A group of friends and I have something that we like to call Forced Book Reads, where we each choose a book and make the whole gang read it. (Or at least they have to if they want the others to read THEIR book.) For my selection, I went with Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig, and now it's my friend Chris's turn, and he chose this. I would like to state for the record at this point that, as a whole, I did like this book. However, pretty early on, I noticed some nitpicky little things that started to bother me, and once I strap on my Nitpickers, they don't come off that easily and I'll be walking around in them for a goodish while. So let's get this show on the road and start with the issues. First of which is the fact that I called the whodunnit and why at 49%, so it was pretty predictable as far as the plot went. (Hint: It was NOT Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with the rope.) I can pinpoint the exact moment I knew because I have a note on my Kindle with my prediction, which was even before the 2nd body was discovered, though not by much. The main character figures it out at 93%. This in itself is not unusual, that the main character figures things out very close to the end of the story, but I bring it up because I had to wade through 44% more before the main character, a Sheriff who in many other ways seems to be very intuitive and experienced, got with the program. The reader (if they aren't there yet) is filled in on the who at 94% and the why at 97%. I bring THIS up because of the style and blatant obfuscation attempts in the narrative. I'll come back to this. And in between all of that is a whole mess of description and... to be honest, filler. I really enjoy mysteries and I love when they keep me on my toes. I love smart and fast-paced thrillers that think they were a freight train in their past life and just run you down if you can't keep up. But then there are the mysteries that are a slower pace, that take the time and set the stage and work up to things slowly. Those can be just as enjoyable, but they require a more deft hand and a surer sense of direction. Imagine that the story is giving you directions for how to get to Brad's party after school on Friday while his parents are out of town. The fast-paced story will tell you to take the interstate, get off at exit 4 and fuck the roads, just drive due north across the fields until you see Keg Mountain in front of Brad's parents' house. 15 minutes from your last class to the site of your future beercoma. 10 if you "forget" you said you'd give that moocher Joey a ride because he's always late and you don't feel like waiting. (Also, GAH! When will he buy his own car??) This book would take you straight through town (at a funereal 15 MPH because it's also a school zone), then have you turn right and take State Route 13 for 8 miles. Hook a left at the site of the old Barnett farm, which they lost 15 years ago during the drought. Poor old man Barnett. He now lives with his daughter and son-in-law in St. Petersburg Florida, and hates the humidity and misses the mountains and feels like a burden, so he drinks too much and is a little too irritable with the grandkids, and the patience is wearing thin on the living situation, and poor old man Barnett may end up in a "retirement community" where nobody will visit him and he'll die alone listening to Bernice in the room next door have long, loud arguments with her husband who died in 1993. So, left at the farm, and then continue on this road for a while, until you see the lightning-struck tree. You'll know it's the RIGHT lightning-struck tree because there will be a carving of Jesus' face in the tree bark. Some say the lightning did that - but I was there the night Sam got drunk and thought it would be funny to convince the town it was a miracle. He used a paring knife, but it got the job done, and the rubes in town do think it's a miracle, despite the fact that it happened 6 months after the tree was hit. Apparently miracles take time. At the Jesus tree, make another left, and then a sharp right onto Hooker Creek Road, so named because the family that used to own the land would hook fish out of the creek using repurposed wire hangers, not because there are hookers in the creek. Stay on that road for about 20 minutes, and just LOOK at that scenery... and then... Wait, didn't we pass Brad's house 20 minutes ago? I have to go to the bathroom... That's a bit, uhh... hyperbolic, I admit, but it's not inapt. This is definitely a slow build of a book, and for so much of it, there's just not a lot going on but scenery. We get descriptions of the town, the reservation, the inhabitants of both, the mountains and the general outside areas of Absaroka County, as well as the weather, the weather, the weather, and also the pricipitational habits of the great outdoors. (I'll save you some time: Warmish and sunny, but getting cooler, then cold. Cold. Colder. Snowy. More snow. Snow with fog. Blizzard.)This book had something of an identity crisis. There were times when it felt like it wanted to be something, anything, other than what it was. It is a slow-build murder mystery set in Small Town, Wyoming. What it seemed like it wanted to be, at times, was everything else. Joke book, travelogue, Park & Field Guidebook, romance, Native American historical, litigation thriller, meteorological almanac, and a literary reference guide, to name a few options. Add to that the fact that the narrative jumped around seemingly at random, and it's rather off-putting and confusing. The first few times, I was convinced that there were parts missing from the ebook. But then it kept happening, and I realized that was just