15th in the series. Longmire is back in the office, still suffering the physical and mental effects of his ordeal in Mexico. I was happy to read about a less superhuman Longmire, one who is still tough but feeling his age and now questioning his abilty to keep going. Familiar characters - Vic, Ruby, Henry, and Dog - make a welcome return. Also returning are the possibly supernatural elements...is Virgil White Buffalo trying to communicate with Walt? Henry Standing Bear says Walt's recurring fugue moments mean a vision is waiting for him, but he needs to be ready to see it. The murder is an interesting tangle, and I thought I had the villain figured out but I was wrong although Johnson does provide us some clues. Also really liked the ending; I was pretty worried for Longmire there in the last couple pages, but it turns out okay.
Whenever there's a new Walt Longmire mystery, it's a cause for celebration even though some of the books in the series may not be exactly what I wanted. That's the power of Craig Johnson's storytelling ability and the lure of the wonderful characters he has created. Each book is a treasure even though some seem to miss the mark. (Oh, to be inside a writer's mind and be privy to the entire story he intends to tell us!) Land of Wolves is an example of one of these books "that's really good, but..." and I think I know why.
After the gut-wrenching time Walt had down in Mexico, he and all his fans were looking forward to being back in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and spending a lot of time laughing with Vic and Henry and all the rest of the cast. But Walt is hurting, and he has good cause to contemplate his mortality. Is it time for him to turn in his badge, do some fishing, and spend a lot of time with his daughter and granddaughter? It's a decision he feels he has to make, and with the end of his career possibly being in sight, Land of Wolves is more an elegy than a happy homecoming.
The mystery in Land of Wolves is first-rate, and it really kept me trying to figure out what was really going on. There's also humor throughout the book what with office pools and Ruby trying to teach an old dog new tricks, but it all seems to fall a bit flat. Even Vic's trademark humor lacks sparkle, and Henry Standing Bear is seldom there. That shows you how much Walt's decision about his future is weighing on his mind.
But you know what? Even a trip to Absaroka County that turns out to be depressing is much, much better than no trip at all. I'm learning about these beloved characters in all their different moods-- and I'm hoping that the next time we see Walt, there will be a smile on his face.
After the gut-wrenching time Walt had down in Mexico, he and all his fans were looking forward to being back in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and spending a lot of time laughing with Vic and Henry and all the rest of the cast. But Walt is hurting, and he has good cause to contemplate his mortality. Is it time for him to turn in his badge, do some fishing, and spend a lot of time with his daughter and granddaughter? It's a decision he feels he has to make, and with the end of his career possibly being in sight, Land of Wolves is more an elegy than a happy homecoming.
The mystery in Land of Wolves is first-rate, and it really kept me trying to figure out what was really going on. There's also humor throughout the book what with office pools and Ruby trying to teach an old dog new tricks, but it all seems to fall a bit flat. Even Vic's trademark humor lacks sparkle, and Henry Standing Bear is seldom there. That shows you how much Walt's decision about his future is weighing on his mind.
But you know what? Even a trip to Absaroka County that turns out to be depressing is much, much better than no trip at all. I'm learning about these beloved characters in all their different moods-- and I'm hoping that the next time we see Walt, there will be a smile on his face.
Not the best or worst Longmire book. Lots of confusing dialoge, but a murder mystery that involves Basque sheepherders and wolfs in Montana.
