The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale: A Twisted Mystery Fueled by Cults and Quirks

Name: The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale: A Twisted Mystery Fueled by Cults and Quirks A review of Lansdale’s latest novel — part detective story, part cult conspiracy, all wrapped in sharp wit and bizarre characters.
Item: The Donut Legion By Joe R. Lansdale

A review of Lansdale’s latest novel — part detective story, part cult conspiracy, all wrapped in sharp wit and bizarre characters.

Written by Mark Slade

When Charlie Garner’s ex-wife shows up spouting cryptic warnings and vanishes without a trace, the former cop-turned-writer is pulled into a mind-bending mystery where nothing is what it seems—not even the donuts.

Ex-Cop/ Ex- P.I. turned writer, Charlie Garner, has a problem: his ex-wife Meg showed up unannounced one early morning while Charlie was looking through his telescope, to ask for his help. She thinks her husband has been murdered. She orates: “Watch out for Omelets and be aware of the great mound within the circle…” Then Meg disappeared. So did her car.

Was she a ghost or some energy in the midst of transferring to warn Charlie?

Meg and her husband joined a space-age cult known as the “Saucer People”. The cult is taking over May Town, and slowly building a multi-business conglomerate with money from their Donut shop. He enlists his brother Felix and Felix’s Lawyer Girlfriend Cherry to help investigate. Along the way they are aided by Grover, Ex-Cult member and former town Police Chief, as well as the young down and out Donut maker Kevin. Then there’s Amelia “Scrappy” Moon, claiming to be a reporter for the local newspaper.

The investigation is kicked up a few notches when Kevin’s ravaged body is found in a ditch, body parts re-arranged, and burned. Rumors that Cult security officer Cowboy and his psychotic Chimpanzee, Mr. Biggs, are responsible.

So goes the story of Joe R. Lansdale’s latest offering, and as usual, it’s a whopper of a tale.

You can always count on Lansdale’s intricate plots with a whole heaping of bizarre characters, and funny quips.

As strange and weird some of Lansdale’s characters are, they do have a great amount of depth to them. Charlie Garner seems slightly bland, but that’s on purpose. He’s the narrator and has to be invisible so the other characters can stand out. And boy, do they. Especially Cowboy and the Chimpanzee Mr. Biggs. Both are hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

This is only speculation, but the book has the feel of those 1970s cops and P.I. shows such as Rockford Files (unusual plots, irreverent humor, anti-hero aspect, likable main character) and Harry O (the slowness of plot unfolding, quick twists in the story, easy-going- anti-hero, likable main character). Of course, Raymond Chandler had an influence on practically every mystery novel written since the 1940s.

According to the book’s Wikipedia:

“Lansdale has stated that his interest in and judgments of cults—including Pizzagate, QAnon, and Jim Jones—inspired the novel”.

But the book is also peppered with many down to earth characters. Blue collar in spirit, not always so blue collar by wallet or job. Take Charlie Garner, our protagonist. He was a cop, and was a P.I., but became a somewhat successful author. Still, Charlie never forgot his small-town values, never looked down on its citizens.

The differences in each character in the book are displayed nicely. Not exactly through prose, or Charlie examining the people in his life. No. Lansdale lets each character tell who they are through idiosyncrasies of dialogue. Their likes, dislikes, histories.

Lansdale’s best attribution is the ease of prose that is not muddled with unwanted or unnecessary subplots, and how HUGE he can make a small personal story. A space age/new age cult is nothing new in fiction or nonfiction, especially in the past fifty years. So why do we care about Charlie Garner and his story? Because Lansdale cares, and that’s the best way to make the reader care by believing the story he’s telling you. A masterfully crafted mystery, with believable characters, is always a good recipe for a great book.

The Donut Legion: A Novel by Joe R. Lansdale

In this standalone, Edgar-award winning author, Joe R. Lansdale, whom “few can match” (Booklist) beams a light on an East Texas town where a QAnon-style, evangelist cult is brewing trouble.

Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is an American author born on October 28, 1951, in Gladewater, Texas. Best known for his works in the horror and crime fiction genres, Lansdale’s writing often combines elements of horror, crime, and dark comedy. He has written numerous novels and short stories that have gained critical acclaim and won multiple awards.