Kevin's Corner: Craig Johnson

Showing posts with label Craig Johnson. Show all posts

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Review: The Brothers McKay: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

Pepper McKay is very dead. Hated by nearly everyone, Pepper McKay ran his life, his family and pretty much everything and everyone else, for miles around for many decades. While he had his business interests, his marriage a number of years ago gave him control over what is known as the “O-Kay Ranch.” Located at the mouth of Crazy Woman Canyon, the dude ranch, is in Absaroka County, Wyoming. That means his death has to be investigated by the local sheriff, Walt Longmire.

That means the good sheriff and his number, two, Victoria Moretti, need to get to the scene as fast as possible. It does not help that they are stuck in a barely moving traffic jam on the road in thanks to one of two lightning caused wildfires that started overnight. The fires are running wild, thanks to drought and dead trees and whatnot, and will go where they want and when they want.

Eventually, they get to the former working ranch that is now operated as a dude ranch. For decades it was operated by the Harris family. Then the granddaughter, BeeBee, turned it into a dude ranch, then married Pepper McKay, and then he went work taking control and running roughshod over everyone and everybody.

Pepper McKay, a hard drinker, and pretty much hard at everything, had gone fishing in Crazy Woman Creek that morning. He had lunch and other food with him, but hadn’t been seen since. One of the long-time ranch hands had gone looking for him and had finally found him floating face down in the water. The ranch hand had pulled the body up onto the bank and then called 911.

Walt Longmire had a long history with Pepper McKay going back some four decades. So, the fact that the man was drinking in his last hours is no surprise. Beyond that obvious fact, as Vic examines the body, she advises Longmore and the newly assigned to the area Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper, Shane Wilson, that the back of Pepper McKay’s head shows obvious signs of some sort of traumatic brain injury. She also notes the numerous contusions and abrasions, but those could have happened as the body moved downstream through the churning waters and hit rocks and such. She also notes that by how heavy he feels, his lungs are probably full of water.

It is clear to all three of them that an intoxicated Pepper McKay could easily have slipped and fallen, striking his head in the process, before drowning. It is also very possible to all that he might have been hit in the head with a rock and left to drown. So, the question is—accident or murder?

If it was a murder, it would also be a very complicated case with a laundry list of suspects. For decades Pepper McKay lived his life like a human wrecking ball—he smashed through obstacles and people with wild abandon. That means the suspect list, inside and outside the family, is a long one and complicated. Some neutral observers, if they knew what had happened decades ago, might put the good Sheriff on that suspect list too.

As Walt Longmire spins up outside resources to assist his investigation, another problem is dumped into his lap by the newly appointed Wyoming Attorney General, his own daughter. Maxim Sidorov wants to relocate to Durant. With no parole officer in the area, that would mean that Sheriff Longmire would have to be his parole officer despite the fact that the man tried to kill him awhile back. Maxim Sidorov lost an eye in that attempt. He also gained a lot of respect for him and is trying to help him find a great aunt, Ruth One Heart.

Maxim Sidorov is soon in town, living in the jail, and advising Walt on what has turned out to be the definite murder of Pepper McKay. He is instrumental to the investigation which also manages to bug the heck out of Longmire. He also briefly annoyed this reader who had an out loud “Duh” moment when Sidorov pointed things out.

The Brothers McKay: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson is a highly entertaining read that keeps the reader turning pages. Part murder mystery, part survivalist action read, it also sets up what will clearly be the focus of the next book in the series. Unless the author has juked and head faked this reader on this too.

Recommended.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4e6xQ3e

My digital ARC came by way of Viking Penguin, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a positive review.

Thursday, July 03, 2025

Review: Return to Sender: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

As a reader, I am very tired of the whole cult trope. You know the drill. Shady charismatic cult leader, a couple of enforcers, and a bunch of cult church members drugged out of their minds, following the leader who hears/sees God, scriptures in the sand, whatever, and bad things inevitably happen. Unfortunately, that is the majority of the story in Return to Sender: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson.

