After a harrowing stint in the Iraq war, Cason Statler returns home to the small East Texas town of Camp Rapture, where he drinks too much, stalks his ex-wife, and takes a job at the local paper, only to uncover notes on a cold case murder. With nothing left to live for and his own brother connected to the victim, he makes it his mission to solve the crime. Soon he is drawn into a murderous web of blackmail and deceit. To make matters worse, his deranged buddy Booger comes to town to lend a helping hand.

I really need to get myself in a better rhythm of reading Joe R. Lansdale’s books! The last one I read was way back in January!! I’ve probably mentioned this before, but Paradise Sky was the first of his books I ever read, and it instantly became one of my very favorite books OF EVER!! I knew from the moment I started that book that Lansdale was going to become one of my favorite authors, and I’ve loved everything of his I’ve read since!

Leather Maiden tells the story of Cason Statler, returning to his hometown of Camp Rapture in East Texas, after serving in the war in both Afghanistan & Iraq. At some point, he had a brush with fame, writing an article that was nominated for a Pulitzer. But Cason has a drinking problem, a lot of trauma, and a very obsessive personality, and never really followed through on his writing career.

So he moves back home, and takes a job at the local paper. It’s a small paper in a small town, and Cason doesn’t anticipate much in the way of excitement. But soon he starts digging into a somewhat recent local mystery: Caroline Allison, a beautiful young college student, mysteriously disappeared. Her car was found abandoned by a creepy house, with nothing in it besides some uneaten food from Taco Bell.

The more Cason picks at this case, the stranger & more dangerous things get. Soon enough, Cason himself, as well his brother are threatened. And then shit goes totally off the rails, in a way that only Lansdale could pull off.

I think Lansdale’s greatest strength as a storyteller is in creating incredibly vivid & colorful characters, and that talent is on full display in Leather Maiden. Especially with the secondary characters (and of course Cason is a great protagonist!) Mrs. Timpson is the elderly woman who runs the local paper. She’s crass, foul-tempered, and not-so-casually racist. Some of her interactions with Cason (who has a deeply sarcastic sense of humor) were pretty fucking funny.

And then there’s Booger. Oh my. Booger is an old war buddy of Cason’s, and he is just an absolute live wire. Obsessed with guns, violent, and also incredibly loyal in his own psychotic ways. Booger is the kind of guy you desperately want on your side, because the alternative is…unpleasant.

Leather Maiden was totally wild. This is a book where it feels like anything can & will happen, and the result is a serious page-turner. And amidst all the creepy shit & violence & zany characters, there’s also a ton of heart here. Cason develops a really sweet relationship with a young girl named Jazzy who lives next door to Cason’s parents, and who is clearly neglected/abused. Cason & his parents kinda look out for Jazzy, and it makes for some really heart-wringing moments.

Like I said at the beginning of the review, I really need to get into a better rhythm of reading Lansdale’s books. I’ve got SO MANY left to read, which is as exciting as it is daunting. But goddamn, he truly is one of the best. There’s something so incredibly distinctive about his writing, and it grabbed me right away.

Leather Maiden is hilarious, weird, dark, and dangerously unpredictable. I loved it, and I wouldn’t have expected anything less from such a brilliant author!