The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

 

First Line: It wasn't so much of a surprise that Pepper McKay was dead as much as it was an amazement to everyone in the county that it had taken so long for him to die, or for somebody to kill him.

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

Return to Sender by Craig Johnson

 

First Line: "Nobody smiles anymore."

The longest postal route in the country is in the Red Desert of Wyoming, and it covers over three hundred miles a day. When Blair McGowan, the person responsible for that route, goes missing, there's a lot of territory to cover to try to find her. Who does the Postal Inspector for the State of Wyoming turn to? Sheriff Walt Longmire, who poses as a mail carrier to follow her trail. 

The trail eventually leads to a cult living out in the Red Desert, and Walt finds himself right up to his neck in intrigue.

~

I always enjoy any time that I spend with Walt Longmire, and Return to Sender is no exception-- especially since every time I picked up the book and looked at the cover, my favorite Elvis Presley song began playing in my mind.

Once again, author Craig Johnson brings another section of Wyoming to life. This time, the Red Desert, the largest living dune system in the United States. Walt is pretty much solo as he goes undercover as a mail carrier. Only Dog accompanies him in a rather unique mode of transport: an old Travelall.

Return to Sender is filled with Johnson's trademark humor ("Benny, the walking skid mark"), and Walt is carrying something with him that may shock longtime fans. As he works to find the missing Blair McGowan, he meets several characters that I wish I could see again, like World War II Polish Resistance fighter, Mrs. Wasserstein. The story is filled with twists and turns that kept me smiling.

Walt is still debating whether or not he should retire, and he's not helped any when he's put right in the middle of someone else's choice. What's he going to decide to do? I'm looking forward to finding out in the next book.

Return to Sender by Craig Johnson

ISBN:  9780593830703

Viking © 2025

Hardcover, 336 pages

Police Procedural, #21 Walt Longmire

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

First Frost by Craig Johnson

 

First Line: "You're too big to surf."

 

It's the summer of 1964 and recent college graduates Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear have enlisted to serve in the Vietnam War. Catching a few final waves in California before reporting for duty, a sudden storm capsizes a nearby boat, and Walt and Henry rescue some of the crew. Unfortunately, the boat was carrying valuable contraband, and the police are reluctant to turn Walt and Henry loose. But they finally do, and the two young men head east on Route 66. They have a date with the military.

Back in the present day, Walt is forced to speak before a judge concerning the fatal events of The Longmire Defense. It doesn't take the sheriff long to realize that he's got some powerful enemies lurking behind the scenes. 

These are two pivotal moments in Walt Longmire's life. Moments in which he stands in the crossfire of good and evil, of law and anarchy, and of compassion and cruelty.

~

When Vic Moretti starts cleaning out Walt's basement and finds a battered surfboard, it's the perfect beginning to the dual timeline tale of First Frost. Although the present-day timeline concerning Walt being questioned about the events in The Longmire Defense is important to his future, it's the treat of seeing Walt and Henry Standing Bear as young men that steals the show. 

Who wouldn't want to see these two on a road trip traveling Route 66, and where else should they be stranded than in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Arizona? Stranding Walt and Henry at the location of an old World War II Japanese internment camp lets Craig Johnson bring out a stellar cast of the weird, the downtrodden, and the deadly, and I relished meeting every one of them. 

Although Walt is still at a crossroads in his life, First Frost is also a return to some of the things longtime fans love the series for. There's Undersheriff Vic Moretti at her mouthy best and Henry Standing Bear, side by side with Walt, for example. I'm hoping that we'll get to see more of these two as young men, but who knows what Johnson has in store for us?

 

Characters, setting, story... Johnson is a master at all three. Moreover, he's also a master of the descriptive phrase that can really grab me. "...cruising away in the school of traffic like a killer whale." "...the hand that had reached up to me in the darkness like a flower breaking from the dark earth." "His eyes came up above the sunglasses again, dark, like swirling drains." 

I'm still smiling after finishing this latest installment in the life of my favorite sheriff, and once again, I'm waiting impatiently for the next. Boy howdy.

First Frost by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780593830673

Viking © 2024

Hardcover, 336 pages

 

Police Procedural, #20 Walt Longmire

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

Hunters of the Dead by Steve Hockensmith

 

First Line: It was a dark and stormy morning.

