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.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson

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.

  

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

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.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips (Viking, 2017) got raves from Lucinda Surber of Stop! You’re Killing Me last year when it was released, and it’s been on my TBR list ever since. Further inquiry reveals she is not alone in thinking this is an excellent book. The New York Times Book Review named it one of the best crime novels of 2017, and it received a trifecta of starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

It opens simply enough. Joan is urging her 4-year-old son Lincoln to pick up his toys so they can leave the zoo just before closing one day. When she finally has gathered the last superhero figure and they make their way to the gate, she sees, in a sickeningly familiar scenario, men with guns enter and start shooting every person they see. She clutches her son and runs the other way, back into the zoo, searching for a place to hide. Her knowledge of the zoo helps them to a place of safety, where she is preoccupied with keeping her chatterbox of a child quiet while they wait for the police. Lincoln is an inveterate story-teller and she is worried sick he will give their hiding place away. The tense narrative carries the reader along with Joan as she inwardly listens for footsteps and gunfire while she outwardly calms her son.

Other people are hiding in the zoo as well and some chapters are written from their points of view. A couple are written from the shooters’ perspective, but most of the book reflects Joan’s experience. The entire book, nearly 300 pages, takes place in about 3 hours.

This is at once a tightly written, highly suspenseful narrative of a life-and-death chase played out by people any of us might know and the story of a mother’s fascination with the new life she’s been given to nurture and her primal urge to protect it. The flora and the fauna of the zoo are lovingly described in some of my favorite parts of the book. It’s clear the author is a devoted nature lover.

I read this fast-paced, unusual book in a single sitting. Highly recommended.

·         Hardcover: 288 pages

·         Publisher: Viking; First Edition (July 25, 2017)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0735224277

·         ISBN-13: 978-0735224278

Aubrey Hamilton ©2018

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.