It is coming up on the end
of the year and Sheriff Walt Longmire should be far from home in Philadelphia.
His daughter, Cady, is about to have her first child and she needs her father at
her side. He is also needed in Wyoming as his old boss Lucian Connally has
asked for his help.
Lucian, the former sheriff
of Absaroka County, has asked Walt to go over with him to neighboring Campbell County,
specifically the town of Gilette. Known
for the coal trains that roar through the county as well as the boom and bust cycles
of oil and gas, Lucian had plenty of opportunity and reasons to come the county
over the years. A friend of his, Detective Gerald Holman, recently committed
suicide in a rundown motel room. According to his wife, Phyllis, he never would
have done such a thing so she does not believe it really was a suicide. According
to her, the local law enforcement folks wrapped up the investigation all too
quickly in an attempt to cover something up. What that was, she has no idea,
but, she is convinced that her husband’s job on the “Cold Case Task Force” of
the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department was the cause. She wants Lucian’s help
and by extension, Walt’s, to find out what actually happened and why.
Lucian owes a debt that goes
beyond the grave as Phyllis makes clear. Not that Walt really wants any part of
it, but Lucian needs help and that means Walt will be involved to the very end.
Once unleashed, he isn't going to quit as Lucian points out early on to
Phyllis:
“’I want to warn you that if you put Walter on this you're going to
find out what it’s all about, one way or another.” Another pause and I could
imagine the face that was peering down at her, a visage to which I was
accustomed. “You're sure you want that? Because he's like a gun; once you point
him and pull the trigger, it’s too late to change your mind.’” (p11)
That he is and that fact is
clear again from start to finish of Any Other Name: A Longmire Mystery. The
march of the clock is always present in this latest high octane read from
author Craig Johnson. Against the clock of a baby about to make its way into
the world in Philadelphia, and the worsening December weather in Wyoming and
all points nearby, Any Other Name constantly
ratchets up the pressure as Walt and others work a case that goes far beyond a
simple suicide. The case constantly expands until it reaches far beyond the
small town in Wyoming.
Consistently far superior to
the television series that shares the name, the latest Longmire mystery is
another good one. With main characters that have become incredibly real to the
reader, the beauty of Wyoming, and cases that feature plenty of twists and
turns, the books are always good. Any Other Name is another wonderful
installment of a series that began in The Cold Dish.
Any Other Name: A Longmire Mystery
Craig Johnson
Viking (Penguin Group)
2014
ISBN# 978-0-670-02646-3
Hardback
324 Pages
$26.95
Material supplied by the
good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
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4 comments:
You know one thing that bugged the heck out of me? With all those trips to Kmart, why didn't the man buy himself a decent pair of boots suitable to the weather?
It may seem minor, but it just struck me as (a) out of character for an intelligent human being and so (b) a sloppy plot device so he could be slipping and sliding all over creation.
I have a vague memory of some throw away comment why he didn't do that, but can't swear to what it was.
Kevin---good review. You highlight what readers enjoy about Johnson's Longmire books (and what we don't like about the A&E series) with great accuracy.
As for getting better prepared for the weather, I believe he thought he'd be out of there in less than 24 hours so he could get back to Durant, get packed, and get on a plane to Philadelphia---then the inconsistencies in how the investigation was going coupled with the missing women would not let go of him.
Then there's the whole coal thing, but I digress---enjoyed it, Kevin.
Thank you, Sharon.
I thought it was that fact, but I have some vague memory that he also thought what was there to get shopping wise was not that great. It was a library book so I can't go look now.
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