Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I've been reading Joe Lansdale for just over ten years now, and I think this is just about the best book he's ever written. I picked up "The Drive In" when I was about sixteen, and I've been hooked by his terrific writing and his great senses of humor and story ever since.If you've never read anything by Joe Lansdale, you're missing out on a truly unique, authentic American writer. It's true you probably need a strong stomach to make it through an average Joe Lansdale novel, but I think it's also true that you need a sharp sense of humor which enjoys being tickled, a sensitive soul and a hightened appreciation for the poetic in everyday life. Joe delivers on all of these fronts. He's like no other author I've read. He's a little bit like Mark Twain, he's a little bit like Stephen King, and something like Harper Lee. But that comparison only works if you put all of those in a blender and hit puree. In "The Bottoms," Lansdale, who is a master of the folkilsy-gruesome character-driven story, charts some new territory. Not geographically--this one takes place, like most of his other tales, and like his real life, in East Texas--but rather stylistically. Ever since reading my first Lasndale book I've been a huge fan. His writing is always exretemely fluid. It just makes you feel like writing must be one of the most natural human activities, like walking or breathing or taking a long drink of water when your throat feels like sandpaper. But in this book, Lansdale seems to have tightened the linguistic screws a few notches. Not only is the writing fluid and fun to read, but it is of a consistently excellent quality. Before "The Bottoms" I probably would have only recommended Joe Lansdale to people who have a taste for the weird. If you've seen "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" more than once for example, I know you'd like Joe Lansdale. He's an excellent writer, but that's the kind of taste you have to have, at least on part of your palate, to appreciate him. The style and characterization in "The Bottoms" just blew me away. There are four excellent books that I was reminded of while reading this: "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee, "The Green Mile," by Stephen King, "Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain and "Montana 1948" by Larry Watson. If you've read and enjoyed any of those books, please do yourself a favor and read Joe Lansdale's "The Bottoms." Even if you haven't read any of those others, read this one (and then go read those also). The only real complaint I had about this book was that the mystery was a little too easy to figure out. That almost didn't matter, though, because I was having such a good time with the writing and the characters. One other thing was that all of the narrator's similies are mouth-wateringly food related. This become a little trying after a while, especially if you haven't eaten for a few hours. I half expected to find out at the end that the young protagonist had grown up to be a chef. I thought that would have been great. An excellent read, though. Well done, Joe! Keep up the good work! If you like the feel and style of this book, I also reccomend the music of guitarist John Hiatt, particularly his latest CD, "Crossing Muddy Waters." I got to know this CD at the same time I was reading this book, and they blended together very nicely in my imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Another great story from Joe Lansdale (his ownself)
Review: I won't rehash the plot, as others have done that with far better aplomb than I. Instead, I will endeavor to explain why you should immediately click the BUY button for this thing. This is a departure from Mr. Lansdale's previous works, but not by much. The mystery at the heart of the book (who is murdering the women of East Texas?) sometimes takes a back seat to his rich descriptions and anecdotes about life in that locale in the mid-30's. That's a good thing. His writing has never been richer and, frankly, I didn't put the book down for two days. I didn't want to leave this town and its people (even if some of them are drawn rather broadly). This book has a lot to say about race relations and how we treat each other, but it does it in subtle, incredibly layered ways. I've been a fan since "The Knightrunners" and, with every new book, I constantly wonder why Lansdale isn't more widely read. A mystery, to be sure.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark childhood
Review: This is a haunting coming-of-age story set in Texas in the 1930's. Although it echoes of "To Kill A Mockingbird", the monsters of this childhood are much more real. Scenes will stay in your dreams for a long time. Race relations, murder and youthful bravery are but some of the elements of this disturbing tale. Well done. (Caution- If you have read the author before you may have read a different, shorter version of the story about two years ago, but if you did revisit this work)
Rating:
Summary: Kept me awake at night!
