Sunset and Sawdust

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: Joe R. Lansdale (as someone already noted) is an American treasure. Every time I read one of his novels, I end up laughing out loud and the crisp western dialogue ("He was big enough to go gator hunting with stern words") and Lansdale can always be relied upon to supply an intriguing mystery plot. He is one of a handful of writers whose books are always at the top of my "gotta have it and can't wait for the paperback" list. I really liked "Sunset and Sawdust," and IMHO Sunset would make a fun series character (although I want another Hap & Leonard first).

Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than Award-Winning The Bottoms!
Review: Joe R. Lansdale's latest, _Sunset and Sawdust_ and is a real stunner! I think this book is even better than his Edgar-award winning _The Bottoms_. The time and place are pretty much the same: Depression-era East Texas. On the outskirts of the sawmill town of Camp Rapture, live Sunset Jones and her husband, Pete, the town constable. As the novel opens, a big storm is brewing and Pete is in the middle of raping and beating his wife when she decides she's finally had enough, shooting him to death with his own gun. The storm blows away their house and leaves Sunset to stumble into town and make her way to her mother-in-law's home. Pete's mother, Marilyn, is angry at first, but quickly (almost too quickly?) comes to understand Sunset's actions and the reasons for them--she's had to endure the same treatment at the hands of Pete's father. Since Marilyn is also a part owner of the sawmill, she arranges it so that Sunset becomes the new constable.

Sunset vows to take the job seriously and, before too long, she's investigating the deaths of a woman and a baby, both found soaked in oil and buried upright in the land of a poor black farmer. With the help of her deputies, pretty-boy Hillbilly, who's just passing through town and wants to earn the money to replace the guitar he used to fight off a couple of hobos, and Clyde, who's got a crush on Sunset, but just isn't the sort of guy to have much luck with women (he burns down his house, rather than trying to clean years of dirt inside), Sunset finds herself in the middle of a rather prickly situation.

There are some pretty dark, sinister villains at work here, plus one of the more memorable, mish-mashed groups of heroes. Sunset's father, Lee, has recently dropped back into her life, off of a passing freight, along with an old-before-his-time young man named Goose. Then there's the legendary Bull Stackerlee, a huge black man that lives all by himself off in the woods and becomes something of a bodyguard for Sunset. Through it all, Sunset discovers inner reserves of strength and nobility she didn't know she had and the whole situation builds to a violent, though very satisfying climax.

This is an excellent book, full of unique characters that you come to care about, and a gripping story that will keep you reading. This just might be the best book Lansdale's yet written, and if you've read him before, you'll know that's saying something.

Craig Larson
Trinidad, CO

Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than Award-Winning The Bottoms!
Review: Joe R. Lansdale's latest, _Sunset and Sawdust_ and it is a real stunner! I think this book is even better than his Edgar-award winning _The Bottoms_. The time and place are pretty much the same: Depression-era East Texas. On the outskirts of the sawmill town of Camp Rapture, live Sunset Jones and her husband, Pete, the town constable. As the novel opens, a big storm is brewing and Pete is in the middle of raping and beating his wife when she decides she's finally had enough, shooting him to death with his own gun. The storm blows away their house and leaves Sunset to stumble into town and make her way to her mother-in-law's home. Pete's mother, Marilyn, is angry at first, but quickly (almost too quickly?) comes to understand Sunset's actions and the reasons for them--she's had to endure the same treatment at the hands of Pete's father. Since Marilyn is also a part owner of the sawmill, she arranges it so that Sunset becomes the new constable.

Sunset vows to take the job seriously and, before too long, she's investigating the deaths of a woman and a baby, both found soaked in oil and buried upright in the land of a poor black farmer. With the help of her deputies, pretty-boy Hillbilly, who's just passing through town and wants to earn the money to replace the guitar he used to fight off a couple of hobos, and Clyde, who's got a crush on Sunset, but just isn't the sort of guy to have much luck with women (he burns down his house, rather than trying to clean years of dirt inside), Sunset finds herself in the middle of a rather prickly situation.

There are some pretty dark, sinister villains at work here, plus one of the more memorable, mish-mashed groups of heroes. Sunset's father, Lee, has recently dropped back into her life, off of a passing freight, along with an old-before-his-time young man named Goose. Then there's the legendary Bull Stackerlee, a huge black man that lives all by himself off in the woods and becomes something of a bodyguard for Sunset. Through it all, Sunset discovers inner reserves of strength and nobility she didn't know she had and the whole situation builds to a violent, though very satisfying climax.

