Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson

 
First Line: "Play me."
 
When basketball phenom Jaya Long, niece of Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long, begins receiving death threats, Chief Long asks Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire for help. Bringing along Henry Standing Bear as backup, Walt travels up to Lame Deer, Montana, where he learns that Jaya's older sister disappeared the previous year, undoubtedly a victim of the scourge of missing and murdered Native American women in the U.S.
 
Lolo is hoping that Walt's presence will bring more public attention to Jaya's plight, but what she doesn't realize is that she's also inadvertently placed the sheriff in a one-on-one situation with what may be his deadliest adversary in this world or the next.
 
~
 
A year without a new tale from Craig Johnson is a year with no sunshine as far as I'm concerned, so I was glad to hear of his latest book. When I learned that one of the focuses of Daughter of the Morning Star is the horrendous scourge of missing and murdered Native American women, I couldn't wait to read it; I knew that Johnson would have something important to say about that, and he does.
 
What he also does is pay homage to bookstores by having Walt walk into PAPER TALK, talk with the owner, and walk out with just the book he needs to shed some light on his little unofficial investigation. One of the things this investigation of his uncovers is a bit of Native American supernatural folklore, the Éveohtsé-heómėse, the Wandering Without, the description of which makes the hair stand on the back of my neck. It is...
 
"...a collection of lost souls that hunger for the living. The outcasts banished from the tribes over the centuries-- the murderers, the mad, the deranged who were driven off to die in the wilderness."  
 
"...like all carnivores, it culls the herd, preying on the sad and lonely, those living in its hunting ground on the outskirts of humanity."
 
Daughter of the Morning Star also touches on something else that I hope is discussed more in the next book, the fact that some of the Indian boarding schools were so tragedy-ridden that they were removed from the history books. Walt's work is not done at the end of this book, so I shall have to wait and see what happens in the next.
 
This latest Longmire mystery has all the touches we've come to expect and to love. New characters like Betty One Moon make appearances, Betty being the type of person that even Dog backs away from, Dog having made the trip with Walt and Henry. We also get to revel in some of Johnson's trademark humor as Walt and Henry try to keep Jaya safe, no matter how much the anger-filled young girl tries to pretend they're not there.
 
Although I did enjoy Daughter of the Morning Star, I have to come clean about something. I know that Craig Johnson has a plan. He knows where he wants to take this series, and I will be with him every step of the way. My confession is this: I do miss the camaraderie of Walt and his crew.  Couldn't Walt have a short vacation from his quest where he can spend some quality time with Vic and Henry and Ruby and Cady and all the rest? Then we'll all be refreshed and ready for the next adventure.

All in all, Daughter of the Morning Star was enjoyable, but it felt a bit disjointed, and that some of the plot threads were loose and not woven completely into the story. But there's always next time, and I'll be ready and waiting with a big smile on my face, for that's what happens when a writer creates a cast that is so filled with life that it feels like Family.

Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson
ISBN: 9780593297254
Viking © 2021
Hardcover, 336 pages
 
Police Procedural, #17 Walt Longmire mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

14 comments:

  1. As you say, however, there's always next time...and this is Craig Johnson and Walt and Henry. I'm still going to be reading it because even if this wasn't isn't as satisfying, the characters are key. Giving Walt a vacation, time to give us more on their personal lives and relationships, sounds like a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry to hear this one had a few problems for you Cathy, but like you, I love the Longmire stories, and as you say, there's always the next one. Johnson at his weakest is a lot better than a lot of writers at their best.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I liked this for all the reasons you mention, Cathy, but I agree with you that Walt needs to stay closer to home for a while so that we can visit with the whole cast of characters we've come to enjoy so much. I miss those guys, and seeing only one or two of them per book just doesn't do it for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try to take each book in a series as it comes, knowing that the author has a plan, but... I miss those guys!

      Delete
  4. That description of supernatural folklore sure does sound creepy. I am familiar with this series only through the TV show. Craig Johnson has written some great characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you liked the TV series, Gretchen, you should give the books a try. The TV series doesn't spoil the books, and the characters are much more developed in the books.

      Delete
  5. I really want to read this one!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just read this myself, and had much the same reaction - I'm simultaneously looking forward to the likely treatment of Indian boarding schools in the next book, and wishing that said book would center on Durant and the folks there. I also think that it would be good for Walt to have can adventure that doesn't cause as much serious physical harm, for once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Walt seems to think he's Virgil... or at least seven feet tall and bullet-proof.

      Delete
  7. I just picked this up at the library. And it is such a well imagined crew, I do miss the interactions when Walt goes off the local track.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!