Reviews

The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

bfpierce's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Really enjoyed the book, great pacing, great characters and kept me guessing until the end. Oh, and it's so much better than the TV programme for my money.

kerryw78's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

meggamillion14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was really really great. Wow. I had to take my anxiety meds towards the end… I knew what was coming. Really beautiful writing, really complex characters and transporting scenery.

christinamk88's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

gdsunshine's review against another edition

4.0

(a reread) I'm ready to pick up on the series but need a refresh of earlier books. I still rate it 4 stars! After a few years, I haven't changed my mind!

indogswetrust's review against another edition

4.0

Enjoyed it. Love the TV show, and read the book due to that. Found it to be a true voice of living in CO/WY.

peterkeep's review against another edition

3.0

I don't normally read books like this (it's not fantasy, not sci-fi, not nonfiction about math or basketball...) but I was gifted a few of the books in this series as a shot in the dark. It's cool to get books from other people, because even though this isn't a "right up my alley" type of book, it still finds a middle ground between me and the person who gifted it to me. And that's super.

I liked texting the gift giver in the middle of the book, giving progress updates, and asking questions about the TV show. And I think they enjoyed hearing my experience, and knowing that the gift was a success.

Because this book was good! I liked it! It started off a little slow: there is a whole cast of new characters with a pretty solid backstory on each, and it took time to set them all up. It was still interesting, especially with the short flashback scenes dealing with the sexual assault case. Then, about halfway through, the case we're following clearly pivots towards a murder (not like we didn't already know it was a murder, but now Walt knows too), and the story goes full on murder-mystery. There are lots of twists and turns, a satisfying ending, and everything points towards me enjoying the other books in this series.

sarahrheawerner's review against another edition

5.0

Ever wonder what would happen if Cormac McCarthy were to write a mystery novel set in rural Wyoming?

Wonder no more.

Honestly, I liked this book a lot more than I thought it would. Despite its stark and unforgiving setting, the characters were richly drawn, fully alive, and wonderfully entertaining.

This book has a ton of heart mixed in with some incredibly beautiful storytelling and an intriguing mystery to boot. TO COWBOY BOOT THAT IS

...Nope, that wasn’t even half-funny. Sorry about that. Read this book. You’ll be glad you did.

brickgreen's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mpapomeroy's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

3.5