More Better Deals

By: Joe R. Lansdale

Narrated by: Brad Sanders

From the Edgar Award-winning author of the Hap and Leonard series, a hard-boiled novel set in 1960s Texas in which a no-nonsense car salesman faces a tempting decision, a dangerous deal, and an alluring affair.

Ed Edwards is in the used-car business, a business built on adjusted odometers, extra-fine print, and the belief that "buyers better beware". Burdened by an aging, alcoholic mother constantly on his case to do something worthier of his lighter skin tone and dreaming of a brighter future for himself and his plucky little sister, Ed is ready to get out of the game.

When Dave, his lazy, grease-stained boss at the eponymous dealership Smiling Dave's sends him to repossess a Cadillac, Ed finally gets the chance to escape his miserable life.

The Cadillac in question was purchased by Frank Craig and his beautiful wife, Nancy, owners of a local drive-in and pet cemetery. Fed up with her deadbeat husband and with unfulfilled desires of her own, Nancy suggests to Ed - in the throes of their salacious affair - that they kill Frank and claim his insurance policy. It is a tantalizing offer: the girl, the car, and not one, but two businesses. Ed could finally say good-bye to Smiling Dave's and maybe even send his sister to college. But does he have what it takes to see the plan through?

Told with Joe Lansdale's trademark grit, wit, and dark humor, More Better Deals is a gripping tale of the strange characters and odd dealings that define 1960s East Texas.

©2020 Joe R. Lansdale (P)2020 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Highly enjoyable.... Populated with an admirable array of laughable miscreants, this droll, savage novel is vintage Lansdale. The author's storytelling powers remain as strong as ever." (Publishers Weekly)

"Lansdale really makes this used car purr." (Booklist, starred review)

Great start, then weakens

At first I thought this was a delicious cross between Raymond Chandler and SA Crosby -- fun banter and good writing -- but then this turned into a kind of dirtbag romp. Still fun, but could have been more, especially with better riffs on class and race. Excellent reader. Recommended.

Try it.

Brad Sanders ... my new favorite narrator. Fabulous job delivering an engaging story. Glad I listened although I didn't love the ending.

Another great East Texas tale from the master

Joe Lansdale writes in myriad genres and his stuff is always good. I've never been to the place he writes about most, Texas, yet his characters always ring true, as do his plots. More Better Deals is a short novel whose characters suck you right in and the story keeps moving yet never sacrifices quality characterization. The narration is good enough though not excellent. While I prefer Lansdale as horror stories, his more realistic fare like this is still great.

I’m more of a happy ending person…

And this didn’t have one. I guess it was fitting, but it was a bit too depressing for me. As the book progressed and the characters kept getting deeper and deeper into their holes, I confess to feeling a bit anxious. Otherwise, not a bad book overall. Terrific narrator.

Fun!

What a fun story! I'm new to this author and going to try another book of his next after enjoying this one so much. The narrator was superb. He really embodied these characters and infused so much enthusiasm into the tale. I overlooked the fact that the main character was supposed to be genetically black but passed as white to everyone--yet the narrator had everyone sounding so distinctly African American that even a blind man would know he was black, lol. So many people were white but they all sounded ghetto. It got very confusing but I still loved the narration.

Better than I thought

It wasn’t meant to be my cup of tea, but the story was addictive. The writing captured the spirit of redneck small town Texas as I knew it, and that was a kind of nostalgia for me. The performance was pitch perfect for the mood of the novel. The story does get a little violent at the end which while it fit the characters involved it was a little abrupt and surprising. That’s why the story only got 4 stars. But still highly recommend it!

Wrong End of the Deal

Ed Edwards wants out of the used car game. A seductive con woman makes him
an offer he can't make himself refuse.
In the racially biased tinderbox of 1960's
East Texas the narrator has a voice that pulls you along on a dangerous ride peppered with humor, violence and tragic
irony.

A great book and a wonderful performance

This is one of the rare instances where the written word is improved by a masterful reading. Brad Sanders gives a soul to the anti hero in this gritty story, and makes him unforgettable.
A splendid listen: intelligent, highly involving and very entertaining .

Trust a used car dealer / repo guy?

This book recalls The Postman Always Rings Twice, in which sleazy people cross and double-cross and triple-cross each other. The plot was over the top (and the twists highly predictable), but the narration was terrific, and it was a quick fun read.

Joe Lansdale is one heck of a writer.

Not quite what I expected, but great nonetheless.
Narration was perfect and well suited to this story.
Well worth checking out.