Review: Mr. Lansdale managed to weave many different topics into one great suspenseful and colorful story, that had me awake a couple of nights because I just could not wait to find out about the identity of the murderer. This story is about childhood, about segregation and hate, about a relationship between a father and his son, about country folk and the mysterious woods and the river, where it all happens. Last but not least about a serial killer, although the concept of serial killers was unknown at that time. This book was not only full of suspense and therefore immensely entertaining, but it also gave me a lot to think about, especially about what terrifying things white people did to black people just a few decades ago.
Rating:
Summary: Lansdale gives us a great novel..again!!
Review: THE BOTTOMS takes place in East Texas during the Great Depression. Harry Crane, while stumbling through the Bottoms, comes across a woman wrapped in razor wire, dead. She is not the first. Harry's dad and the town constable, Jacob must find out who is doing the killings. Trouble is the women is black...at first. Then the first white woman is found murdered that sets off a racially sensitive murder case. The power of this novel is in Lansdale's storytelling about the realistic views of the times dealing with race, class and goodness. Harry and Jacob make a good detective team. And it's fascinating watching how the black town responds and helps the whites in solving this case. Also of note is the advancement of pathology and forensic science in the black town, as opposed to the slow movement of the white doctors. The ending will shock you, the narrative will remain with you and Joe R. Lansdale's world will make you a better person. What more could you want from a book?
Rating:
Summary: Not the Usual Wild Ride from Lansdale
Review: _The Bottoms_ isn't the sort of book I've come to expect from Joe R. Lansdale. It isn't a crazy mix of weird characters and off-beat situations. And it's stronger because of it. Here, Lansdale calms things down and winds up with a serious, penetrating look at the casual racism of the early 20th century, combined with the everyday, ordinary lives of his characters, all set against a backdrop of a series of horrific murders. Harry Crane, the book's protagonist, is 12 years old and straining to be accepted as a man. He and his younger sister Tom stumble across the body of a murdered black woman one night, while trying to outrun the "Goat Man," a figure of local legend. Harry's father is the town constable, as well as part-time barber and farmer, and is reluctantly drawn into an investigation of the murder, in a time before forensic science and behavioral profiling. The fact that the victim is a black woman has most of the locals wishing he'd just let things be, but the elder Crane continues to investigate. Over the course of a story told in what I have to believe is a realistic regional dialect, Harry fills us in on what life was like during the time: it was the Depression in East Texas, and many were going West, to outrun the Dust Bowl conditions. Life is hard for the Crane family, but Harry and his sister are never in need, never really aware of the things they're missing. They're concerned with living their lives, which are for the most part happy. Only, every now and then, another body is found. Part of the magic of the book is the way Lansdale effortlessly slips inside the persona of Harry, telling the story from a viewpoint on the cusp of adolescence. Also, the subtle, and not-so-sutle ways in which racial issues are brought up and dealt with make this a very memorable tale. Comparisons to _To Kill a Mockingbird_ are fair, but ultimately, this book is a bit too racy, a bit too concerned with the gruesome details of the killings, to really be suitable reading for any but a more mature audience. Also, the "mystery" really isn't all that mysterious, as, after a certain point, there are really only a couple of possible suspects left (though, it was ultimately a surprise to me who the culprit was). Not quite a 5-star book; I'd give it 4 1/2.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Storytelling
Review: J.R. is one of the only authors whose books I will buy in hardback immediately when they are released. Even if the stories themselves aren't that earth-shattering, the sheer brilliance of Lansdale's storytelling alone is worth the price of admission. So now we have "The Bottoms". While not his best book to date (personally, "Cold in July" still holds that crown), it is certanly one of his most mature and involving. In fact, the only thing that keeps it from being his best is the fact that as a story, and as a mystery in particular, it held few surprises. Instead of wondering about all the plot twists the fun comes from watching them all unfold. When reading a murder mystery, I like to be kept guessing up until the end but that doesn't happen with a typical Lansdale piece. I guess he's just a master of storytelling craft, not intricate plotting. Which brings me to the major point. This is probably one of the most well written books I've come across in ages. Impossible to put down. The character development is seamless and the pacing is lighting quick. One again J.R. has created a cast of well rounded and fully fleshed-out characters who don't seem to excist to merely move the plot along. Lansdale does spend a little too much time on his soapbox sermonizing about race relations but, as a Black person, I've always appreciated the fact that his Black characters exist as real, beliveable people and not the cardboard cut-outs that could easily populate such fiction. If you're a fan of Lansdale's work "The Bottoms" offers more of what probably made you a fan in the first place and if you're new to his fiction enjoy this one because it's just downright good storytelling no matter how you look at it.
