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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This is the first book in the Walt Longmire Mystery series. I picked it up because over the summer, I became a fan of the TV show that is derived from the books ("Longmire" on A&E). I already had some familiarity with a few of the characters, and figured I would enjoy it.
The book is a solid, reasonably well-written mystery. The author writes well in his descriptive passages, and most of the dialogue is good, although several times because of the way he writes, I lost track of who was saying what -- he needed to give the reader a few more hints. The characters are interesting and reasonably well drawn. And the mystery itself was a pretty good one -- he really had me guessing until the end.
One thing I liked about this book was Johnson's occasional flights of literary fancy -- every so often, maybe two or three times a chapter, there would be a wonderful, poetic line thrown in to describe a scene or an action. I found myself wishing for a little more of that, but perhaps the author thought it would get stale if he did it too much. When it happened, though, I really enjoyed it.
One thing I did not like about the book was the "visions" that Longmire repeatedly had of the spirits of dead Cheyenne elders. I know that these were meant to be taken as hallucinations and not real ghosts, but it gave the book a sort of occult/supernatural feel in those places, which I did not think fit at all with the gritty "modern western" theme that encompassed the rest of the novel. A little of the spirituality would have been fine, but I thought Johnson went overboard with it in a couple of scenes.
That said, this was a very solid first novel in the series, and I will likely read more of them in the future. The mystery itself was very good, and kept me guessing.
The book is a solid, reasonably well-written mystery. The author writes well in his descriptive passages, and most of the dialogue is good, although several times because of the way he writes, I lost track of who was saying what -- he needed to give the reader a few more hints. The characters are interesting and reasonably well drawn. And the mystery itself was a pretty good one -- he really had me guessing until the end.
One thing I liked about this book was Johnson's occasional flights of literary fancy -- every so often, maybe two or three times a chapter, there would be a wonderful, poetic line thrown in to describe a scene or an action. I found myself wishing for a little more of that, but perhaps the author thought it would get stale if he did it too much. When it happened, though, I really enjoyed it.
One thing I did not like about the book was the "visions" that Longmire repeatedly had of the spirits of dead Cheyenne elders. I know that these were meant to be taken as hallucinations and not real ghosts, but it gave the book a sort of occult/supernatural feel in those places, which I did not think fit at all with the gritty "modern western" theme that encompassed the rest of the novel. A little of the spirituality would have been fine, but I thought Johnson went overboard with it in a couple of scenes.
That said, this was a very solid first novel in the series, and I will likely read more of them in the future. The mystery itself was very good, and kept me guessing.
Love the characters and the smart, stoic sheriff from Absaroka County, Wyoming. I can only hope to meet one of his ilk some day. Makes me want to move out west to write about the desert and the mysteries of the wild landscape and the colorful populace that inhabits it.
I want to solve a mystery. Just once in my life. A real whodunit. A whahappened? A Howsitwhatsit?
But it's not in the cards for me, as evidenced in two ways by this book.
Way number one: I have no crimefighting nor crimesolving abilities.
Way number two: I was so unobservant that I read the end 30% or so of this book on an airplane at 2 AM. Because I booked a flight that left at midnight rather than noon because that whole "Midnight is the AM thing," which we stick to as a people even though I think we all agree that A) AM means morning and B) Midnight is not morning.
It's a pretty good argument for military time.
Anyway, I don't even have the powers of observation that prevent me from pulling into my apartment's parking lot at 6 AM. So there's no way in hell I'm going to solve a mystery. Well, other than "Does it suck to get on a plane at 12:55 AM?" Answer: yes. Pretty much totally .
But it's not in the cards for me, as evidenced in two ways by this book.
Way number one: I have no crimefighting nor crimesolving abilities.
Way number two: I was so unobservant that I read the end 30% or so of this book on an airplane at 2 AM. Because I booked a flight that left at midnight rather than noon because that whole "Midnight is the AM thing," which we stick to as a people even though I think we all agree that A) AM means morning and B) Midnight is not morning.
It's a pretty good argument for military time.
Anyway, I don't even have the powers of observation that prevent me from pulling into my apartment's parking lot at 6 AM. So there's no way in hell I'm going to solve a mystery. Well, other than "Does it suck to get on a plane at 12:55 AM?" Answer: yes. Pretty much totally .
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd read all of them except for this one, the first one. Wish I'd read this one first. Sheriff Longmire is a likeable guy but his temper shows in this one. He's a pretty heady character and when you read about his ordeal in this story it's a wonder he can function. The ending is a real shocker. Never saw it coming. Characters in this story are bigger than life. We need a TV series/movie for this great series like CBS did for Robert Parker's Jesse Stone series.
I came to this after being sucked into the tv show, and as the show is very faithful to the books, I'm pleased. There's plenty of action, descriptions of the beauty and peril of the natural world of Wyoming, and despite the unlikely obsession of every woman in town has for Walt, Walt is highly likeable as a troubled hero.
The first in a long line of cases by Johnson, this novel introduced the world to Walt Longmire, the sheriff of fictional Absaroka County.
While I first watched the show (which has many differences to the book series), I was pleased by this book. It is written clearly and with the necessary details, not bogged down by verse to make the reader work extra hard at solving the mystery. I may not be as talented in figuring out plots as well as some readers, but this mystery was entertaining and fun to follow, with good, reasonable twists throughout. The poetic lens of Longmire is shown well in this book, with reverence to high literature and Native American identity. Speaking of, I find the references to the Natives appropriate and with genuine care, not cheap appropriation or with gawking eyes. At least, in my opinion.
All in all, I think this is a good read for any fan of mystery and fictional crime, with detailed explanations of crime and weaponry to make the audience feel that they're solving the mystery right along Longmire.
While I first watched the show (which has many differences to the book series), I was pleased by this book. It is written clearly and with the necessary details, not bogged down by verse to make the reader work extra hard at solving the mystery. I may not be as talented in figuring out plots as well as some readers, but this mystery was entertaining and fun to follow, with good, reasonable twists throughout. The poetic lens of Longmire is shown well in this book, with reverence to high literature and Native American identity. Speaking of, I find the references to the Natives appropriate and with genuine care, not cheap appropriation or with gawking eyes. At least, in my opinion.
All in all, I think this is a good read for any fan of mystery and fictional crime, with detailed explanations of crime and weaponry to make the audience feel that they're solving the mystery right along Longmire.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
At times quite beautiful, but at others overwrought. In my view, this book could have benefited from an editor-enforced diet. Also, seen from 2019 at least, there's a degree of sexism and racial romanticism which sits rather uncomfortably. And, for what it's worth, this reader saw the final big reveal about half way through.