As the Crow Flies (Walt Longmire Series #8)

by Craig Johnson Narrated by George Guidall

Overview

Embarking on his eighth adventure, Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire doesn't have time for cowboys and criminals. His daughter, Cady, is getting married in two weeks, and the wedding locale arrangements have just gone up in smoke signals. Fearing Cady's wrath, Walt and his old friend Henry Standing Bear set out for the Cheyenne Reservation to find a new site for the nuptials. But their expedition ends in horror as they witness a young Crow woman plummeting from Painted Warrior's majestic cliffs. Is it a suicide, or something more sinister? It's not Walt's turf, but he's coerced into the investigation by Lolo Long, the beautiful new tribal police chief.

Editorial Reviews

Marilyn Stasio

Walt continues to be excellent company because he's always keen to learn something from the strong Indian characters in this series…
—The New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

A top-notch tale of complex emotions and misguided treachery. . . . Crow is a superb novel steeped in the culture of the American West.” —USA Today

“The pleasure of the series rests in Walt’s narration, with its laid-back, observant, bemused recounting of events.” —Houston Chronicle

“Johnson expertly highlights his conflicted hero’s dual role as father and sheriff in this deeply satisfying installment.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

Praise for Craig Johnson and the Walt Longmire Mystery Series

“It's the scenery—and the big guy standing in front of the scenery—that keeps us coming back to Craig Johnson's lean and leathery mysteries.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Johnson's hero only gets better—both at solving cases and at hooking readers—with age.” —Publishers Weekly

“Like the greatest crime novelists, Johnson is a student of human nature. Walt Longmire is strong but fallible, a man whose devil-may-care stoicism masks a heightened sensitivity to the horrors he's witnessed.” —Los Angeles Times

“Johnson's trademarks [are] great characters, witty banter, serious sleuthing, and a love of Wyoming bigger than a stack of derelict cars.” —The Boston Globe

“The characters talk straight from the hip and the Wyoming landscape is its own kind of eloquence.” —The New York Times

“[Walt Longmire] is an easy man to like. . . . Johnson evokes the rugged landscape with reverential prose, lending a heady atmosphere to his story.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Stepping into Walt's world is like slipping on a favorite pair of slippers, and it's where those slippers lead that provides a thrill. Johnson pens a series that should become a 'must' read, so curl up, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride.” —The Denver Post

“Johnson's pacing is tight and his dialogue snaps.” —Entertainment Weekly

Booklist

“All the elements his fans love are present: lively characters, easy banter, and, of course, a touch of the supernatural. In early books, Walt was less sure of himself, but, in his eighth adventure, it makes sense that he’s now the one “giving sheriff lessons.” This book fits the hand like a well-worn glove.”

MAY 2012 - AudioFile

Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear watch in horror as a Native American woman falls from a cliff on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation. It’s soon apparent that it was no accident, and Walt is called in to help find the murderer. Narrator George Guidall’s excellent character portrayals make it easy for listeners to overlook a few bumpy scenes as he plays up the intriguing aspects of life on the res’ and the humor sprinkled throughout the story. He’s especially impressive as Henry Standing Bear, whose voice alone makes the listener want to know more about the character. This is a notable example of a superb narrator taking a book to greater heights. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

In the eighth of this excellent series (Hell is Empty, 2011, etc.), Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire finds himself out of his element, and not just because he's in Montana. More to the point, it's because he's father of the bride. Walt's beloved daughter Cady should have known better, so it's really on her that Longmire, feeling twinges of guilt and wishing he could be in two places at once, veers off to track down a killer instead of being at the alternative nuptial site as she suddenly requires. Audrey Plain Feather, recently returned from duty in Iraq, has gone off a cliff somewhere in Montana's Cheyenne Reservation. Longmire, who saw her "walk the air," has no doubt he's witnessed a homicide. On the other hand, the tribal chief of police has all manner of doubts, though mostly about herself and her ability to do her new job. Though she's been severely scarred by her own service in Iraq, Lolo Long is quick to spot mentor material when it crosses her path. She commandeers the visitor from Wyoming, who puts up only token resistance. Something of an odd couple at the outset, Long and Longmire pull together as the complex investigation deepens. Tough, resourceful and quietly funny, as always. No wonder Johnson's hero will debut in a new A&E TV series, Longmire, this summer.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169447934
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/15/2012
Series:	Walt Longmire Series
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

As my good friend Henry Standing Bear says, on the Rez, even the roads are red.

I was trying to pay attention, but I kept being distracted by the crows plying the thermals of the high plains sky; it was raining in the distance, but the sun appeared to be overtaking the clouds—a sharp contrast of blue and charcoal that my mother used to say was caused by the devil beating his wife.

“She must’ve stolen the cash register.”

My attention was forced back inside and under cover, and I twisted the ring on my pinkie. My wife, Martha, had given it back to me before she died so that I could give it to Cady whenever she got married.

I looked up—the negotiations weren’t going well. It would appear that Dull Knife College had suddenly scheduled a Cheyenne language immersion class at Crazy Head Springs on the day of the wedding. We had reserved the spot well in advance, but the vagaries of the tribal council were well known and now we were floundering. The old Indian across from me nodded his head in all seriousness. I was negotiating with the chief of the Northern Cheyenne nation, and he was one tough customer.

“That librarian over at the college is mean. I don’t like to mess with her; she’s got that Indian Alzheimer’s. Um hmm, yes, it is so.”

I trailed my eyes from Lonnie Little Bird to the rain-slick surface of the asphalt—Lame Deer’s main street being washed clean of all our sins. “What’s that mean, Lonnie?”

“That’s where you forget everything but the grudges.”

I smiled in spite of myself and took a deep breath, slowly letting the air out to calm my nerves, as I continued to twirl the ring on my finger. “Cady’s really got her heart set on Crazy Head

Springs, Lonnie, and it’s way too late to change the date from the end of July.”

He glanced out the window, his dark eyes following my gray ones. “Maybe you should go talk to that librarian over at the college. You’re a large man—she’ll listen to you. You could show her your gun.” He glanced down at the red and black chief’s blanket that covered his wheelchair. “She don’t pay no attention to an old, legless Indian.”

Henry Standing Bear, my daughter’s wedding planner, who had made the arrangements that were now being rapidly unraveled, sipped his coffee and quietly listened.

“But you’re the chief, Lonnie.”

“Oh, you know that don’t mean much unless somebody wants a government contract for beef or needs a ribbon cut.”

Up until this year, Lonnie’s official contribution to the tribal government had been limited to falling asleep in council. A month ago, when the previous tribal leader had been found guilty of siphoning off money to a private account belonging to his daughter, an emergency meeting had been held; since Lonnie had again fallen asleep, and therefore was unable to defend himself, he was unanimously voted in as the new chief.

“She’s in charge of all the books over there and she’s full blood—that’s pretty much the worst of both worlds.”

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "As the Crow Flies"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Craig Johnson.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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