 

The A.A. Western Detective Agency finds itself unwillingly on guard duty, protecting paleontologists excavating dinosaur bones in 1894 Wyoming. Old Red Amlingmeyer finds it all a bit dull until a human body is found in one of the scientists' trenches. Now he can put his "deductifying" skills to work like his idol, Sherlock Holmes. But he and his younger brother, Big Red, will have to work fast. A killer is stalking their client's dig site.

 

~

 

It's always a pleasure to immerse myself in Steve Hockensmith's Old West with the Amlingmeyer brothers. In Hunters of the Dead, there are characters going incognito, bad guys with guns, the lucrative nut butter business, an Apache named Eskaminzim who reminded me a bit of Inspector Clouseau's valet, Kato, and Old Red (Gustav) Amlingmeyer teaching himself to read. 

 

For me, the icing on the Hockensmith cake is the fact that there's always something to learn while I'm enjoying the story; in this case, the cutthroat early days of paleontology. And as for Eskaminzim, he has one of my favorite lines in the book: "You whites have so many words for stupid. I guess you need them." 

 

There seems to be a trip to Texas in the Amlingmeyer brothers' future, and I'm looking forward to that. Get your hands on this series if you're in the mood for some lighthearted (yet educational) fun set in the Old West. It's a treat.

Hunters of the Dead by Steve Hockensmith

eISBN: 9781685493448

Rough Edges Press © 2023

eBook, 274 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson

 

First Line: "Where have you been?"

 

When Sheriff Walt Longmire takes Dog on a routine search and rescue in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, Dog finds a gun that plunges Longmire into a cold case with ties to his infamous-- and uncompromising-- grandfather, Lloyd Longmire.

 

~

 

I've been a cheerleader for Craig Johnson and Walt Longmire since the first book in the series, The Cold Dish, was published. However, no matter how much I love these books, there's always going to be one that, for one reason or another, falls a bit flat, and The Longmire Defense was that book for me. Now it's time for me to get down to the why.

Yes, it was great to see Walt back home after all the wandering he'd done in previous books. Yes, it was great to see Ruby and Henry and Vic again, but-- once again-- after making initial appearances, both Henry and Vic (especially Vic) fade from the scene. The Longmire Defense is really a book that centers around Walt's daughter and granddaughter, which leads me to my favorite part of the entire book: seeing Walt as a besotted grandpa.

The cold case involving Walt's grandfather was intriguing and kept me guessing, but it was also at the heart of why I didn't enjoy this book as much as I have others in the series. Walt and his grandfather, Lloyd, had a problematic relationship. I could've used more background on their relationship for me to understand Walt's behavior better. Walt has always been one of the most fair-minded law enforcement characters in crime fiction, but he seemed convinced that his grandfather was guilty of murder. Consequently, he kept looking for evidence proving Lloyd Longmire was guilty, which is diametrically opposed to the Walt Longmire I've known and loved for years. Perhaps this was meant to prove that Walt is human, not ten feet tall and bulletproof, but I've always known that so I didn't need convincing.

When all is said and done, I may have been a mite disappointed with Walt in The Longmire Defense, but it certainly doesn't have any effect on my anticipation for the next book in the series. Bring it on!

The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780593297315

Viking © 2023

Hardcover, 368 pages

 

Police Procedural, #19 Walt Longmire mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

Man Found Dead in Park by Margaret Coel

 

First Line: Catherine tapped the brakes and turned into a street filled with SUVs, black-and-white police cars, yellow and red lights flashing, and an ambulance idling on the side.

 

Journalist Catherine McLeod finds herself investigating the death of a man found in a park in a Native American neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. No one in the neighborhood is talking to the police, but-- due to McLeod's Arapaho heritage-- she does find someone willing to say just enough to get her started.

 

What she doesn't realize is that she's going to find herself in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation and in conflict with Mexican drug cartels.

 

~

 

I've been slowly savoring Margaret Coel's Wind River mysteries featuring Catholic priest John O'Malley and Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden and felt it was high time I met journalist Catherine McLeod in the novella, Man Found Dead in Park. I'm glad I did. Coel is a magician when it comes to blending story, character, landscape, and culture into a reading experience that I simply can't resist.

The two main characters in this novella are McLeod, an investigative journalist in Denver. An Arapaho, Catherine was raised by a white couple from the age of five, and she wants to learn more about her heritage. Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden uses the white man's laws to help her people. Both are strong, sympathetic characters who make a good team working to solve a mystery involving how Mexican drug cartels have moved onto reservations.

