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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
This was the second mystery that I've read recently that was set in Wyoming. The other was one of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett books. Both of the books had visits by characters in them to the Hole-in-the-Wall, the famous hideout of outlaws, most notably of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It wasn't a major plot point in either book, but I found it interesting and coincidental that they both mentioned the place.
Another Man's Moccasins was the fourth in Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series, and I approached reading it with some trepidation because I had found number three in the series to be a major disappointment. Fortunately, I needn't have worried. This book finds Longmire back in Wyoming, after his sojourn in Philadelphia and in this one the embarrassing and inappropriate interactions between Walt and his sexy chief deputy, Vic Moretti, are kept to a minimum and don't interfere with the plot, so that was a plus.
The plot of the book takes us to two different locations and two different periods in time: there is present day Absaroka County, Wyoming and 1968 Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam. Both places and times are seen through Longmire's eyes.
I found it quite interesting to get some of the backstory of Longmire's - and, incidentally, Henry Standing Bear's - time in Vietnam. We learn that Longmire served as a Marine Corps investigator there and that he befriended a young prostitute in the bar that he frequented. This becomes important because, forty years later, the body of a young Vietnamese woman who had been murdered is dumped in a road ditch in Absaroka County and when he goes through her effects Walt finds a picture of that other young woman that he had befriended and in the background of the picture, playing the piano, is none other than a young Walt Longmire. What could be the connection between these two women? And what could have possibly brought the murder victim to Absaroka County? Was she looking for Walt? And if so, why?
Things become complicated when it turns out that the place where the murder victim was dumped is near a culvert where a homeless Crow Indian named Virgil White Buffalo has been living. Virgil is a giant of a man who is also a veteran and who has had a checkered history, having been imprisoned not once but twice for crimes that he did not commit. And now the sheriff of Absaroka County is arresting him again on suspicion of murder, even though Walt is unconvinced that he has any connection to the crime. His presence in the vicinity of the body and the fact that he attacked Walt at the scene is enough reason to put him behind bars.
Meanwhile, there is a subplot of Walt's daughter, Cady, recovering from the injuries that she sustained in Philadelphia in book number three, and a visit by her new Philadelphia boyfriend, Micheal Moretti, Vic's brother. Moreover, we get to better know some of the other new deputies in the sheriff's department, especially the Basque nicknamed (by Vic) Sancho. He gets a fairly major role in this story.
All in all, this was a thoroughly satisfying read and I feel that Johnson is back on track now. I just hope that in the future he lets Walt stay in Wyoming where he belongs and - please! - let's have no more of the May-December romance between Walt and Vic. It's just off-putting.
Another Man's Moccasins was the fourth in Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series, and I approached reading it with some trepidation because I had found number three in the series to be a major disappointment. Fortunately, I needn't have worried. This book finds Longmire back in Wyoming, after his sojourn in Philadelphia and in this one the embarrassing and inappropriate interactions between Walt and his sexy chief deputy, Vic Moretti, are kept to a minimum and don't interfere with the plot, so that was a plus.
The plot of the book takes us to two different locations and two different periods in time: there is present day Absaroka County, Wyoming and 1968 Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam. Both places and times are seen through Longmire's eyes.
I found it quite interesting to get some of the backstory of Longmire's - and, incidentally, Henry Standing Bear's - time in Vietnam. We learn that Longmire served as a Marine Corps investigator there and that he befriended a young prostitute in the bar that he frequented. This becomes important because, forty years later, the body of a young Vietnamese woman who had been murdered is dumped in a road ditch in Absaroka County and when he goes through her effects Walt finds a picture of that other young woman that he had befriended and in the background of the picture, playing the piano, is none other than a young Walt Longmire. What could be the connection between these two women? And what could have possibly brought the murder victim to Absaroka County? Was she looking for Walt? And if so, why?
Things become complicated when it turns out that the place where the murder victim was dumped is near a culvert where a homeless Crow Indian named Virgil White Buffalo has been living. Virgil is a giant of a man who is also a veteran and who has had a checkered history, having been imprisoned not once but twice for crimes that he did not commit. And now the sheriff of Absaroka County is arresting him again on suspicion of murder, even though Walt is unconvinced that he has any connection to the crime. His presence in the vicinity of the body and the fact that he attacked Walt at the scene is enough reason to put him behind bars.
Meanwhile, there is a subplot of Walt's daughter, Cady, recovering from the injuries that she sustained in Philadelphia in book number three, and a visit by her new Philadelphia boyfriend, Micheal Moretti, Vic's brother. Moreover, we get to better know some of the other new deputies in the sheriff's department, especially the Basque nicknamed (by Vic) Sancho. He gets a fairly major role in this story.
All in all, this was a thoroughly satisfying read and I feel that Johnson is back on track now. I just hope that in the future he lets Walt stay in Wyoming where he belongs and - please! - let's have no more of the May-December romance between Walt and Vic. It's just off-putting.
I enjoyed this one, especially with its flashbacks to Walt's past.
I didn't care for the Vietnam War storyline told through flash-backs, so I had a more lukewarm reaction to this one than to the other Longmire mysteries.
4 Stars for Narration by George Guidall, 3 Stars for Story
Mini-Review:
Usually, I care a lot about how the narrator inflects and vocally acts for the other characters in the story. There are always exceptions. I really enjoy the way Guidall portrays Walt and Henry. That is solid and fits really well with how I imagine them to be.
