When Pepper McKay is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, suspects aren't in short supply-- he was one of the most hated men in Absaroka County. But Sheriff Walt Longmire quickly focuses on the people who attended a family meeting the night before his death. Those people? His very different sons: a charmer, a journalist, a monk, and a half-Native ranch hand. Each had a motive. Each insists he's innocent.
In no time at all, Walt is pulled into a web of old grudges and secrets. Then a second body turns up, and a wildfire roars through Crazy Woman Canyon, trapping Walt and making him fight for his life as the killer and the fire close in.
~
I have been a lover of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mysteries since the very first one, The Cold Dish, but even this diehard fan has to admit that, in the last few books, when Walt seriously began contemplating his mortality and his future, the spark that makes this series so special has been slowly flickering out. In the case of The Brothers McKay, maybe it's because I wasn't impressed by the author this book was inspired by. After reading Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, I knew he wasn't the writer for me, and my "underwhelm-ment" might have passed on to Johnson's book. Who knows?
But no matter how much I wasn't impressed by the storyline, I can always find something to enjoy in a Walt Longmire book. The wildfire scene is excellent. I was completely drawn in and even thought I could smell smoke in the house as I read. Johnson also manages to throw in one or two new characters for me to fall in love with. This time, it's Maxim Sidorov, a Russian whose English often made me smile. The other character? A mule named Borax. What an animal!
The end of The Brothers McKay promises readers that unfinished business will take Walt to the ends of the earth. It sounds like we're going to need to fasten our seatbelts.
The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson
eISBN: 9780593830741
Viking © 2026
eBook, 368 pages
Police Procedural, #22 Walt Longmire
Rating: B
Source: Net Galley
Honestly, Cathy, even Johnson's less-than-perfect efforts are heaps better than a lot of other authors' best. So even if one or another thing isn't quite what I'd hoped for, it's the kind of series I forgive, if that makes sense. I'm glad you found a lot to like here, and the characters do sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement with you about Johnson, Margot. And the way I'm reacting to how the books are going is the same way I've reacted to some of the behaviors of my friends and family. Walt and his crew are family.
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