Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are familiar with sticky situations, but their most recent case initially didn’t appear as such. Their best friend on the police force, Marvin Hanson, was trading in his gun and cuffs for bait and tackle. Marvin refers a possible client to the pair and asks if Hap will accompany his wife and investigative partner, Brett, to meet with Minnie Polson. Brett doesn’t hold back in expressing her opinion and is turned off by Minnie. Despite not taking the job, Hap, Leonard and Brett decide to explore circumstances further when Minnie is found charred to a crisp in her home as a result of arson.

"Hap and Leonard remain a memorable crime-fighting pair who refuse to back down from a rumble... Joe R. Lansdale pens another smart, funny and rewarding mystery in this latest installment of his unforgettable series."

Through some early investigating, the trio learn that Minnie had contacted another local investigator, Pete Dawkins. Brett has a previous association with Pete and discovers that Minnie wanted the PI to find her missing daughter, Alice. When Hap, Leonard and Brett go to see Pete, they are nonplussed at the sight of his bruised and battered corpse. The accumulation of dead bodies is nothing new to Hap and Leonard, but the expeditious and brutal manner of the murders merely draws them further into the case.

A visit is paid to Minnie’s ex-husband, Al, in hopes of clearing up some murky matters. Minnie might have been worth more dead than alive. Al is an eccentric sort who lives far below his means and is capable of talking anybody’s ear off. Initially, he is viewed as the prime suspect in the death of his estranged wife and Pete, but his demeanor disabuses Hap and Leonard of any malice within his heart. Al hires them to find Alice.

A warning from a familiar adversary puts Hap on alert. The case of Minnie and Alice goes deeper than first thought. Marvin’s successor provides some helpful hints as to possible perpetrators, but Hap and Leonard remain skeptical of the new Sheriff’s loyalties. As the danger begins closing in from all sides, the need for some backup becomes unavoidable as a showdown looms. Hap and Leonard will need to call in some favors along with some desperadoes in their latest fight.

SUGAR ON THE BONES finds Hap and Leonard living in near domestic contentment with their romantic partners yet cognizant of their respective ages. They are incapable of walking away from injustice, and the circumstances around these deaths beg for a retributive solution. Hap and Leonard remain a memorable crime-fighting pair who refuse to back down from a rumble, even if it means tangling with a Goliath, and their bond is as strong as ever. Joe R. Lansdale pens another smart, funny and rewarding mystery in this latest installment of his unforgettable series.