The Elephant of Surprise

A take off on "the element of surprise" and no doubt the watch word of this unlikely PI duo of a "gay, black, Republican Vietnam vet" and a"self-proclaimed white-trash rebel" who work together out of a small town in East Texas, LaBorde. This is the newest (the 12th) in the "Hap & Leonard series" by Joe Lansdale. There are posts for the 1st and 2nd in the series (Savage Season and Mucho Mojo, respectively). Sundance originally picked up the option for made-for-TV movies, and now apparently they are available on Netflix streaming. We don't subscribe to either, so I haven't seen them.
In this installment, while coming home in a driving rain, they nearly hit and then stop to rescue a young woman who is bleeding badly. Someone tried to cut out her tongue. Before they can even get back on the road, they are being shot at and chased. They manage to elude the hit and get the young woman to the hospital. But the men who hurt her are not giving up, in spite of a hurricane that seems to be headed right for town. It's a relentlessly paced game of cat and mouse under adverse conditions, but Hap and Leonard have the elephant of surprise on their side since no one expects a couple of low-profile PI's to withstand the heavy firepower of the local mob boss and his hired thugs. A quick and engaging read. Not necessary to have read previous books in the series, although that would certainly enhance your feel for the characters. Reviews available from Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, and a blow by blow rundown of the storyline from the New York Journal of Books.