A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson

A Serpent's Tooth: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson - 352 pages

The theme of homecoming carries throughout this latest entry in the long running Longmire series.  A young boy shows up in rural Wyoming in search of family.  Walt discovers that the boy is running from religious cultists that may be up to no good.  This is another strong entry that exemplifies the strong characters and awesome sense of place that are hallmarks of Johnson's writing.  As a fan of the A&E series as well it is a little jarring to go back and forth since the relationships and characters are on somewhat different paths. 

Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson

Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson - 352 pages

The sixth installment of the Longmire series features a severed thumb, a dysfunctional family and a disillusioned deputy.  Sheriff Walt Longmire is faced with being the peacemaker between many warring factions in the isolated back country of Wyoming.  Johnson succeeds again with painting an awesome sense of place that makes the characters and the setting leap from the page.

Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson

Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson - 352 pages

In this 7th installment of the Longmire series, Sheriff Walt Longmire has been thirty years on the job and is feeling every one of those years.  This story pushes Walt to his limits both mentally and physically as he attempts to apprehend wanted fugitives in a blizzard in high mountain terrain.  The spiritual element is present in Walt's quest to reunite a native boy's remains with his people.  As always the setting is a character in and of itself and the novel reads like an action movie.

Dark Horse by Craig Johnson

Dark Horse by Craig Johnson - 368 pages
Walt Longmire Mystery #5

Mary Barsad is being housed in the Absaroka County jail as she awaits trial.  Longmire has doubts about her guilt and goes undercover in the neighboring county to try and ferret out the truth.  The tiny town of Absalom features very eccentric characters that both help and hinder the investigation.  Readers get a peek into Walt's childhood and a better sense of what helped mold the man he becomes.  Johnson does a good job and melding the mystical with the everyday when he incorporates Native American spiritualism into his literary noir mystery series.  

Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson

Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson - 336 pages

The fourth entry into the Walt Longmire series continues putting a noir twist on crime in rural Wyoming.  A dead young Vietnamese woman is found in a ditch in rural Wyoming along with a picture of Longmire from Vietnam which opens up memories and rumours about the past.  The investigation into her death ties to both a California human trafficking ring and Walt's time in Vietnam.  The dialogue in these books is reminiscent of Robert Parker at his best.  Longmire doesn't say much but what he does say reverberates. 

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - 336 pages

The third book in the Longmire series takes the sheriff back East to Philadelphia to visit his daughter Cady.  Cady is injured and her boyfriend found dead which leads Longmire into the seamy underside of big city politics and into the worst fears that a father can have for his child's safety.  Deputy Vic's extended family in Philly assists Longmire in staying out of jail and finding out the truth about what happened to Cady.  I enjoyed seeing Longmire out of his element in the city but look forward to seeing Absaroka County Wyoming take center stage in the next book. 

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - 320 pages

The second entry in the Longmire mystery series continues to meet the high standard set by the first one.  The mystery opens with the death of Mari Baroja at the assisted living home which sets off a chain of events that leads Longmire to confront a fifty year old tragedy and attempt to make it right for the survivors.  A new deputy Santiago Saizarbitoria joins Vic and Henry in helping Longmire make sense of the tangled web of lies touched off by Baroja's death.  I finished this book and started immediately on the next one.  It's interested to see what characters and plots are carried over into the Longmire TV series and to see what has been changed. 

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - 400 pages

This is the first novel in the Walt Longmire mystery series that has been turned into the TV show Longmire on A&E.  A young man is found dead and this reopens old wounds related to suspended sentences given in the rape of a young girl.  Johnson makes rural Wyoming come to life so vividly you can see the landscape in your mind as you read.  Great original characters add depth to the story and help illuminate Longmire's back story.  Fans of James Lee Burke and C.J. Box will love this series for its very detailed and literary sense of place.