In the 1950s, a young small-town projectionist mixes it up with a violent gang. When Mr. Bear is not alerting us to the dangers of forest fires, he lives a life of debauchery and murder. A brother and sister travel to Oklahoma to recover the dead body of their uncle. A lonely man engages in dubious acts while pining for his rubber duckie.
In this collection of nineteen unforgettable crime tales, Joe R. Lansdale brings his legendary mojo and gritty, dark humour to harrowing heists, revenge, homicide, and mayhem. No matter how they begin, things are bound to get ugly-and fast.
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Even before Morley told him, Dennis knew things were about to get ugly.- THE STEEL VALENTINE
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(@TachyonPub, 15 August 2023, e-book, 353 pages, ARC from the publisher via @edelweiss_squad)
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I'm a huge fan of the author. I expected to enjoy Things Get Ugly, and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, some a little more than others. I enjoyed the fact the stories are all quite different if the underlying theme and tone have a lot in common. The stories are dark for the most part, hugely entertaining and some like the incredible Mr Bear have a wicked sense of humour. I especially liked Driving To Geronimo's Grave, Mr Bear, Billie Sue, Dirt Devils and Incident On And Off A Mountain Road.