From the massive archive…
There is a legend regarding the Wind River Canyon in
Wyoming. The legend has several pieces including a piece involving a highway
patrol officer by the name of Bobby Womack who had a complicated career
tragically cut short in a fiery crash decades ago. It is a place where strange
occurrences are customary, radio communication is still nearly impossible,
and very old gold coins appear on the roadway right before major events.
It is according to newly transferred highway patrol
officer Rosey Wayman, a place where she can hear “officer needs assistance”
radio calls from Bobby Womack. Such a call sends fear and stress through any
officer. That response is made worse by the fact these calls come from somebody
who can’t possibly be alive and no one else has ever heard the middle of the
night calls. Sheriff Walt Longmire knows her to be a good and solid officer and
intends to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Others think there is no mystery. Their perception, whether
they say it or not, is that Officer Wayman is nuts. Her supervisor wants her to
have a psychiatric evaluation. Such an evaluation, even if she would pass the
test, certainly isn’t going to help her career prospects. Trying to convince
others of what she has heard these last three months is beginning to take a
serious toll on the young officer. She needs Sheriff Walt Longmire and the Henry
Standing Bear to prove she isn’t crazy.
This is a heavily atmospheric mystery tale that is a
really good one. There has always been a hint of the unexplained by in the
stories of Sheriff Walt Longmire. It is a much heavier presence in The
Highwayman where the mystery has a modern component
as well as pieces of what legends are made of. The paranormal or the unexplainable
has a strong presence in the tale and has not surprisingly generated quite a
few negative reviews on the various review sites. As has the publisher price of
this novella which is as high as a full length novel.
Don’t pay any attention to the naysayers. Much of
their negative commentary is driven by either failing to understand the
storyline or by being annoyed by the price set by the publisher. Either
situation has nothing at all to do with the actual read. It is a fast moving novella
that that is part mystery and part psychological suspense. Not everything in
the world can be easily explained and that is certainly true in The
Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson. It is also a very good
book.
For another take on the book, please check out Lesa
Holstine’s review.
While checking that out make sure you also
check out the Wind River Canyon on America’s Scenic Byways as
well as the tunnels on Bridgehunter.com.
The
Highwayman: A Longmire Story
Craig
Johnson
http://www.craigallenjohnson.com
Viking
(Penguin Random House LLC)
2016
ISBN#
978-0-7352-2089-8
Hardback
(also available in eBook and audio formats)
201 Pages
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2021
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2 comments:
I love Longmire, so this review caught my attention. Thanks for the heads up.
His new book comes out in September.
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