As the publisher, Viking, has a long history of ignoring my ARC requests on NetGalley, which then counts as a denial against me in their system, I knew it would happen again this time. So, as soon as it was listed in the Dallas Public Library System, I requested it, and was prepared to wait a very long time. This book, apparently, does not have the interest level as his previous books have had, as it came very quickly. While I was on the list for print and digital, the digital arrived first. It did so just three weeks after publication and less than two weeks after they actually had the copy in the system. That never happens.

The latest in the series has Sheriff Walt Longmire far from home and in the area of what is known as the “Red Desert.” Located in the Southern central part of Wyoming, the region features a massive sand dune formation and a lot of strange happenings.

At the behest of Mike Thurman, a cousin of Walt Longmire’s late wife, he is there to find a missing woman. Blair McGowan has gone missing. She had been a multi-year contractor for the United States Postal Service and had a route that went over 307 miles. That distance made the very isolated carrier route the longest in the country. She just vanished one day and nobody knows where she is or what happened.

Her 68 International Travelall rolled out from the parking lot at the post office one morning and she was in it. Many hours later, it was parked back in the lot. While she was not seen exiting the car, she seemingly did her route, and then just walked away. She was known to be a bit stubborn and eccentric so it could have happened that way. But, Mike does not think so at all.

After a short period of time, her scummy boyfriend sold it at to a local used car dealership. That car is still there and available for sale. The boyfriend also quickly sold off the rest of her stuff. He’s clearly moved on and is in no way concerned or caring about what happened.

Walt Longmire knows the local law enforcement and can’t really find any fault with their investigation. They had next to nothing to go on and worked the deal as best as they could. They also don’t seem inclined to put any more work into the case. Which is why Mike reached out to Walt.

Mike wants Walt to go undercover as a postal contractor, take over her route, drive and deliver mail, ask questions, and see if he can figure out why she went missing and what happened.

He agrees, buys her car, and before long is out on the route delivering the mail. Of course, things get weird as this is the Red Desert, aka, the Bermuda Triangle with Sand. And, if you have read the book description, you know that part of the weird is the aforementioned cult trope. No spoilers here.

Despite the fact that it leans heavily on the cult trope, Return to Sender: A Longmire Mystery is a good read. Predictable in many places, the book moves quickly and tells a good yarn. Which is about all you can ask for living in a time when cults are all the rage.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lrXYpF

My reading copy came in eBook form from the Dallas Public Library System.

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Short Story Wednesday: Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson takes readers to late December 1970 and the North Slope of Alaska. Long before Walt Longmire became Sheriff in Wyoming, he was head of security at an oil rig. Henry Standing Bear has come up from the lower 48 to see him and finds Walt drinking heavily and isolating himself. Vietnam took a toll and Walt is coping by drinking and staying away from the woman he loves, Martha.

The isolation and the cold makes some people snap. The latest causality of a breakdown was George Frazier. Frazier works for Walt and was supposed to be on the security detail for a U.S. Geological Survey team doing core testing out on the ice the next day. The day before the Winter Solstice and it will have just 3 hours and 42 minutes of daylight.

With Fraizer out, that means Walt Longmire has to go on what should be a relatively easy run. Relatively easy for the artic weather conditions. Henry Standing Bear tags along as he had been complaining about not doing anything, but playing chess in Longmire’s cramped quarters. Good thing he goes too because what should have been a relatively easy same day excursion turns into fight for survival against a massive polar bear that, seemingly, can’t be killed. Throw in a ghost ship, bad weather, and members of the excursion party being killed left and right, and the result is one heck of a pulp adventure read.

Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson is one heck of a good read. A fast-moving novella, it comes down to the most primitive battle there is --- man vs nature. The getting there is very much well worth it.

Make sure you read Scott Montgomery’s far more detailed review here at his The Hard Word site as well as the author’s recent appearance at The Poisoned Pen and shared by Lesa Holstine here.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/41xy5Oo

While I had hoped to read this months ago via NetGalley, the publisher, Penguin Group Viking, denied me as they often do, so I had to wait for Dallas Public Library to get it. They finally did. My reading copy was a digital one through the Libby/OverDrive app and read in one day.