This is an excellent book, full of unique characters that you come to care about, and a gripping story that will keep you reading. This just might be the best book Lansdale's yet written, and if you've read him before, you'll know that's saying something.

Craig Larson
Trinidad, CO

Rating:
Summary: One of the most literary writers of the genre
Review: Joe R. Lonsdale won the Edgar Award for best novel several years ago for his historical drama, THE BOTTOMS. He returns now with another literary historical crime drama, SUNSET AND SAWDUST. There are few writers of the genre that can so successfully evoke a time and place as Mr. Lonsdale. In his hands, East Texas comes as alive as the Louisiana Bayous of James Lee Burke, the Los Angeles of Michael Connelly or the gripping narratives of Thomas H. Cook. Landscape is as important as character and plot progression.
In depression era East Texas, Sunset Jones kills her husband as a tornado destroys her house. Sunset fearing for her life as her husband was about to rape her, pulls the trigger. Through a quirk of fate, she takes over the job of constable of Camp Rapture, a small sawmill town. Her deputies include Hillbilly, a violent drifter who Sunset is attracted to (as is her teenage daughter), and Clyde, a local resident who in wanting to start over decides to burn his house down. The dead body of a baby as well as a woman who Sunset's husband was seeing prior to his death turns up on a local farmer's land. As Sunset investigates, she uncovers a plot to steal oil saturated land. Death, of course ensues. The question arises, can Sunset get out of this alive?
The vividly portrayed and carefully constructed characters set this story above the ordinary. Mr. Lonsdale is a fine writer capable of flinging similes and metaphors as well as the best literary writers working today. After reading this well paced and clever story, the reader will feel their time was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most literary writers of the genre
Review: Joe R. Lonsdale won the Edgar Award for best novel several years ago for his historical drama, THE BOTTOMS. He returns now with another literary historical crime drama, SUNSET AND SAWDUST. There are few writers of the genre that can so successfully evoke a time and place as Mr. Lonsdale. In his hands, East Texas comes as alive as the Louisiana Bayous of James Lee Burke, the Los Angeles of Michael Connelly or the gripping narratives of Thomas H. Cook. Landscape is as important as character and plot progression.
In depression era East Texas, Sunset Jones kills her husband as a tornado destroys her house. Sunset fearing for her life as her husband was about to rape her, pulls the trigger. Through a quirk of fate, she takes over the job of constable of Camp Rapture, a small sawmill town. Her deputies include Hillbilly, a violent drifter who Sunset is attracted to (as is her teenage daughter), and Clyde, a local resident who in wanting to start over decides to burn his house down. The dead body of a baby as well as a woman who Sunset's husband was seeing prior to his death turns up on a local farmer's land. As Sunset investigates, she uncovers a plot to steal oil saturated land. Death, of course ensues. The question arises, can Sunset get out of this alive?
The vividly portrayed and carefully constructed characters set this story above the ordinary. Mr. Lonsdale is a fine writer capable of flinging similes and metaphors as well as the best literary writers working today. After reading this well paced and clever story, the reader will feel their time was well spent.

Rating:
Summary: a winning mix
Review: Lansdale is a prize winning author in a number of genres. Here he creates an East Texas historical mystery horror soap. And is it good. Grab the train heading to Camp Rapture and slow down for a great story.

Rating:
Summary: Dazed and Amazed with Sunset and Sawdust
Review: Sunset Jones has just shot her no good abusive husband, Pete, the former town constable. Little did she know that this was only the beginning of her problems! Almost as soon as Pete fell to the floor dead, a raging storm comes through town, tearing down her house. Sunset is dazed and amazed as she looks at the remains: some boards, the floor and some papers that Pete had filed - she gathers her wits and heads over to her mother-in-law Marilyn's house to confess.

Marilyn is sad and shocked over her son's death, but deep down she knows he got what he deserved. He'd cheated on Sunset and used to beat her. In fact, Sunset's killing of Pete gives Marilyn the courage to kick her no good husband to the curb!

Marilyn is well to do in the town of Camp Rapture, Texas - she owns the sawmill where half the town works and a chunk of the land as well. She also has the power to appoint Sunset as the new town constable. Enter Clyde and Hillbilly, two of the sawmill workers, who Sunset makes
Deputies.