If you're already a fan of Margaret Coel's writing, you'll enjoy this fast-paced story. If you're new to this writer, you'll find Man Found Dead in Park to be an excellent stepping stone to both the mysteries featuring Catherine McLeod and the Wind River series with Holden and O'Malley. You have some excellent reading ahead of you, especially if you enjoy writers like Tony Hillerman.

Man Found Dead in Park by Margaret Coel

ASIN: B07FR2JPLJ

A.S.A.P. Publishing © 2018

eBook, 165 pages

 

Novella

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Ridgeline by Michael Punke

First Line: Crazy Horse struggled to sort among the flood of sensations, to push away the confusion and the fear, to keep his focus on what he and the other decoys must do.

 

The clash of cultures in the Powder River Valley of Wyoming was inevitable, but one side would never have believed the outcome. With the American Civil War barely over, Colonel Henry Carrington and his troops are sent right into the heart of sacred Lakota hunting grounds to build a fort that will defend a new road for settlers and gold miners. They are watched closely by Red Cloud, one of the most respected Lakota chiefs, and by visionary warrior Crazy Horse. The two men know both the implications of this invasion and how high the stakes are. Their homes, their culture, and their very lives hang in the balance. 

As autumn slowly turns to winter, Crazy Horse and his band of warriors constantly harass the soldiers building the fort while Red Cloud works to form the alliances between tribes that he knows are crucial for ultimate success. Meanwhile, Colonel Carrington has problems of his own. His officers don't think much of his command strategy while the rank-and-file soldiers are still divided by North and South, Yankee and Rebel... and are tempted by the lure of the goldfields in Montana.

Disaster is waiting for them all, just over that ridgeline.

~

I really enjoy well-written non-fiction and historical fiction about the American West, and in Ridgeline, Michael Punke has created a tale based on real people and events that held me in its grasp from beginning to end. 

 

Any well-told tale has to have a first-rate cast of characters, and there certainly is one here. The arrogant ignorance of so many in Carrington's band of soldiers makes you shake your head. Carrington himself had no battle experience, and as they journey to their destination in the Powder River Valley, he is reminded of the African safaris undertaken by British nobles. After all, officers' wives and other women are traveling with them as well as the band he insisted upon so they could have music in the evenings around the campfires. Oh, how very civilized.

Others also make contributions to Ridgeline. Frances Grummond, the wife of the most arrogantly ignorant of Carrington's officers, writes of her experiences in two different journals: one for public consumption and one private, for-her-eyes-only. Jim Bridger, hired as a scout, helps show just how ignorant the soldiers are, and I loved his reply to one of the officers in one of their many meetings: "Don't ask me if you don't wanna know." How many times have so-called intelligent people refused to listen to the experts they hired?

But it was watching Red Cloud and Crazy Horse that kept me focused the most. Watching them work with other Lakota and then other tribes, convincing warriors that they needed a new way to fight the soldiers in order to win, forming their strategy that was so brilliant that it would ultimately be taught in military academies around the world. Watching events unfold knowing it was ultimately for nothing.

 

Although I knew how Ridgeline was going to end, I still got caught up in Punke's story. I still got caught up with the characters. That's some powerful storytelling, and I look forward to his next book.

Ridgeline by Michael Punke

ISBN: 9781250310460

Henry Holt & Company © 2021

Hardcover, 384 pages

 

Standalone Historical Fiction

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

The Spirit Woman by Margaret Coel

First Line: Father John O'Malley pulled up the collar of his jacket and dipped the brim of his cowboy hat against the hard wind whirling little pellets of snow into the air.

Legend has it that Sacajawea, the Native American woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition through the vast American wilderness, is buried on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. A college professor and longtime friend of Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden has disappeared while searching for documented evidence of that legend. 

Holden and Father John O'Malley become increasingly concerned when her missing friend is linked to another female historian who also vanished on the reservation while researching Sacajawea twenty years ago. The answer to these disappearances may lie in the pages of Sacajawea's hidden memoirs, but someone is willing to do anything to ensure they're never found.

~

It's been much too long since I've picked up one of Margaret Coel's Wind River mysteries, and The Spirit Woman was such a pleasure to read. Coel always seems to find a fascinating aspect of Native American or Western history to build her stories upon, and this time it's Sacajawea, the remarkable teenager who, with a baby strapped to her back and dealing with an abusive husband, guided Lewis and Clark. Proving that Sacajawea survived and died in old age on the Wind River Reservation among her people would be a coup for any historian, but it can't be just any proof. Historians want written documented evidence. Oral histories will not do. Rumors of Sacajawea's written memoirs are a magnet for both female college professors who have disappeared on the reservation.

