The new novel in Craig Johnson’s beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series.“It’s the scenery—and the big guy standing in front of the scenery—that keeps us coming back to Craig Johnson’s lean and leathery mysteries.” —The New York Times Book ReviewRecovering from his harrowing experiences in Mexico, Sheriff Walt Longmire returns to Absaroka County, Wyoming, to lick his wounds and try … returns to Absaroka County, Wyoming, to lick his wounds and try once again to maintain justice in a place with grudges that go back generations. When a shepherd is found dead, Longmire suspects it could be suicide. But the shepherd’s connection to the Extepares, a powerful family of Basque ranchers with a history of violence, leads the sheriff into an intricate investigation of a possible murder.
As Walt searches for information about the shepherd, he comes across strange carvings on trees, as well as play money coupons from inside Mallo Cup candies, which he interprets as messages from his spiritual guide, Virgil White Buffalo. Longmire doesn’t know how these little blue cards are appearing, but Virgil usually reaches out if a child is in danger. So when a young boy with ties to the Extepare clan arrives in town, the stakes grow even higher.
Even more complicating, a renegade wolf has been haunting the Bighorn Mountains, and the townspeople are out for blood. With both a wolf and a killer on the loose, Longmire follows a twisting trail of evidence, leading to dark and shocking conclusions.
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“Land of Wolves” By Craig Johnson is book fifteen in “The Longmire” Series. Craig Johnson is a storyteller with few equals and presents a current-day plot that is reminiscent of the timeless musical “Oklahoma” where the sheepherders and the cattlemen are just not friends; throw in a rogue wolf and everyone becomes an enemy. Regular readers will find Walt back in familiar territory. New readers will find that any needed backstories are included in the current story, and past tragedies are mentioned in casual discussions; “’You still don’t look so good, Sheriff.’ I sighed a wheezing laugh. ‘I’ve had a rough couple of months.’”
The book is a first person narrative by Absaroka County sheriff Walter “Walt” Longmire and his hundred and forty‑five pounds of canine mix dog, “Dog.” All the usual characters from make appearances or are mentioned within the context of this new adventure including Henry Standing Bear, Deputy Santiago Saizarbitoria, undersheriff Vic Victoria Moretti, dispatcher Ruby, and even Walt’s daughter and grand‑daughter so many miles away. Johnson immediately introduces readers to Wyoming and its geography. “It’s hard to think of a place in Wyoming where the wind doesn’t reign supreme”
Readers get to know Walt through his thoughts and reflections; after all, this is his story from the start to the inevitable tragic finish. The action unfolds in Walt’s casual but familiar style, and readers hear what he says to other people; “You’ve just shot at a police officer, which is a serious offense, so I would advise you to hold your fire.” He talks directly to readers; “You had to really be paying attention to see what happened next, but I had witnessed Henry in these situations before, so I knew what was going to happen.” He shares his thoughts; “I stood there for a moment looking at her— I like doing that to convince people that I’m angry, although all I really am is tired.”
Walt focuses his investigation on the who, what, where, and why of the incident, but he finds lots of questions and few if any answers. He pays attention to every detail; “I stopped for a moment, noticing some carvings on one of the trees. They were fresh, and I could make out the general design but not their meaning. Pulling out a small field notepad, I copied the designs and then returned it to the inside pocket of my jacket.”
In a major newsworthy development, Walt is being dragged, kicking and screaming into at least the 20th Century. (Not the 21st but close) “Leaning a little to one side, I could see a large box sitting on my desk. ‘What the heck is it?’ ‘A computer.’ ‘This is just the slippery slope towards a cell phone.’”
Be sure to read the acknowledgements; Johnson, a true storyteller, takes every opportunity to share his craft. I received a review copy of “Land of Wolves” from Craig Johnson, Viking, and Penguin Random House. Walt as always, is true to himself.
“’Walt Longmire, Sheriff.’ I took off my hat and stopped at the edge of the porch.”
Sheriff Walt Longmire of Absaroka County, Wyoming is back in the saddle. He’s banged up a bit from an encounter in Mexico and is popping stitches and wincing in pain but that does not hamper his easy wit.
A shepherd is found dead in the empty hills. Walt suspects that his hanging is not the suicide it appears to be. A lone wolf appears at the crime scene, not being able to resist nibbling at the dangling man’s feet. The wolf plays his metaphorical role throughout the story, which similar to other Longmire tales, is rich in spiritual Indian overtones.
Johnson’s strength is the relentless repartee between characters. These are developed characters, who whether you’ve read other books in the series or not, you enjoy spending time with. Their personalities and quirks are revealed through their dialogue and actions. Well done. The plot gets a bit muddled, but such nagging details do not hinder one’s enjoyment of the story.
A sidebar on attributes (“he said,” “she said,” etc) for the astute reader: Johnson’s style if often not to indentify the speaker until a few lines into the dialogue. One can assume by the conversation who is speaking, or, as I needed to do a few times, back track to see if I got it right. Connelly, at one point, provided an attribution when only two people were present, and the first speaker had already been identified. Two dissimilar styles. Two popular authors.
All of the Longmire books are worth reading. I buy them before they are released and they are the only ones I do that for! Always entertaining. If you come from the eastern side of the Big Horns in WY it is like coming home.
Very realistic, love these books!
Hard to go wrong with Longmire. Mystical. Craig Johnson is quite the storyteller.
Written review on Amazon
Wonderful charters!
Another good one from Craig Johnson
Love Craig H Johnson’s Longmire. He’s a great read. In fact, all of his are wonderful. So easy to read and enjoy.
Just wondering what took me so long to discover Walt Longmire. Makes me want to binge watch all the nexflix episodes.
Having watched all of the Longmire tv series having a new episode with this book was like welcoming back an old friend.
Luv all of Longmire
Love this whole series. I feel like Walt, Henry, Vic, and all the others are folks I would be proud to know.
I always enjoy Walt and Vik. The descriptions of the characters and the environment add to the story.
I always love this series, it is always interesting and entertaining!
Another great book in this series
I like all of the Walt Longmire books.
Loved it.
This is the 15th installment in the Walt Longmire series where Sheriff Longmire is tasked to solve the murder of a shepherd. I really love reading this continuing Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I received this free book and am voluntarily leaving review.
The characters that inhabit Sheriff Walt Longmire’s world of small town Wyoming draw you into their world with ease. Craig Johnson’s easy, entertaining, witty sense of dialogue lifts this modern western crime novel to a level of pure entertainment. The characters are truly human and unique. He makes you feel that you know them well by the very satisfying end of the novel, and you are left anxious to get back in their company. Highly recomnmended.