Walt Longmire is sheriff of Absaroka county in Wyoming. His wife has died, and he has lost interest in pretty much everything except the nightly drink that allows him to sleep each night.
He is merely going through the motions until the murder of Cody Pritchard forces him into action. Cody had been one of the four boys who, two years earlier, had escaped punishment after raping a young Cheyenne girl and could have been murdered by almost anyone in the town. Cody is the second of the two boys who have been killed, so he must draw upon all of his resources to protect the other two. Someone is bound and determined to wreak revenge, and it is Walt's job to stop that person.
The last thing Walt Longmire wants to get involved in is conducting an investigation of people he has known and respected, which include many of his colleagues and even his best friend.
The setting of this novel is against the backdrop of breathtaking mountains and scenic beauty. This natural landscape plays into its appeal, as do the rich traditions of the Northern Cheyenne people and life on their reservation.
Craig Johnson is author of the Walt Longmire mystery series, and has won numerous awards for his books. The series has served as the basis for the popular A & E drama, Longmire, starring Robert Taylor.
Johnson lives in Ucross, a small town in Wyoming with population of under 50, where he continues to write. His knowledge of the western landscape and skill at writing lifts his book far above the typical cowboy or western novel one might expect.
"Although I enjoyed the A&E/Netflix shows quite a bit, the audiobook performance is much better. Walt, Standing Bear, Vic, Ferg, and all the other Absarokans are much fuller characters and it feels like spending time with old friends. Walt is much funnier in the books and made me laugh out loud. The narrator's voice is perfect for the character and the author's phrases create pictures in the mind as the story plays. You can almost smell the Latigo. This is not the humorless, angst filled Walt created for TV, he has all the same pain but much more human and likeable. 5 stars."
— KC (5 out of 5 stars)
“A winning piece of work, and a convincing feel to the whole package.”
— Washington Post“We in the West have a major new talent on our hands.”
— Denver Post“A strong sense of place, a credible plot, and deft dialogue lift Johnson’s good-humored debut novel.”
— Publishers Weekly“A multilayered whodunit mystery, stands out in its genre.”
— Bookmarks" A really good read, a mystery and love story and beautiful writing about living in modern day Wyoming country side. Johnson is a professional writer, a great story teller, and the narration is superb. "
— Jay, 11/13/2018" I really liked this book. It was his first effort and a subject he knows well. Humorous asides, and, had me wondering 'who did it' to the very end. Hey, my living in 'another square state' (CO) didn't hurt. I knew many of the places he talked about. Hell, I think I was even married in Wyoming once. "
— David, 2/15/2014Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for fiction, the Nouvel Observateur Prix du Roman Noir, and the Prix SNCF du Polar. Death Without Company was selected by Booklist as one of the top ten mysteries of 2006 and won the Wyoming Historical Society’s Award for fiction book of the year. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 25.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.