Any Other Name by Craig Johnson

Published by Viking on May 13, 2014

Like the first ten Walt Longmire novels, Any Other Name (the eleventh entry in the series) is a pleasure to read. The laid-back sheriff, his Cheyenne friend (Henry Standing Bear), his crusty former boss (Lucian Connally), his Undersheriff/lover (Victoria Moretti), his daughter (Cady) and his dog (Dog) all contribute to the fun. Actually, his daughter takes an off-stage role. She's in Philadelphia, about to give birth, and is insisting that Longmire solve the crime in time to catch a flight so he can be present when her baby is born. If you've followed the series, you know Longmire had best obey his daughter's commands.

Gerald Holman, a sheriff's detective in an adjacent county, apparently committed suicide in a locked room. Phyllis Holman thinks the true cause of her husband's death is being covered up. Longmire agrees to investigate Holman's death. He's soon poking his nose into unwelcome places. Shootouts ensue. Repeatedly.

Holman had been working on three cold cases, all of which involved young women who disappeared. The last woman to disappear was a stripper who worked for Tommi Sandburg, the sister of the county's sheriff. Tommi is a hoot, the kind of eccentric character Craig Johnson does so well. Tracking one of the missing women leads Longmire to an unfortunate but amusing encounter with a herd of buffalo and to a whacky sequence of events that has Longmire chasing a train in a blizzard. In the hands of most other authors, I would be rolling my eyes, but Johnson kept my eyes focused on the text. He makes me believe, makes me want to believe, no matter how unlikely the story becomes. That's the mark of a talented writer.

If Any Other Name has a weakness, it is the unoriginal explanation for the disappearance of the women, although the story does finish with a surprise. Still, I'm not sure the plot matters. Reading a Walt Longmire novel is like visiting with old friends. Walt is a good natured guy and the story's good natured violence sets the stage for the characters to exchange droll jokes. Walt is a model of dignity and kindness, a model that people in law enforcement, and everyone else, should emulate.

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