If You Like Mysteries....

I have discovered a (new to me) mystery writer- Craig Johnson- and his Walt Longmire series. I just finished the first of the series, The Cold Dish. He is not in it for the thrills and a quick and basic mystery story. (Nothing wrong with those, of course.) This guy can write. He can put sentences and dialogues and descriptions on page after page.

His lead character is Sheriff Walt Longmire out in Absaroka County, Wyoming. He is in his late 50s and been at it a long time. His lifelong best friend is Henry Standing Bear, a local Cheyenne. The story starts with a murder of a young man- one of four who had been convicted of raping a young Native American girl. Throughout the book you get the development of all the characters into interesting and unique people.

Things can get tense and violent including quite a scene in the midst of a blizzard. Johnson never lets you down. You are there with Longmire and can feel his fear and pain. It is an exploration of the seen- and unseen- world of the American West in these postModern days. It is a romp into old and new.

In short, I loved it. As a mystery lover to begin with, the added elements only made it more enjoyable and enticing from beginning to end. (He had me at page 1.) My wife has already read the second book and we've ordered books 3 and 4 in the series. This is one that I don't want to miss what happens as Longmire continues to develop as a character and Johnson as a writer.