The subject of abusive relationships is a major theme in The Spirit Woman, but for those readers who may find the subject too distressing, rest assured that Coel never resorts to any sort of graphic violence. It's what living under such circumstances can do to women that is the author's focus, and she deftly weaves this into the story.  

The whodunit was easy for me to deduce, but then I don't read mysteries just to see how good I am at solving crimes. For me, characterization and setting mean even more, and Coel's series has both in abundance. There's the attraction between Father John O'Malley and attorney Vicky Holden. There's how residents of the reservation react to a historian nosing around and asking questions. But even more important, there's the fact that O'Malley's boss has decided that it's time for O'Malley to move on to a different parish. His replacement shows up almost before O'Malley has a chance to hang up the phone. John is highly respected on the reservation. How are the people going to react to his leaving? The actions of the elders should make you smile. 

One of the things that kept me glued to the pages was trying to figure out how O'Malley got to stay. Let's face it... this is the sixth book in a twenty-book series, and they're all called Wind River mysteries. Father John has to stay, right? I was happy to see that my solution wasn't the right one (not that it was violent or anything, just wrong).

This is a series to savor, particularly if you love intelligent writing. The characters and the setting sing. What readers can learn about reservation life and the West is fascinating. If you haven't sampled the Wind River mysteries, I highly recommend them. Due to character development, I would suggest that you begin with the first book, The Eagle Catcher. It will be the start of a beautiful reading relationship.

The Spirit Woman by Margaret Coel

ISBN: 0425180905

Berkley Prime Crime © 2000

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

 

Native American mystery, #6 Wind River mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Paperback Swap

Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson

First Line: Years ago, on one particularly beautiful, high plains afternoon when I was a deputy with the Absaroka County Sheriff's Department, I propped my young daughter, Cady, on my hip and introduced her to Charley Lee Stillwater.

Sheriff Walt Longmire has had a rough time of it lately, and he's still recuperating from his experiences. Maybe that's why he finds himself visiting the Wyoming Home for Soldiers and Sailors and talking to the wheelchair posse of old veterans who sit and wave at traffic everyday. He even finds himself wondering how he'd decorate his own wheelchair when the time comes. 

Charley Lee Stillwater was a resident of the home and a character that Walt made sure to introduce Cady to when his daughter was small enough to carry around on his hip. When Charley dies of an apparent heart attack, the Absaroka County sheriff is called in to try to make sense of items found in the old man's room: a piece of a painting and a shoebox containing a million dollars. Will a good old-fashioned art heist be what Longmire needs to perk up and get back to normal?

~

This particular review is written by someone who's been a card-carrying Walt Longmire/Craig Johnson fan since the very first book, The Cold Dish. As crazy as I am about this series, even I will admit that, while they're all good, some books are stronger than others. When I began reading Next to Last Stand, I grew a little impatient, even a little worried. Vic spent most of her time whining about being bored and being a pain in the rear end. On the other hand, Walt kept having episodes where his mind would wander off to parts unknown and he'd stare off into space for long periods. Granted, my reaction to Vic comes from personal experience. I remember being bored only once in my life, and I tend to roll my eyes when anyone says that they are. Walt is another story. I'll let Vic ride shotgun with me any day, but I love Walt. I want him to be recovered from his experiences in the last two books. I want my Walt back! (Now look who's whining...)

The good news is that, once this investigation picks up speed, Vic and Walt are both back to the normal that all fans know and love. Yippee!

I happen to enjoy a good art heist, and that's what readers will find in Next to Last Stand. The even better news is that there's more to love in the book than finding a stolen painting and the identity of the thieves. There's the look into the cutthroat art world. There are the Wavers at the Wyoming Home for Soldiers and Sailors, characters all. There's the African proverb which states "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." (Could we change "man" to "person," please?) There's a topnotch chase scene. There's the only chicken coop on the National Register of Historic Places. And best of all-- whether showing us how to persuade a nude prisoner to don his clothes or helping a new employee learn the ropes, there's humor, there's intelligence, there's Walt. He's my kind of guy. It's good to have him back.

Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780525522539

Viking © 2020

Hardcover, 336 pages

 

Police Procedural, #16 Walt Longmire mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson

First Line: It's hard to think of a place in Wyoming where the wind doesn't reign supreme; where the sovereignty of sound doesn't break through the parks of the Bighorns with a hoarse-throated howl.