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Review: First Frost: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

First Frost: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson picks up a few weeks after The Longmire Defense. It is a novel of two storylines. One storyline is set in the here and now as powerful and well-connected forces use a court hearing to go after Sheriff Walt Longmire for his actions at the end of the last book.

The other storyline is set in late May, 1964. Henry and Walt are embarking on a road trip as they head east from California to report for military service. Both have graduated from college and that meant their college deferment is over. The Vietnam War is well underway and Henry is to report to Fort Polk in Louisiana. Walt Longmire is to report to Parris Island in South Carolina. They have about a week to get where they need to be in order to comply with their orders. They are talking Walt’s old farm truck and will go east, through Oklahoma, so that Henry Standing bear can visit relatives, before hitting Fort Polk and then Parris Island.

At least that was the plan.

After a slow start out of California due to some questions from the local police after they save some folks off of a sinking boat, they get on I-40 heading east. It is after many hours of travel, dep in the night,, somewhere in Arizona (they think), when everything goes sideways, literally, and they wind up in a ditch. The result is a right front wheel bent horribly off at an angle indicating major damage. The only answer at their isolated location is to walk for help.

After some walking, they find the small barely existing town of Bone Valley. There are hardly any people and most of the structures are boarded up and locked in one way or another. It is clear from the start of their arrival that it is a strange place and haunted by something horrible that happened many years earlier. What happened is something the few local left don’t want to talk about or deal with as they are desperate to keep the secrets buried and avoid all outsiders. The arrival of Walt and Henry, who can’t easily be sent on their way as soon as possible, are a problem for that goal.

In the here and now, the good Sheriff is involved in a court hearing where he has to testify regarding his actions at the end of the last book. I can’t go into more detail without creating spoilers and I never do that. I can say that if you have not read The Longmire Defense, it would be best to do so before reading this book, as the events in the climax of that book are the main issue in this storyline.

The two storylines, decades apart run independently as this book moves forward and steadily entertains the reader. As always in this series, the past is major part of the here and now. First Frost: A Longmire Mystery is a read that once again touches on friendship, faith, morality, and legacy. As has been pointed out in this series before, regardless of the intent, noble or otherwise, our actions can, and often do, have a lasting impact far beyond what is seen at the time.

First Frost: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson is another really good read in this long running series. One that should be read in order, as always.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aDdWHJ

My digital ARC was provided by the publisher, Penguin Group/Viking through NetGalley.

Friday, December 22, 2023

FFB Review: Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

With Christmas coming Monday, it seemed a good time to remind you of this very good seasonally appropriate read.

The Tuesday before Christmas brings snow, relative quiet, and no real plans for Sheriff Walt Longmire other than his annual rereading of A Christmas Carol. That is until the quiet dark-haired woman toting a garment bag walked into his office. Eventually it becomes clear that she wants to see the former Sheriff, Lucian Connally. The woman claims to have something that she would like to return to him.

Lucian is living at the “Durant Home for Assisted Living” and could probably use a visit from somebody besides Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog. Not only is the home’s television another victim of Lucian’s legendary temper having died by gunshot, the man is not in the best of moods because it is Christmas and he has been drinking quite a bit. He has no idea who the mystery woman is either until she says “Steamboat.”

What follows is an incredibly suspenseful flashback tale of a flight to save a child’s life against the odds---medical and environmental. On Christmas Eve in 1988 an aging WWII plane and a cast of locals including the recently retired Lucian and first year Sheriff Walt Longmire pulled off a Christmas miracle. Though readers can surmise from nearly the start that the dark-haired woman was that child, there is plenty of suspense in how the flight happened and why she is back now.

While Spirit of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story is a short book as it is a novella, it is a powerful and deeply moving book. Craig Johnson brings alive the storm, the people, and the history of a legendary aircraft in a way that few novelists could do. The resulting 160-page book might simply be the best thing the man has ever written.

You can, and should, also read Lesa Holstine's 2020 take on the book here.