Things really get cooking when word gets out that Pete had filed a report on a baby's body that was found on a farm and now woman's body has turned up, who just happens to be Pete's mistress.

While Clyde and Hillbilly try to win Sunset over, she realizes that it is up to her to figure out who killed Pete's mistress, before she gets blamed for it!

I really enjoyed Sunset and Sawdust and found it to be a good mix of mystery, old western, humor, and sleuthing. All in all, a great book!

Rating:
Summary: First Rate, Classic Writing.....
Review: With so much of the same old crap stirring around the top
of the bestseller sewer system of retreds its nice to find
another Lansdale winner waiting in the wings for its share of
crumbs. This book looks to challange readers with its less than
glamourous stylings but so full of heart, wit and yes substance,
this book actually has something to say(don't most Lansdale
yarns leave you with something to think about??) I really enjoyed these characters and the time and place they are set in. I could not turn the pages quick enough and the spicy, tangy Lansdale one liners find themselves all over and he can make you laugh and cringe all at the same time. What an opening of a book! Joe is like
no writter I've come across. He doesn't try to make things any
more complicated than he needs to yet he takes you right back
to a time earlier in our history (1930's) and gives us Sunset,
who like an earlier reviewer stated would make a great stand-alone series like the Hap & Leonard series. Sassy, brave & headstrong and ahead of her time for sure(she's a mean shooter), Sunset is unforgettable. But wait to you meet
the rest of these assorted characters from the brilliant Lansdale imagination. If I ever get another dog it will be just like "Ben". I'm hoping people who come upon this gem will also find his last two must have's "The Bottoms" and "A Fine dark line",(not to mention his short stories "HIGH COTTON", this guy is heading for more than just bestseller status, he will be remembered longer than the 15 mins. most of these kiss and tell & tired old same old same old writers were're force fed at every bookstore, Walmart, you name it. Lansdale's the real deal and I look forward to his superlative writings(and maybe one day meeting the man himself at a book signing!) Like
"Ben", theres lots to like about this one.

Rating:
Summary: Another memorable visit to East Texas.
Review: With Sunset and Sawdust, Lansdale's readers find themselves revisiting the familiar terrain of East Texas, a region which the author has evoked with much intimacy and affection in novels like Mucho Mojo and Rumble Tumble. Set in the lumber town of Rapture, Texas, the novel begins as its heroine, the fetching Sunset Jones, shoots her husband Pete in the head with his own .38. Pete, a man who was a little too fond of beating and raping his wife, dies with a surprised look on his face, his ass in the air, and his pants around his ankles.

Receiving unexpected moral and political support from her mother in law Marilyn, who feels partially responsible for her son's vile behavior, Sunset is appointed to serve the remainder of Pete's term as Constable of Rapture. Assisted by the plain spoken Clyde, and the handsome and mysterious drifter Hillbilly, Sunset finds herself at the center of a murder mystery involving her husband's mistress and unborn child. What follows is pure Lansdale, including a couple of beatings, a house fire, sweaty sex, gunplay, creepy villains (one of whom previously appeared in Lansdale's outstanding short novel The Big Blow), unexpected plot twists, and general mayhem.

Lansdale continues on his impressive upward climb of constant refinement and improvement, producing a book that exceeds the high expectations created by such previous successes as the Edgar Award winning The Bottoms and 2003's A Fine Dark Line. In the hands of a lesser writer, the events depicted in Sunset and Sawdust might read like an over the top country soap opera, but Lansdale's distinctive voice, combined with his emotional wisdom and his abiding affection for even the most despicable of his characters, transforms these incidents into affecting drama. Lansdale's wit has never been as keen, his insight into what makes his characters tick never deeper. His prose shines-you often stop to laugh at or reflect on what you've just read. Lines like "He was big enough to go alligator hunting with stern language," or "Flies were so thick on the front of his shirt they looked like a vest," create indelible images that linger in memory.

In the final analysis, however, it's the distinct sense of place that Lansdale creates that really sells the story. In Rapture, he's created a literary locale as vivid and unique as John Steinbeck's vision of Monterey, California, the setting for that author's famous novels Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. What makes the town memorable, aside from its colorful denizens and the odd happenings which occur there, is the sense that you've actually visited the place and experienced its charms first hand. Finishing the book, you almost expect to find the sawdust that permeates the town's air on your clothing.