but I nevertheless found the listening experience enjoyable.
