Ask the Critic: Can you help identify these books?

Readers wrote in asking for help identifying books. Both of these questions stumped me, but maybe you can help.

First one:

A few years ago, maybe three or four at most, there was a crime/mystery novel out in hardback and the cover was white with walnut shells on it (like a shell game).

Second one:

It's crime fiction with a little comedy twist here and there, and it's set in Texas. It is also the first book in a series. Is the story of this dude, his ex wife tells him their daughter is disappeared so he sets off with his best friend who is a huge gay black dude named Lawrence or Leonard or something like that.. they find out their daughter is involved with a gang of bikers and some sort of illegal activities. then his wife joins them, and i remember the finale being them trying to stake out the bikers or something similar. there's a chapter when the dude goes and try to get some guns from some hillbilly and he rescues an armadillo that was used as a target, and the dillo ends up being his friend's pet. also, one of the two dudes is either a PI or an ex cop, if I remember correctly.

Comments

[Evil Ray]

'Savage Season' is the first of Joe R. Lansdale's 'Hap and Leonard' novels, but I think you're describing a book later in the series, 'Rumble Tumble'.

[Evil Ray]

Sorry, that'd be the second book.

[Corey Wilde]

I recognized the first one right off. It's CON ED by Matthew Klein. Terrific book.

[David J. Montgomery]

Oh sure, I read CON ED. I think I even reviewed it.

Good pull, Corey.

[David J. Montgomery]

I got confirmation from both readers that these were the right books.

You folks rock!

[Corey Wilde]

I like this game. Can we do it again sometime?

[Cameron Hughes]

David, I'm surprised you didn't get that the second book was Rumble Tumble by Joe R. Lansdale, even though nearly every detail was wrong.

[David J. Montgomery]

I've never read Lansdale, although that kinda sounds like what I imagine his books are like. (And I don't mean that disparagingly.)

[First Edition Crime Fiction]

First edition books are collector's items and are definitely great to own. While first editions of some books can be exorbitantly costly and out of reach for common people, hyper modern first edition books are often available at reasonable price. If you are lucky, these modern first edition books can even be signed by authors which make them even more valuable.