An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson

Published by Viking on September 13, 2016

Walt Longmire hardly ever stays home any more. This time he’s (mostly) in Hulett, Wyoming. His friend Henry Standing Bear is participating in a motorcycle rally — challenging himself in a hill climb competition — when he’s not quoting Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, Longmire is looking into a motorcycle accident (the young rider is in a coma) that may not have been an accident.

Bear is challenged in another way when his ex-lover Lola (after whom he named a motorcycle) prevails upon him to help investigate the accident. Eventually Longmire’s undersheriff, Vic Moretti, shows up, having returned from the (so far) fruitless investigation of her brother’s death (an event that occurred in Dry Bones which, like all the Longmire novels, is worth reading before starting on this one).

Longmire makes it all the way to page 113 before he says “Boy howdy,” but quite a lot takes place before he says it. And quite a lot more follows in this eventful novel. Craig Johnson doesn’t fill pages with meaningless action scenes (a pivotal bar fight, for instance, takes place off stage, leaving Longmire to describe the aftermath) but the pace is never slow and the story is never dull. The primary plot involves Longmire’s effort to understand why the motorcyclist was run off the road (and who did it), but a number of entertaining subplots branch off from that story.

Potential villains include a D-list celebrity who once starred in a reality TV show about motorcycle repair, a couple of inept vehicle thieves who continually cross Longmire’s path, an entire motorcycle gang, and Lola. As always, Johnson gives supporting characters (not just the regulars) enough personality to make them seem real.

The trademark dry wit and trivia expertise that Johnson bestows on Longmire always keeps the story light, although this one is lighter than most. For instance, Johnson pokes gentle fun at the enormous waste of tax dollars involved whenever the federal government gives local police departments things (like mine-resistant military vehicles) that they don’t need.

An Obvious Fact serves up a nice helping of what series fans have come to expect -- easy entertainment with familiar characters and a spry plot. It does little to delve into the dark events of the last novel, but I imagine Johnson will explore that plot thread in the next book or two. I would consider An Obvious Fact to be an average novel in the series, but boy howdy, that makes it pretty darn good.

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Dry Bones by Craig Johnson

Published by Viking on May 12, 2015

A dispute over ownership rights to the bones of a T-Rex is complicated by the death of the landowner who accepted money from the High Plains Dinosaur Museum for the right to dig them up. The mess gets messier when the FBI intervenes, claiming that the bones are on public land and therefore belong to the United States government. The Cheyenne are also asserting a claim to the dinosaur remains. Walt Longmire would like the whole mess to go away but first he needs to solve the suspicious death of the landowner, which leads to a murder mystery with a half dozen suspects for the reader (and Walt, together with series regulars Lucian and Henry) to ponder.

Longmire is still having visions which, in the hands of most other writers, I would consider a cheesy gimmick, but the visions play only a minor role and they suit the offbeat stories that Craig Johnson tells. Longmire novels are always fun and this one is no exception. Walt's laconic wit and Craig Johnson's breezy style make the novels a joy to read. But, fun as it is, this Longmire novel is more moving than most. There is often family drama in a Longmire novel but Dry Bones introduces a family crisis that is sure to form the central plot in one of the upcoming novels. As always, I look forward to reading it.

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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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As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson

Published by Viking on May 15, 2012

Sheriff Walt Longmire is on a reservation in Montana scouting a potential location for his daughter's wedding when a woman plummets to her death from a nearby cliff. Rather miraculously, a baby she is holding survives the fall. Unless the woman committed suicide (and nobody believes she would take her baby with her), the woman's no-good drunken husband is the obvious murder suspect, but Walt isn't so sure. Longmire is outside of his jurisdiction, so the crime will be investigated either by the tribal Chief of Police, Lolo Long, or the FBI. That doesn't stop Longmire from playing an active role. Another murder removes its victim from his list of suspects, deepening the mystery of the killer's identity.

Despite (or because of) her beauty, Lolo has a seriously large buffalo chip on her shoulder, a fact that contributes about half of the story's considerable comic relief. Longmire takes it upon himself to give Lolo some (mostly unwelcome) professional advice and on-the-job training. At the same time, everything that can go wrong does as Longmire tries to make arrangements for his daughter's wedding, providing another source of amusement. Laughs aside, Craig Johnson writes scenes of family dynamics that are sweet and touching without ever becoming melodramatic.

As the Crow Flies is a better-than-average mystery written in an easy, breezy style that mixes mild intrigue with gentle humor. Johnson doesn't rely on chase scenes or machismo-laden heroes to carry the story. Longmire doesn't provoke confrontations to prove his toughness, nor does he have the mindless "zero tolerance" attitude toward crime that too often characterizes fictional law enforcement officers. He is, in fact, more likely to tell someone to stop being stupid than he is to arrest them for foolish behavior. His self-deprecating remarks and laid-back attitude make him a likable character. The other series regular who plays a large role in As the Crow Flies, Henry Standing Bear, is equally likable. All the characters have unique personalities; even minor characters are believable.

The story's many plot threads all tie together nicely at the end. I wasn't able to identify the killer although a more astute reader might have better luck. Longmire's experiences as he pursues the investigation are as engaging as the mystery itself. The novel's most interesting section involves a Cheyenne religious ceremony in which Longmire is invited to participate. It is rare in a suspense novel for an upright hero to ingest peyote. Johnson's description of Longmire's hallucinatory experience is both respectful and fascinating. Longmire's vision, of course, helps him solve the crime, and if that's a bit farfetched, it is no less entertaining.

In short, As the Crow Flies provides a thoroughly pleasurable reading experience. It isn't necessary to read the earlier books in the Longmire series to appreciate this one, but reading this one might prompt readers to search out the previous installments.

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