part of the style. Most of the narrative shifts, which, in my experience usually come with a small bombshell to tease the reader that when we come back to this point, there will be something worthwhile there waiting, just kind of fizzled out and went nowhere. So, let's talk about the style a bit more. There was something... strange about it. Not just that it jumped around without any rhyme or reason, but also because the narrative didn't like to actually divulge who was talking. Sometimes it was just like Johnson forgot to mention who was involved in a conversation, like when Walt made a phone call and "she" answered. Maybe this was a misstep during the editing process and he fully intended to go back and specify who "she" was, but deadlines loom, and it's not a dealbreaker. But other times, it felt very intentional, the identity of the people involved in something, other than Walt, were purposefully hidden from the reader to create a sense of suspense, or foreboding, or something. This is what I was referring to in the beginning of this review, when I mentioned the obfuscation in the narrative, but it was noticeable, and sometimes quite obvious, which isn't good. Part of the reason I think it didn't work is that Craig Johnson just doesn't have a great sense of timing. There was a section, from about 50% to 75% or so, that got to chugging along quite nicely, and I thought, "Oh good - this is finally starting to get going!" but then it just dropped off again and lost focus. Something important to the plot would happen, and rather than following that thread, we'd wander off into a description of the scene, or a bit of history regarding guns, or what an eagle feather symbolizes, or maybe a little memory of the trial, which is the link between the victims. Important stuff to the story... but awkwardly timed to interrupt the flow of the narrative, rather than enhance it. I admit that I skimmed a goodish amount of these sections.One more thing about the writing, and then I promise I'll say something positive. There were a few times when Walt went all technobabble on me, which is OK, but I would hope that there would be an English translation for the lay readers who might not know what the hell he's saying. For instance: "Massive cavitations with a lot of radiopague snowstorm." Oh yeah, well "Elucidation nonexistent despite a voluminous perplexity of confabulation." In your FACE. One of the best things about the style was the sense of humor. I loved Walt's sarcasm and wit, and I especially loved how he and Henry played off of each other. Their scenes were among my favorite in the whole book, and honestly, I could've swapped out the whole plot of the book for just a bunch more scenes with Walt and Henry. I did like most of the characters in the book - this little town seemed peopled with interesting, smart, and funny characters with loads of personality. Most of them, anyway. I really enjoyed the characters, and think that's a definite check mark on the Positive column for this book. Where the negative check mark comes back in is regarding their names. Quite a few of them have similar sounding names: Cody and Cady. Vic, Vonnie, Vern, Ernie/Ernest (this last one just because of the similarity of 'ern' sound in my head.). And a decent sized majority of them have, in my opinion, literary names. I first thought of this when a group of three new people were introduced in the course of a few sentences: Kyle Straub, Jules Belden, and Vern Selby. It's impossible to read Jules and Vern in the same sentence and not think of Jules Verne. And the name "Straub" gives me an eye twitch, so of course I'm going to think of the horrible, horrible writer who shares the name. But wait, there's more....Vonnie Hayes / Vonnie HughesKyle Straub / Peter StraubJules Belden / Jules VerneVern Selby / Twofer: Jules Verne & Hubert Selby JrDorothy Caldwell / Dorothy ParkerHenry Standing Bear / (O.) Henry or Henry Miller or Henry James? (My vote goes for James as his reference - Henry likes the ghost stories.) Walt Longmire / Walt Whitman?Now, in case you're just tuning in, I love me some books. I love reading them, I love thinking about reading them, I love when other people read them and so on. I usually appreciate book references in other books. They are like little Easter eggs to be found. But... they didn't really work for me in this book. I have no doubt that Walt is an intelligent person. He went to college (albeit briefly, before he lost his deferment and was drafted to Vietnam), and was made an MP. He has been in law enforcement ever since, but I'm not of the opinion that that means that he can't enjoy reading. It just seems strange to me because he DIDN'T read at all during the course of this book, yet rattled off literary references and quotes like they were tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. He can spot literary style thievery 3 different ways in 3 sentences written by the local journalist, and has a witty quip for just about every occasion. Yet he never reads a book that I noticed. When he's home, he's sulking and drinking (though not in the 'jaded alcoholic detective' way - just in the 'unwinding after a long day in my empty, lonely house' way). But OK... Maybe he has a really good memory for books he read in college. Sure. Stranger things have happened. So... yeah. There's a lot of nitpicky stuff that just rubbed me the wrong way while reading this. BUT... all that bitching aside, I did enjoy the book, mainly for Walt and Henry, and I'd bet a few dollars that the series gets better from here, so I'd be willing to give it a second chance. Maybe Johnson will hit his stride in the second book, and the series would end up being great.