Walt Longmire is back in Wyoming, and he still has a long way to go to recuperate fully from what happened down in Mexico. What he doesn't need is a murder investigation, but that's exactly what he gets. The death of a sheepherder looks like suicide at first, but the dead man's connection to a powerful-- and occasionally violent-- local Basque ranching family leads the sheriff to believe he's investigating a murder.

As he searches for information, Walt keeps coming across signs that make him wonder if the spirit of Virgil White Buffalo is trying to lend him some assistance. Normally Virgil only reaches out when a child is in danger, so the stakes are raised when a young boy with ties to the Basque ranchers arrives in town.

To complicate matters even further, a lone wolf has been haunting the Bighorn Mountains, and the locals want the animal dead, the sooner the better before it has a chance to start killing livestock. Walt has his hands full, and he really should be taking it easy...

Whenever there's a new Walt Longmire mystery, it's a cause for celebration even though some of the books in the series may not be exactly what I wanted. That's the power of Craig Johnson's storytelling ability and the lure of the wonderful characters he has created. Each book is a treasure even though some seem to miss the mark. (Oh, to be inside a writer's mind and be privy to the entire story he intends to tell us!) Land of Wolves is an example of one of these books "that's really good, but..." and I think I know why.

After the gut-wrenching time Walt had down in Mexico, he and all his fans were looking forward to being back in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and spending a lot of time laughing with Vic and Henry and all the rest of the cast. But Walt is hurting, and he has good cause to contemplate his mortality. Is it time for him to turn in his badge, do some fishing, and spend a lot of time with his daughter and granddaughter? It's a decision he feels he has to make, and with the end of his career possibly being in sight, Land of Wolves is more an elegy than a happy homecoming.

The mystery in Land of Wolves is first-rate, and it really kept me trying to figure out what was really going on. There's also humor throughout the book what with office pools and Ruby trying to teach an old dog new tricks, but it all seems to fall a bit flat. Even Vic's trademark humor lacks sparkle, and Henry Standing Bear is seldom there. That shows you how much Walt's decision about his future is weighing on his mind.

But you know what? Even a trip to Absaroka County that turns out to be depressing is much, much better than no trip at all. I'm learning about these beloved characters in all their different moods-- and I'm hoping that the next time we see Walt, there will be a smile on his face.

Land of Wolves by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780525522508

Viking © 2019

Hardcover, 336 pages

Police Procedural, #18 Walt Longmire mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.


 

Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler by C.M. Wendelboe

First Line: A full moon-- a rustler's moon-- peeks from low-hanging clouds and casts eerie shadows across the grassy pasture.

It's frustrating when two innocent people are strangled to death on consecutive Saturday nights and you can't convince the police in Cheyenne, Wyoming that there is a pattern and it could happen again. Since the lead detective won't pay any attention to them, TV reporter Ana Maria Villarreal and retired homicide detective Arn Anderson decide to conduct their own investigation.

Arn's already got his plate full since he's been hired as a range detective to catch the Midnight Sheepherder who's been rustling livestock from local ranchers, but he just lights both ends of his candle and deals with it. The closer Arn and Ana Maria come to catching the strangler, the more they're met with suspicion, and when they come face to face with a desperate act of violence, they begin to wonder if they're getting close to the solution or close to their own deaths.

This two-pronged mystery begins with the Midnight Sheepherder rustling sheep in the dead of night. The scene is so vivid that I felt I was right there in the pasture with the thief and the thief's canine accomplice. The second mystery needing to be solved is, of course, the identity of the strangler. Both held my interest all the way to the end of this fast-paced book, and if I'd paid attention to one of my rules of armchair detecting, I would've figured out the rustling mystery. Oh well... sometimes I get so caught up in a story that I forget all about those rules of mine.

Arn Anderson and his motley crew of friends provide both humor and excitement to this second Bitter Wind mystery. He gets along well with Police Chief Oblanski but has a much more difficult time developing a rapport with Slade, the lead investigator on the homicide case. (Probably because Slade is one of these guys who knows he's always right.) But back to that motley crew.