An old photo of an Asian woman and a white man turns out to be a shot of Walt and his friend. While the relationships are rather clear cut, nothing else is quite that simple in Walt's life. It is no surprise that the photo was found among the ruins of a murdered woman.
Great setup to dip into Walt's past and reflect on the horrors of war. Virgil makes an appearance as the silent and dangerous Indian Giant. A man of little words and great strategy in chess. The book is a tangle of relationships, cold blooded murder and Walt's awkward (hilarious) dating life. I really like the way each book builds upon the story and gives it more depth. It's great to read a series where all the details matter and do impact the story in some fashion that makes sense.
Mini-Review:
Usually, I care a lot about how the narrator inflects and vocally acts for the other characters in the story. There are always exceptions. I really enjoy the way Guidall portrays Walt and Henry. That is solid and fits really well with how I imagine them to be.
An old photo of an Asian woman and a white man turns out to be a shot of Walt and his friend. While the relationships are rather clear cut, nothing else is quite that simple in Walt's life. It is no surprise that the photo was found among the ruins of a murdered woman.
Great setup to dip into Walt's past and reflect on the horrors of war. Virgil makes an appearance as the silent and dangerous Indian Giant. A man of little words and great strategy in chess. The book is a tangle of relationships, cold blooded murder and Walt's awkward (hilarious) dating life. I really like the way each book builds upon the story and gives it more depth. It's great to read a series where all the details matter and do impact the story in some fashion that makes sense.
The best one yet. Love all the characters - Walt, Vic, Ruby, Sancho, and of course, my favourite, Henry.
And the way Johnson describes the Wyoming country side - awesome.
And the way Johnson describes the Wyoming country side - awesome.
Loved the flashback parts and getting a deeper look at the characters.
Yet another solid Longmire book finished.
This one is told in a different style than the others, and I'm not quite sure if that adds to the book or detracts. But, Johnson does a brilliant job of weaving the two mysteries - the one in the present and the one in Vietnam - together. You don't really have any idea who it's going to be for either mystery, which is extremely impressive.
This one is told in a different style than the others, and I'm not quite sure if that adds to the book or detracts. But, Johnson does a brilliant job of weaving the two mysteries - the one in the present and the one in Vietnam - together. You don't really have any idea who it's going to be for either mystery, which is extremely impressive.
As a Western writer myself, I found this book to be one of the most offensive stereotypes I've ever read. The characters have no depth. They possess most of the qualities people from the East associate with Western people...simple-minded, monosyllabic, ready for a fight at the drop of a hat. Johnson has been uncovered as a complete fraud, passing himself off as a former NYC cop when he was in fact a security guard at a museum. He's also a fraud as a writer of Western literature, taking this genre three steps back from where amazing writers like Cormac McCarthy, Mark Spragg, Gretel Ehrlich, Tom McGuane, Kent Haruf and Louise Erdrich have been moving. The West has a long history of outsiders coming in and profiting from our resources. But it also has a long history of outsiders coming in and making themselves part of the culture by getting to know the people here. That's what writers like Kittredge, McGuane and Annie Proulx have done. They've made the effort. The West is not made up of cardboard cutouts, and anyone who profits from this kind of stereotyping is doing it only to profit from the old myths. Those myths are dead, and most of us are moving on. It's time for Mr. Johnson to take note of this and write about what people are really like here.
Star rating: 4.5 Stars
When a young Vietnamese prostitute is found in a field near the highway, Walt finds himself reliving his days as a marine in Vietnam. Then after finding a picture of himself as a young soldier within the woman's possessions, he becomes more determined then ever to find out who cut short her life.
What another great installation in the Longmire series! At this point I'm willing to admit I have a bit of a crush on Walt... as well as Henry Standing Bear. There were two reasons why I lowered this novel from 5 stars down to 4 1/2. The first being that the murderer is relatively easy to figure out, but it's their motive that had me running around in circles. The second reason is the unresolved tension between Walt and Vic. I understand that as an author you have to keep your readers interested in the story line, but I would have liked a little more discussion between the two characters as to where they're planning on taking their relationship. All in all though, this was a wonderful novel and I can't wait to read the next in the series!!
When a young Vietnamese prostitute is found in a field near the highway, Walt finds himself reliving his days as a marine in Vietnam. Then after finding a picture of himself as a young soldier within the woman's possessions, he becomes more determined then ever to find out who cut short her life.
What another great installation in the Longmire series! At this point I'm willing to admit I have a bit of a crush on Walt... as well as Henry Standing Bear. There were two reasons why I lowered this novel from 5 stars down to 4 1/2. The first being that the murderer is relatively easy to figure out, but it's their motive that had me running around in circles. The second reason is the unresolved tension between Walt and Vic. I understand that as an author you have to keep your readers interested in the story line, but I would have liked a little more discussion between the two characters as to where they're planning on taking their relationship. All in all though, this was a wonderful novel and I can't wait to read the next in the series!!
Another Man's Moccasins gave an in depth look at who Walt Longmire is and how he became the man and Sheriff that he is in the present. I found myself anticipating the events of his time in Vietnam and also anticipating the future of Cady, Michael, Vic, Walt and even Virgil. There was humor, as there is in each of the series, and there were moments that I could not put the book down and had to fight off sleep to finish the chapter.