Rating:
Summary: The Bottoms
Review: What Joe Lansdale can do with ordinary words should be illegal - The Bottoms crackles with high tension and razor sharp wit, white-knuckled suspense, and a good old fashion dose of the creeps. The Bottoms is Lansdale at his storytelling best. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.
Rating:
Summary: To KIll a Prostitute
Review: This book is bound to be compared to Harper Lee's TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and indeed there are many similarities. A young brother and sister are at the story's center. Their father, who is the town constable, is a good man trying to do the right thing. The story takes place during the Depression in the South. Racial hatred and hysteria motivate many of the townspeople. Instead of Boo Radley we have the Goat Man, a legendary boogy-man said to live in the river bottoms under the Swinging Bridge. Instead of Tom, a young black man accused of raping a white girl, we have Mose, an old black man accused of murdering a white woman. When young Harry and his sister Tom, find the mutilated body of a black prostitute lashed to a tree near the bridge, they believe the Goat Man to be the murderer. Their father, Jacob, believing a human hand responsible, tries to investigate the case and runs into the indifference and hatred of the locals, who believe that a black man was probably the killer, and black on black killings are of no account and do not deserve investigation. The town doctor refuses to examine the body, and Jacob receives warnings and threats as he continues to delve into the murder. More killings follow, and when one of the victims turns out to be a white prostitute, the town turns violent and lynches an elderly black man they have convinced themselves is responsible. Jacob blames himself for the lynching and sinks into drink and depression. Although this book has a mystery at its heart, it is more a character driven story of the magic of childhood and the inevitable loss of innocence. Lansdale has been around for a long time and has a small but loyal following. He has written in many genres, horror, a detective series, and many short stories. This may be the first of his books to appeal to a mainstream audience. It's not as good as MOCKINGBIRD, but it's well worth a look. I reviewed this book from uncorrected proofs, and am assuming that the editing problems I ran into will be corrected in the mass market edition.
Rating:
Summary: lansdale at his best, I think
Review: Remembering back to the days of the Great Depression in East Texas, Harry Crane recalls his father Jacob was always working. To eke out a living, Jacob toiled on the family farm, at the barbershop, or as the local constable. In 1933, thirteen-year-old Harry accompanied by his younger sister Thomasina finds the mutilated body of a black woman. The victim, a prostitute, was tied to a tree with barbed wire. Jacob begins making inquiries and quickly learns form the black doctor performing a quick and dirty autopsy that this is third black whore viciously killed in eighteen months. No one but Jacob seems to care until a white hooker is murdered. In spite of Jacob's efforts to stop the hostility, a mob lynches an elderly black man, but that fails to stop a fifth death. No one does rural noirs quite like Joe R. Lansdale. His latest tale, THE BOTTOMS, initially sounds like a historical mystery, a period piece, or even a coming of age story. None of the above is fully accurate and yet all three describe the plot. That is the charm of the unpredictable Mr. Lansdale, who fits no filing cabinet yet consistently provides a fabulously feral novel. The story line is taut, as readers can taste the racial hatred and the impact of the Depression on the charcaters. The cast is fully developed, especially the siblings passing time by wandering the nearby woods, THE BOTTOMS. Fans who don't mind a FREEZER BURN by visiting Texas heritage of BAD CHILI need to tumble into the dark rumbling world of Mr. Lansdale. Harriet Klausner
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