Danny Spotted Elk was a homeless man who thought he'd found a home in a derelict house until Arn decided to fix up his deceased mother's home so he himself could live in it. Danny talked himself into staying because he's a first-rate carpenter/plumber/electrician... and not a bad cook either. Arn's saving a bundle on the renovation, getting fed, and finding out that it's much better when there are two smart alecks on the premises instead of just one. Ana Maria's the one who goes out investigating most often with Arn because she gets her TV station to hire him to investigate things. Wonder of wonders, she's a TV reporter with scruples and smarts, not the typical pains in the neck you usually read about in crime fiction, so you don't want to sic the Saturday Night Strangler on her.

Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler has an excellent double-barreled mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and some hair-raising action scenes added to a very strong cast of characters. C.M. Wendelboe's Bitter Wind novels are a good way to spend an afternoon or two. I'm looking forward to the next one.
 

Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler by C.M. Wendelboe

eISBN: 9780738755243

Midnight Ink © 2018

eBook, 288 pages

Police Procedural, #2 Bitter Wind mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley


 

Hunting the Five Point Killer by C.M. Wendelboe

First Line: The middle-aged victim slumped dead in his Barcalounger, one trouser cuff riding up over his snow-white ankle and his zipper splayed open like he expected a happy ending.

It's been ten years since a series of unsolved mysteries rocked Cheyenne, Wyoming, and an ambitious television reporter thinks uncovering the identity of the killer will be her ticket to the big time. She enlists the help of retired detective Arn Anderson, who spent more than thirty years in the Denver Police Department.

When he gets there, Arn doesn't have money to burn, so he moves into the now-derelict family home and starts fixing it up when he's got the time. He's getting nothing but grief from the Cheyenne Police Department, but that's going to change. Because the Five Point Killer doesn't want to be found, and he'll do whatever it takes to remain in the shadows.

I first became aware of C.M. Wendelboe's writing through his Spirit Road trilogy of mysteries set on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. I enjoyed all three books and was sad to see the series end. When I learned of this new Bitter Wind series, I couldn't wait to start reading.

Arn Anderson is yet another example of Wendelboe's gift of creating strong characters. He's been a widower for years and has yet to look at another woman. He's just not ready, and-- who knows?-- he may never be ready. He's persistent and has an eye for the telling detail, which finally has him breathing down the neck of the Five Point Killer. It's a pleasure watching this man put clues together. But it's in Arn's personal relationships where he really shines (and where Wendelboe shows his marvelous sense of humor). Arn tries to act tough and hard-hearted, but he's not. All you have to do is watch him with Danny, the homeless man who had moved into Arn's rundown house for the winter.

As I read, it occurred to me that there was only one person who could be the Five Point Killer, and Wendelboe did everything in his power to shake me loose... but it didn't work. And it didn't matter. I enjoy Wendelboe's writing, his sense of humor, the way he has his story unfold-- and the man certainly knows how to ratchet up the suspense. His writing is reminiscent of Craig Johnson's, which is one reason why I like it so much.

Yes, I do like his writing, but this book could've been better. It did need to be tightened up a bit because there were places where the story dragged, but I'm going to go off the reservation here and talk about a couple of things that Wendelboe had no control over. One: the print in the paperback edition is tiny. I finally gave up and bought a digital copy (which shows you how much I was enjoying the story). Two: the proofreaders really let the man down. "Loped" instead of "lopped." "Bitty" instead of "biddy." "Lose" instead of "loose." And-- most surprising-- "neckless" instead of "necklace." (And, no, that wasn't a complete list.) I'm used to reading advance reader's copies of books that do contain errors but to have a finished edition be this poorly done was a shock.

Is this going to dissuade me from reading the next Bitter Wind mystery? Absolutely not. But one can always hope the editing has vastly improved.

Hunting the Five Point Killer by C.M. Wendelboe

eISBN: 9780738753645

Midnight Ink © 2017

eBook, 434 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Bitter Wind mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Western Star by Craig Johnson

First Line: I pressed in on the knurled end of my Colt 1911A1 with my thumb at the same time rotating the barrel bushing a quarter turn clockwise to free the plug and recoil assembly, my hands working from rote.

Sheriff Walt Longmire is in Cheyenne, Wyoming ostensibly for his weapons recertification, but the real reason why he's there is for the upcoming parole board hearing for a man Walt put in prison many years ago. When he goes out for a beer, a younger sheriff asks him about a picture hanging on the wall. A photograph of twenty-four veteran sheriffs and brand-new deputy Walt Longmire, all armed and standing in front of a Challenger steam locomotive.

That photograph-- and that parole board hearing-- are the catalysts for Walt's past and present to collide head-on. This is a trip that has only one stop: Revenge.

