Publishers Weekly
Johnson's sixth mystery featuring Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire (after 2009's Dark Horse) will remind readers that a big city isn't necessary for a compelling crime story and enduring hero. One blizzardy February day, Walt and his deputies—Victoria Moretti and Santiago Saizarbitoria—visit the Durant, Wyo., dump, owned by the Stewart family, to investigate a severed thumb found in a discarded cooler. There they discover that the Stewart family patriarch, George, was almost killed after someone dragged him behind a '68 Toronado. Walt winds up playing peacemaker between the cantankerous Stewarts, longtime Durant residents, and the owner of a new housing development bordering the junkyard. When a search of the dump unearths a surprising side business and two deaths follow, Walt realizes he has bigger problems on his hands. Series fans as well as newcomers will cheer the laconic Walt every step of the way. 8-city author tour. (June)
From the Publisher
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
SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile
Would this mystery, set in rural Wyoming, be as funny and beguiling without George Guidall’s astute narration? I doubt it. Guidall is just a master at finding the subtleties and making the most of monosyllabic teenagers, a smart-mouthed deputy, or the long-suffering Sheriff Walt Longmire. A family-run junkyard is diverting enough; then add a modern-day land dispute, wily characters, and plenty of small-town gossip. We’re grateful for a gifted and perceptive narrator who delivers these colorful locals, describes hilariously absurd situations, and still keeps the suspense intact. A fun series to follow—there are five others. Listeners who loved Guidall’s readings of Tony Hillerman’s stories will find some echoes here. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
In rural Absaroka County, Wyo., where Sheriff Walt Longmire keeps an uneasy peace, junk isn't always junk. It's often worse. Geo Stewart, 72, is the kind of man broken bones happen to. That's old news to the docs at Durant Memorial Hospital. This time, however, along with a fractured clavicle-the result of being drawn some distance roped to the rear of an ancient Oldsmobile-Geo has a bit of unsettling news for the docs, who will pass it on to Sheriff Longmire, whose life it will immeasurably complicate. When he's not in the hospital, Geo is steward of the Durant dump, which he prefers to call the "Municipal Solid Waste Facility." In this capacity, he's found a severed thumb. Since no one has reported it missing, Sheriff Walt has a mystery on his hands. And since nothing is ever as easy in Absaroka County as counting noses, or digits, the mystery will only deepen and develop links to other local mysteries, such as exactly what kind of crop is being harvested in a certain Durant basement, or who's responsible for the sudden surge in the county homicide rate. Or, knottiest of all, what to do about the unseemly, ongoing romantic comedy starring grizzled, wintry Walt and Deputy Victoria Moretti, his feisty, foul-mouthed, adorable girl of summer. It's hard to imagine a more likable lawman than Sheriff Walt (The Dark Horse, 2009, etc.). Thumbs up.
