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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Notes:
The personal and up close look into Longmire's past is always cool to experience. I love how Johnson connects various elements of Longmire's life together. Thank goodness I have the next book! Diving into it next. =)
The personal and up close look into Longmire's past is always cool to experience. I love how Johnson connects various elements of Longmire's life together. Thank goodness I have the next book! Diving into it next. =)
Johnson doesn't fail. Longmire is just as he should be. I found this book slightly confusing, as the action takes place in two time frames and there's not much (an extra line?) to let you know that you've changed times. Having some of the same characters in both "stories" can add to the confusion. I finished the book a week or so ago, and I'm having trouble remembering one of the plotlines.
Still, it's a Longmire book and I love those things. So I enjoyed it.
Still, it's a Longmire book and I love those things. So I enjoyed it.
The Western Star by Craig Johnson is a 2017 Viking publication.
This is the thirteenth book in the Walt Longmire series.
‘He did it, she did it, or they all did it’
Walt never misses the parole hearing, which takes place every four years, for a prisoner over at Cheyenne, who happens to be the most dangerous criminal he ever encountered. This time, though, the prisoner in question is dying and seeking compassionate release. As Walt continues to oppose the release, he is taken on a trip down memory lane, back to the seventies, when he agreed to accompany Lucien to a Wyoming Sheriff’s Association junket, which was held on the excursion train called, ‘The Western Star’.
It is always a treat to check in with Walt Longmire. This installment is slightly different as it bounces between the past and the present. But,for the most part the bulk of the story is focused on Walt’s past.
This does mean that once more a few of our very favorite characters have a much smaller role, but we do get to know Walt, a little better, and even get to hear from Martha, too.
As Walt boards the train, with twenty-four veteran Sheriffs, he could never have imagined how the events that unfolded would haunt him all these years, or how they would collide with the present in an incredible twist of fate.
In some ways, this story is like a backhanded compliment to Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, the novel Walt carries with him aboard the train.
I thought this was a nice touch and enjoyed the tone of the story while Walt has a battle of wits with twenty-four seasoned sheriffs, and murder follows them aboard the train. Anyone familiar with Christie’s work will appreciate the homage to her techniques and how they applied to his story.
I never saw the surprise twist coming and was impressed with clever plotting, all of which was very entertaining… until the past catches up with the present. The story takes on a much more sinister tone at that point and ends with one of those awful – ‘to be continued’ storylines.
Once I finished the book, my first thought was how other devoted fans of this series would respond to this installment. I think some may have mixed feelings about it, but I thought it was a great bridge story that will segue nicely into what will most assuredly be the ultimate showdown.
I enjoyed the setting aboard the train, the ‘whodunit’ mystery, and getting a rare peek at the young Walt Longmire. I was enjoying the golden age nostalgia so much, I was ill prepared for the jolt out my reverie, dropping me back into the present with a thud. It was hard to wrap my head around how everything was tied up together, but it was pretty tense.
Overall, I enjoyed this book just as much as all the other Longmire novels, despite this being the second book in a row where key players took a backseat. But, I have a feeling, everyone will be back with a vengeance in the next installment, which promises to be one heck of a wild ride.
4 stars
This is the thirteenth book in the Walt Longmire series.
‘He did it, she did it, or they all did it’
Walt never misses the parole hearing, which takes place every four years, for a prisoner over at Cheyenne, who happens to be the most dangerous criminal he ever encountered. This time, though, the prisoner in question is dying and seeking compassionate release. As Walt continues to oppose the release, he is taken on a trip down memory lane, back to the seventies, when he agreed to accompany Lucien to a Wyoming Sheriff’s Association junket, which was held on the excursion train called, ‘The Western Star’.
It is always a treat to check in with Walt Longmire. This installment is slightly different as it bounces between the past and the present. But,for the most part the bulk of the story is focused on Walt’s past.
This does mean that once more a few of our very favorite characters have a much smaller role, but we do get to know Walt, a little better, and even get to hear from Martha, too.
As Walt boards the train, with twenty-four veteran Sheriffs, he could never have imagined how the events that unfolded would haunt him all these years, or how they would collide with the present in an incredible twist of fate.
In some ways, this story is like a backhanded compliment to Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, the novel Walt carries with him aboard the train.
I thought this was a nice touch and enjoyed the tone of the story while Walt has a battle of wits with twenty-four seasoned sheriffs, and murder follows them aboard the train. Anyone familiar with Christie’s work will appreciate the homage to her techniques and how they applied to his story.
I never saw the surprise twist coming and was impressed with clever plotting, all of which was very entertaining… until the past catches up with the present. The story takes on a much more sinister tone at that point and ends with one of those awful – ‘to be continued’ storylines.
Once I finished the book, my first thought was how other devoted fans of this series would respond to this installment. I think some may have mixed feelings about it, but I thought it was a great bridge story that will segue nicely into what will most assuredly be the ultimate showdown.
I enjoyed the setting aboard the train, the ‘whodunit’ mystery, and getting a rare peek at the young Walt Longmire. I was enjoying the golden age nostalgia so much, I was ill prepared for the jolt out my reverie, dropping me back into the present with a thud. It was hard to wrap my head around how everything was tied up together, but it was pretty tense.
Overall, I enjoyed this book just as much as all the other Longmire novels, despite this being the second book in a row where key players took a backseat. But, I have a feeling, everyone will be back with a vengeance in the next installment, which promises to be one heck of a wild ride.
4 stars
Not sure if the two stories melded together as well as they could have (nor were either of them highly developed), and I wished for more Vic and Henry, but it's always nice to pop in for a visit with Walt and company.
The dialogue always makes me laugh out loud. Another great thriller!
Notes:
The personal and up close look into Longmire's past is always cool to experience. I love how Johnson connects various elements of Longmire's life together. Thank goodness I have the next book! Diving into it next. =)
The personal and up close look into Longmire's past is always cool to experience. I love how Johnson connects various elements of Longmire's life together. Thank goodness I have the next book! Diving into it next. =)
I really wanted to like this book. I loved the TV series. Maybe I shouldn't have started with #13 but it's what was available from the library. The story presumed that the reader is familiar with the characters and setting, so descriptions and explanations were scant. The setting bounced back and forth every page from the beginning of Walt's career to the end with some of the same characters, so it was confusing at first to track the timeline, and it seemed a bit artificial as a device to increase tension. But my biggest gripe with this book is that very near the end something catastrophic happens, and it isn't resolved at the end - presumably it's addressed in book #14. Again, it seems sort of forced as a means to sell the next book.