Before I wax poetic about the latest mystery from my favorite writer, I want to warn you about two things. One, if you hate cliffhangers, you're going to hate the fact that The Western Star has one that's going to make your jaw drop. Even I wanted to shake my fist in Johnson's face just a little bit. Fortunately, I tend to be even-tempered about dangling storylines. 

What's the second thing I want to warn you about? If you happen to be readers who judge each Longmire novel on how often your favorite characters appear, you may-- or may not-- be happy with The Western Star. This book is 95% Walt and Lucian and 5% Cady, Henry, and Vic. Me? I go where the writer takes me and see how I feel about it when that last page is turned.

His previous novel, An Obvious Fact, had large stretches of humor that kept me laughing, but The Western Star is quite somber. This fits the tone of both storylines. Yes, there are two storylines in this book, and readers travel between fresh-from-Vietnam, brand-new deputy Walt Longmire on the train with Lucian and all those other sheriffs and the Walt Longmire of the present day. Don't worry, it's not confusing; the chapters are clearly marked so we can all keep track of what year we're in. (Sometimes I need all the help I can get.)

Craig Johnson always seems to be able to surprise me. Yes, Walt is Walt, and a character tells him one of the things that makes him so special: [With all you've done], "you've preserved your humanity."  But there are the other surprises, like that cliffhanger, and my being blindsided by whodunit when Johnson gives us clues all along the way. And what about all those scenes where Walt is simply being Grandpa to Lola. Watching this big man feed his tiny granddaughter, talk to her, and just sit quietly with her asleep on his chest can melt your heart.

The Western Star is tricky and action-packed, and it does have homages to both Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express) and John Wayne (Big Jake), but one of the sobering thoughts brought up in its pages is one we long-time Longmire lovers don't want to think about. Walt is, though-- retirement. He's been putting away bad guys for a long, long time, he's tired, and when he holds Lola, the end of the trail is looking mighty fine. This next book is shaping up to be very interesting indeed, and I'm going to be among the first to grab a copy.  
 

The Western Star by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780525426950

Viking © 2017

Hardcover, 304 pages

Police Procedural, #13 Walt Longmire mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.


 

The Lost Bird by Margaret Coel

First Line: He was late.

There's a first time for everything. Father John O'Malley finally has an assistant who actually requested to be there with him on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Father Joseph had been there several years ago, and most of the Arapaho remember him well. But with the good comes the unthinkable: Father John is shot dead, and since he was driving Father John's old Toyota, Father John is convinced that the bullet was meant for him. 

Consumed with anger and guilt, he is determined to find the killer, and along the way he teams up with Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden. When they discover that Father John had ties to one of Vicky's cases, they know there's no time to waste.

If you love crime fiction with a strong Native American element and you haven't read Margaret Coel's Wind River mysteries, I urge you to get your hands on them and start reading. (They're best read in order, so begin with The Eagle Catcher.) I learned about them while attending an author event in which Coel appeared with William Kent Krueger. I got the first book in the series, and I haven't looked back since.

Coel is a wonderful stylist. The Wyoming landscape, the history of the area, the characters, the mysteries, and the Arapaho culture are all woven into seamless narratives that are difficult to put down. Everything she writes has such a ring of truth to it, and so much heart that readers learn the Arapaho Way whether or not they realize it. 

At the heart of The Lost Bird is a heartbreaking subject that's dealt with honestly and with great sensitivity. As the story unfolds so do more facets of the characters' lives. Father John and Vicky both have emotional revelations to deal with, and Father John also has a surprise visit from his niece Megan which will also cause him great soul-searching. 

There are always many layers to these Wind River mysteries, but Coel is the type of writer who keeps a smooth pace while never wasting a word. It's taking me a while to get through this series, but that's my plan. I aim to savor each and every book... and to mourn when I finally read the last installment, Winter's Child.
 

The Lost Bird by Margaret Coel

ISBN: 0425170306

Berkley © 2000

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Native American Mystery, #5 Wind River Reservation mystery

Rating: A

Source: Paperback Swap 


 

An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson

First Line: I tried to think how many times I'd kneeled down on asphalt to read the signs, but I knew this was the first time I'd done it in Hulett.

Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear have gotten a call from the sheriff in Hulett, Wyoming. Their help is needed on the case of a young man who's now in critical condition in the hospital. Was he run off the road? Why? Who did it? 