[9/10]I don't think I've been this enthusiastic about a new author since discovering Dick Francis. It's not a question of Nobel or Booker Prize material, or of changing my outlook on life. It's just that I discovered something that fits me like a glove, the equivalent of a joyride - makes me feel good, makes me feel smart for figuring out the main suspect before the last page, a bit of adrenaline rush and a lot of snarky humor. Most of all it's about the characters, oddballs and loners most of them, with a strong sense of belonging to a small community, one that you wish you were part of. The immediate connection I made is with early episodes of Twin Peaks : Absaroka County in Wyoming is a similar closed circle of people, each knowing the others intimately, living close to Nature and having little contact with the wider outside world, most of them having secrets to hide and odd quirks of character. I was tempted to say that the main difference between the two is the absence of the supernatural, weirdness factor, but by the end of this first book in the series, the story veered right into some shamanism, new agey spiritual communnion with dead people, so I say give David Lynch a call and sell him a new TV series.I mentioned earlier Dick Francis, but the connection is more in style and general forthright attitude of characters than in content. The one thing you would expect about a book set in Wyoming is horses, cattles and cowboys - and that exactly what you will not find here (yet). Sheriff Walt Longmire is not so keen on the equestrian sports, and prefers to drive a muscle car (I'm not familiar with American brands, so I can't tell what his Silver Bullet actually looks like). His second aversion is surprisingly about guns, in a red state that is famous about gun rights activism. He mentions that he often forgets his service pistol in bars or restaurants, and prefers to leave it in the office or in the car. Still, he is a Vietnam War veteran, and capable of dealing damage when the situation requires it. And I would also mention that the main plot of this western-noir series revolves around a series of crimes committed with a rare and expensive antique rifle dating back to the time General Custer had his unfortunate adventure nearby, at Little Bighorn. Absaroka County reveals itself as a haven for gun collectors, with every other person hiding an arsenal in his closet, and a surprising number of suspects with access to such a rare and deadly artefact.Walt Longmire is for me cast in the mould of the classic "tall in the saddle" heroes of the silver screen: Wayne, Stewart, Cooper, Mitchum. His childhood friend and occassional deputy is Henry Standing Bear, another Vietnam vet of Indian origins. They are both men of few words and quick reflexes, always baiting each other with insider jokes, almost a copycat of Robert Mitchum and John Wayne in Rio Grande, most often with the Bear playing the straight man and Walt the drunken clown with the wounded heart. Dialogue is really one of the strongpoints of the novel, liberally peppered with "YEP" and "NOPE", but also with a lot of one liners and literary or pop culture references. Walt is apparently quite the bookworm for an outdoorsman, and can keep his own well in any literary or philosophical conversation.One of the main points of interest for me in the series is the near wilderness of the region - the least populated county in the US, with the Big Horn Mountains always on the horizon, the frequent changes in the weather, the isolate ranches and the neighboring Indian Nations reservations. I've saved countless images from the Tetons and the Snake River on my desktop background, and maybe one day I will get to visit. Until then, this Walt Longmire series is a good substitute.Coming back to the story, I felt in places that the actual murder investigations take second place to the building up an interesting setting and a good cast for the long run of the series, introducing the major players, but not delving too deeply into their background in order to leave something for the next books, sketching the investigative team interactions, mixing self administered justice with modern scientific methods. By the way, detective Vic Moretti is a great counterpoint to the slightly old fashioned friendship between Walt and the Bear, adding some sexual tension and a LOT of foul language.The story is well anchored in social issues and the human interest angle (a rape case involving some wild youngsters and an underage Indian girl), making the administration of justice a personal issue for Walt Longmire. His problems are componded by loneliness after losing a wife to illness and a daughter to the lure of a big city career. I was both proud and a little disappointed in having guessed the identity of the bad guy very early in the story, but the final appeal was more in the journey than in the destination.Book two coming soon. Maybe even the new TV series, but I can't catch it on any channel available in my network.
What do You think about The Cold Dish (2006)?
I tried watching the TV series & didn't care for it, so I was surprised at how good the book was. It was quite a bit longer than it needed to be, but that was part of the writing style - very laid back & subtle at times. Made for a likable, humble character who was really quite a bad ass & yet a softie, too. Interesting mix. The Indian stuff was well done, surprisingly so. I liked the way it was used to describe the blizzard trek. I normally hate that, but this somehow added to the unreality of such a situation. On top of all that, it was quite a good murder mystery. The way the weapon was used against the suspect list was tricky & good.I'm definitely looking forward to another!
