The body of a young man is found in Absaroka County, Wyoming. It is possible that Cody Pritchard is the victim of a hunting accident--or is someone seeking retribution for his part in raping a mentally disabled Cheyenne girl?
Introducing Wyoming’s Sheriff Walt Longmire in this riveting novel from New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson—the first in the Longmire mystery series
The hit drama Longmire is now streaming on Paramount+
Fans of Ace Atkins, Nevada Barr and Robert B. Parker will love this outstanding first novel, in which Craig Johnson draws on his deep attachment to the American West to produce a literary mystery of stunning authenticity.
After twenty-five years as sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire’s hopes of finishing out his tenure in peace are dashed when Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two years earlier, Cody was one of four high school boys given suspended sentences for raping a local Cheyenne girl. Somebody, it would seem, is seeking vengeance, and Longmire might be the only thing standing between the three remaining boys and a Sharps .45-70 rifle.
With lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, Deputy Victoria Moretti, and a cast of characters both tragic and humorous enough to fill in the vast emptiness of the high plains, Walt Longmire attempts to see that revenge, a dish best served cold, is never served at all.
“"We in the West have a major new talent on our hands." -- The Denver Post "A winning piece of work, and a convincing feel to the whole package." -- The Washington Post "Craig Johnson does it right, with style, grace, wildfire pace, and a sense of humor." -- Bob Shacochis 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”
“We in the West have a major new talent on our hands.” —The Denver Post
“A winning piece of work, and a convincing feel to the whole package.” —The Washington Post
“Craig Johnson does it right, with style, grace, wildfire pace, and a sense of humor.” —Bob Shacochis
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
Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit drama 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. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population twenty-six.
In this outstanding first novel, Craig Johnson draws on his background in law enforcement and his deep attachment to the American West to produce a literary mystery of stunning authenticity, and full of memorable characters. Walt Longmire, sheriff of Wyomings Absaroka County, knows hes got trouble when Cody Pritchard is found dead. Two years earlier, Cody and three accomplices had been given suspended sentences for raping a Northern Cheyenne girl. Is someone seeking vengeance? Longmire faces the most volatile and challenging case in his twenty-four years as sheriff and means to see that revenge, a dish that is best served cold, is never served at all. We in the West have a major new talent on our hands. "The Denver Post" A winning piece of work, and a convincing feel to the whole package. "The Washington Post" Craig Johnson does it right, with style, grace, wildfire pace, and a sense of humor. Bob Shacochis
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