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Review: The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson

The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson finds Sheriff Longmire thinking about the past and a future beyond being the good Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. The next election is coming in a few months and Longmire might be done as Sheriff. Between the politics, the strain and stress of running for office yet again, and recent events, he could be working his way around to calling it quits.

He’s out at the family cabin in the Bighorn National Forest as the book begins and Cady, his daughter, inadvertently stirs up the past by cleaning the place. She came across an old picture of her great grandfather, Lloyd Longmire. Cady and his granddaughter are out at his place cleaning and keeping an eye on him as he recovers from recent events. She has questions about her great grandfather and Walt would just as soon not talk about him.

He might have been family in name, but he was a man that Walt had a rocky relationship with despite, or maybe because, of the family tie. He was a hard man with strong expectations and constantly passed judgement of others. That included his grandson, of whom he apparently did not think much of at all. The picture shows Lloyd Longmire and a group of others outside the Bank of Durant many years ago. That picture has started a line of questioning that Walt Longmire could do without as he lies in a hammock holding a book and his sleeping granddaughter.

Then Undersheriff Victoria Moretti shows up and drags him with her to go looking for a missing woman. The woman from Minnesota, who was following the navigation map on her phone and thus followed bad directions, got her car stuck on a relatively nearby Forest Service Road. She walked a bit, finally got cell service, called for help, and then instead of staying put and waiting for that help, left the area. Now she is missing and Undersheriff Moretti wants Longmire to come do a ride along with her to go check out a possible route the missing woman might have taken.

Recent events in Montana have a taken a toll and though he is physically healed, mentally and spiritually he isn’t, and he really doesn’t want to do it. But, with Cady pushing him as well, he goes with Moretti. and it isn’t long before the problem of the missing woman lost in the mountains.

Longmire finds Trisha Knox.

He also finds a rifle, a specially customized rifle, that could be tied into a killing from long ago.

The killing of Bill Sutherland, known as “Big Bill,” happened back in 1948 and was declared a hunting accident. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But, Lloyd Longmire as well as Walt’s dad were involved. Finding the gun brings ghosts and more to life in a complicated tale of oil money, mercenaries, and politics in The Longmire Defense.

Much is going on in the read that spends most of the time looking at events in the past with a somewhat morose Walt Longmire more contemplative than usual. In the here and now, Walt is facing the possibility of big change in a couple of areas as well so that means he has a lot on his mind. Introspection is good and all that, but it does get to be a bit much here at times as it grinds the read to a near halt. This reader also gets the impression that the series might be ending fairly soon. One hopes not.

Despite everything, The Longmire Defense is a good read. The story keeps the reader engaged, even when it moves forward at a glacial pace, and we learn more about the Longmire family and their legacy. All in all, a good read.

My reading copy came in eBook form from the Dallas Public Library System by way of the Libby/OverDrive App.

Friday, December 24, 2021

FFB Review: Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

With Christmas coming tomorrow, it seemed a good time to remind you of this very good seasonally appropriate read.

The Tuesday before Christmas brings snow, relative quiet, and no real plans for Sheriff Walt Longmire other than his annual rereading of A Christmas Carol. That is until the quiet dark haired woman toting a garment bag walked into his office. Eventually it becomes clear that she wants to see the former Sheriff, Lucian Connally. The woman claims to have something that she would like to return to him.

What follows is an incredibly suspenseful flashback tale of a flight to save a child’s life against the odds---medical and environmental. On Christmas Eve in 1988 an aging WWII plane and a cast of locals including the recently retired Lucian and first year Sheriff Walt Longmire pulled off a Christmas miracle. Though readers can surmise from nearly the start that the dark haired woman was that child, there is plenty of suspense in how the flight happened and why she is back now.

While Spirit Of Steamboat: A Walt Longmire Story is a short book as it is a novella, it is a powerful and deeply moving book. Craig Johnson brings alive the storm, the people, and the history of a legendary aircraft in a way that few novelists could do. The resulting 160 page book might simply be the best thing the man has ever written.

You can also read Lesa Holstine's take on the book here.

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Short Story Wednesday Review: The Highwayman: A Longmire Story by Craig Johnson

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)

http://www.penguin.com

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.

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