It just so happens that the largest motorcycle rally in the world is being held in Sturgis, South Dakota-- just a stone's throw from Hulett-- and with all those bikers in town, things rapidly start getting interesting for Walt and Henry. But it's not just the bikers giving those two grief. Competing gangs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Hulett's very own MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle), and Lola Wojciechowski-- THE Lola for all you Craig Johnson fans-- are just a few of the people and things making this an extremely complicated investigation. And to make Walt's day complete, Henry just will not stop quoting Sherlock Holmes. What's a sheriff to do but solve the case and get back to Absaroka County as fast as he can?

I absolutely love An Obvious Fact. Just looking at the cover puts a big smile on my face. Almost every single character we've grown to know and love makes an appearance here. Daughter Cady phones hers in, but it serves to make us wonder if Walt is finally going to break down and get himself a cell phone. Henry has plenty to do especially with Lola around, and Dog makes his presence known on more than one occasion. But the character that brings the most to this banquet table of a book is Vic Moretti. I refuse to tell you what all she gets up to, but--trust me-- it's marvelous!

This is another of Johnson's first-rate mysteries. Your kinder, gentler side does get involved occasionally because you just can't have a main character who's described by Vic as a "detective for the disenfranchised" without bringing those heartstrings into play, but the humor is what I loved the most. Be prepared to laugh. A lot. Not many writers can do dialogue like Craig Johnson.

I could go on for page after page about how good An Obvious Fact is, but I won't. What I will say is that-- if you haven't read any of these Walt Longmire mysteries-- get your hands on the very first one, The Cold Dish. Start reading. You'll be hooked and itching to get your hands on all the rest of the series. I read a lot of mysteries, from the coziest of cozies to the hard-boiled detectives. I have several favorite series that I keep up-to-date with. But truth be told, Craig Johnson's Longmire mysteries are at the very top of my list. I'm already chomping at the bit for the next installment.

Oh, I almost forgot. You know that dumpster in Scottsdale, Arizona that you mention in An Obvious Fact, Craig? I park right by it every time I visit my favorite bookstore. You do know how to make a woman laugh!      

An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780525426943
Viking © 2016
Hardcover, 336 pages

Police Procedural, #12 Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery
Rating: A+
Source: the publisher 


 

The Highwayman by Craig Johnson

First Line: There is a canyon in the heart of Wyoming carved by a river called Wind and a narrow, opposing, two-lane highway that follows its every curve like a lover.

Wyoming highway patrolman Rosey Wayman is worried that she might be crazy. A recent transfer to the Wind River Canyon area, she's begun receiving "officer needs assistance calls."

What's the problem? The fact that the calls are from the legendary Arapaho patrolman Bobby Womack-- who's been dead for thirty years-- has both Rosey and her supervisor doubting her sanity.

Rosey's supervisor asks for help from Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear. They both know and like Rosey, and they want answers. Time is running out on their investigation, but one way or the other The Highwayman is going to have his say.

I'm such a Craig Johnson fan that I don't care if what he writes is short like this novella or a full-length book, as long as the man keeps writing. As popular as he's become, I have to wonder how on earth he finds the time to write because he always seems to be on tour.  

Few people can write dialogue like Craig Johnson, and he proves it again here in The Highwayman. Walt and Henry talk to everyone they possibly can to figure out what's going on with Rosey. They uncover a mystery about a missing stash of 1888-O "Hot Lips" Morgan silver dollars. (No, I'm not going to tell you what that "Hot Lips" is all about!) And the deeper they dig, the more they learn about Bobby Womack, a dedicated patrolman who died in a fiery crash in the Wind River Canyon. Some of the things they learn just don't add up the way they should....

Have any of you read Johnson's last novella Spirit of Steamboat? I have, and I still remember those barn-burning action scenes that gave me paper cuts, I was turning the pages so fast. Well, you get more of that kind of action here in The Highwayman. The setting, the characters, the dialogue, the action, the story... you get everything that all we die-hard Craig Johnson fans have come to expect-- even a logical explanation for almost everything.

Trust me. If the only thing you know about Craig Johnson comes from watching the Longmire television series-- as excellent as that series is-- you really, really need to read the books. What better place to start than with The Highwayman? Once you've read this one, you're going to be going back for all the others. Craig Johnson is one of the very best writers in the business.
 

The Highwayman by Craig Johnson

ISBN: 9780735220898

Viking © 2016

Hardcover, 208 pages

Police Procedural/Novella, #14 Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery

Rating: A+

Source: The publisher