—Jim
Walt Longmire is the long time sheriff of Absaroka County. This is the first book in the series of his....what, adventures, escapades, life events? I'm giving this book (after consideration) four(4) stars though it's a low 4. If we had the much lamented half star system it would be 3.5. For at least the first third of the book whether I'd finish it or not was in doubt. Then it (finally) settles down and tells it's story.So...be ready for Walt's internal struggles, his angst, his loss, his new relationship trauma. Prepare for visits to "folk", a search for a fuse box, a pancake brunch...lots of "stuff. We meet a new character and get a few hundred words of description then a few hundred or a few thousand more on background and history.I found it, for me and my taste in books exceedingly slow going for a while. Of course many love that about these books so some of you will get caught up in the book right away. You'll love the detail about Walt, Vic and others. That's not the type of book I particularly like so as I said...it was slow for me.Now that said somewhere around the halfway mark as we got more involved in the actual plot (which was introed early on but got lost for a while in the detail) I got involved and enjoyed the book.Also I think fans of Tony Hillerman might like this one as it uses Native American (American "Indian" as is used in the book) mysticism in the plot. My wife was a big Hillerman fan.So, pretty good once it gets back to the plot. I think it might reach multiple audiences. While maybe not completely what detail lovers of plot centered enthusiasts prefer it has something for both. Think I'll try another of the series.I can recommend this with certain reservations. Enjoy.
—Mike (the Paladin)
"On the afternoon of June 25th, 1876, as the heat waves rolled from the buffalo grass, giving the impression of a breeze that did not exist, Colonel George Armstrong Custer and five companies of the Seventh Cavalry rode into the valley of the Little Big Horn. Also that afternoon, Davey Force, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, went six for six against Chicago, who scored four runs in the ninth to pull out a 14 to 13 victory. Custer was not so lucky." Big Horn MountainsSheriff Walt Longmire of Wyoming's Absaroka County is having a hard time getting his life back together after the death of his wife. "When they are gone, we are left with who we are after we were with them, and sometimes we don't recognize that person." In this case it takes a murder to bring Walt back to his job. Robert Taylor playing Walt Longmire on the A&E TV seriesCody Pritchard, one of four boys convicted of raping an alcohol fetal syndrome Cheyenne girl, is found dead among a herd of sheep. He was shot with a big caliber weapon. As the case unfolds it is determined that a Sharps .45-70 Buffalo rifle was the murder weapon. A rifle capable of "dropping a horse at six hundred yards". Now you would think that would shorten up the list of suspects, but as it turns out due to the historical significance of the weapon and the accuracy the Sharps is capable of; many men, in this gun rich section of the country happen to own one. Walt has his own theories about guns."We are a combative breed. I was not hard on us, though; I didn't need to be, history was. Ten major wars and countless skirmishes over the last two hundred years pretty much told the tale. But that was political history, not personal. I was brought up on a ranch but, because of my father, the romance of guns had somehow escaped me. In his eyes, a gun was a tool, not some half-assed deity. Guys who named their guns worried him and me." Sharps RifleWhen a second boy of the four is also shot with the same weapon Walt realizes he is in a race against time if he hopes to keep more murders from happening. He relies on his friend Henry Standing Bear who owns the local bar The Red Pony to help him negotiate the politics of the reservation and lend him critical advise on Walt's own mental state of mind. Henry owns a three-quarter ton piece of crap pickup he lovingly calls Rezdawg. Walt hates that truck, but..."There was one thing I liked about Henry's truck, even if I never told him: its comfortable smell of old steel, earth, and leather. I had grown up in old trucks like these, and there was a security there, a sense of memory that transcended brand names and badge loyalties. That description brought back fond memories for me as well. I learned to drive in my father's 1976 Chevy pickup and one of the more recent times that I was up to see my folks I went out to that pickup, now parked in the trees, and creaked a door open just to breath in those old, wonderful smells still trapped in the tattered seats and the rusted out floorboards. Lou Diamond Phillips plays Henry Standing Bear in LongmireWalt has a deputy named Vic Morretti, an acid tongued transplant from Philadelphia. She is absolutely devoted to Walt and yet uses every opportunity to kick his ass verbally. She's a handful, but Walt hopes with some seasoning she will someday succeed him as Sheriff. They are fond of each other and yet have a hard time showing it. Walt takes a chance on losing a paw. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. It was a risky move, but she didn't resist, and I rested my chin on the top of her head. "Thanks for coming up after me." Her voice was muffled and sounded strained. "You're the only friend I've got.""I bet you say that to all the sheriffs." Katee Sackhoff plays Vic on the series LongmireI came to this book series ass backwards. I started watching the TV show on A&E this summer and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The show is faithful to the books, and so reading this book was just like stepping into the TV show. The setting is modern times, but things really haven't changed a lot in Wyoming in the last hundred years. Yes, there are cell phones, even though Walt refuses to use one, but with the ring of mountains around this area service is spotty. The people who reside in Wyoming have to be respectful of nature. One misstep in this part of the world and you can still find yourself a victim of misadventure. Your scattered bones might never be found. If you like Westerns you will love this series. If you like reading about beautiful vistas or have an interest in Cheyenne reservation culture you might like this book. If you believe the world is a place of mysticism you will find things in this book that will help keep those beliefs alive. Well written, authentic, with a plot that kept me hooked to the very end. I will certainly be reading more of what Craig Johnson wants to dish up. If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.comI also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
—Jeffrey Keeten
