A review by zmull
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

3.0

Series novels like this one need a strong cast to overcome weaknesses of the plot. And there are going to be weaknesses in the plot if you're cranking out a mystery novel a year. Craig Johnson's third Walt Longmire novel has some plot problems (specifically: a tacked on Wyoming prologue for padding, a goofy scavenger hunt reveal structure, Walt literally running into one of the badguys by coincidence in yet another bit of padding, a Marty Sue-type love scene that is pretty embarrassing, and villains so detached from the narrative they might as well have been called Villain #1 and Villain #2.), but those things are usually softened by the familiarity of the cast. So, Johnson has a problem. Kindness Goes Unpunished is set in Philadelphia, far from the series' usual Wyoming locale. Henry Standing Bear travels with Walt, which is a good sign, but otherwise it's Walt and a new set of locals. It doesn't work well. Eventually another of the Wyoming cast, Vic, the series' most irritating character arrives, but that only lessens the books charm, if anything. Johnson's a writer of talent. He's funny and knows how to write the hell out of two-hander scene, but this one isn't up to standard.