Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 4
First Line: I stared at the black-and-orange corsage on Barbara Thomas's lapel so that I wouldn't have to look at anything else.
What should have been a rather carefree high school homecoming season in Absaroka County turns into a search for a missing person as Sheriff Walt Longmire attempts to reunite a homeless boy and his mother. Clues aren't easy to come by, but if anyone's going to find them, it will be Walt, his ornery deputy Vic Moretti, and lifelong friend, Henry Standing Bear because none of them know the meaning of the word quit-- and because all of them truly care about their fellow human beings. What comes as a bit of a shock during their search is the fact that an interstate polygamy group has moved into their county, and this group is carrying lots of fire power and a big grudge.
Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series reminds me of a Navajo rug: both books and rug are joys to contemplate, but if you're looking for all the individual components that make them things to treasure, you find that the threads are so closely woven together that they're difficult to pick apart. If you do manage to pick a few out and you begin to list them, the person you're trying to convince may listen for a bit and then look at you as if a few too many of your own threads have come loose. In A Serpent's Tooth, some of Johnson's threads are polygamy (if you think that's a tale just for Utah and Arizona, think again), "My Friend Flicka," an escape artist who thinks he's a Mormon law man from the 1800s, a slow car chase, a black-and-orange corsage, and lost boys. Together, they (and all those other threads) add up to a subtly nuanced tale of the modern West that shows the Old West never died.
Craig Johnson can explore our world without using stereotypes or clichés. His intricately layered plots, note-perfect dialogue, and entrancing characters shine spotlights deep into our minds. How much greater could love be if it combined romantic love with a "band of brothers" mindset? We can explore this in A Serpent's Tooth. We can hoist Walt Longmire up on a tall pedestal because this man understands that the good fights have to be fought, regardless what their cost may be to him. If he turned his back on them, he would not be able to live with himself. And every truly good man deserves a friend who is his equal-- perhaps even his better-- and Walt has this in the Cheyenne Nation, AKA Henry Standing Bear. The Cheyenne Nation will add humor to Walt's life, he'll talk sense to him when others can't or won't, and he'll never, ever turn his back on the Sheriff of Absaroka County. They are more than friends-- more than family-- to each other.
These books make me laugh, they remind me of what I love about the West, and I enjoy trying to figure out whodunit, but Craig Johnson's talent brings a lump to my throat. This writer can write about life's truly ugly face, but he never forgets its soul.
If you've never read one of Craig Johnson's books, you need to correct this glaring oversight. If you're watching the television series "Longmire" on A&E and think you don't need to read the books, think again. What you're watching is the bare bones from the books. In fact the bones are so bare you probably can't even get DNA from 'em. Start with A Serpent's Tooth. Bet you anything once you've finished reading this book that you'll be looking for all the others. Since 2004 whenever anyone's asked me for a recommendation, Craig Johnson always springs to mind first. Always.
What should have been a rather carefree high school homecoming season in Absaroka County turns into a search for a missing person as Sheriff Walt Longmire attempts to reunite a homeless boy and his mother. Clues aren't easy to come by, but if anyone's going to find them, it will be Walt, his ornery deputy Vic Moretti, and lifelong friend, Henry Standing Bear because none of them know the meaning of the word quit-- and because all of them truly care about their fellow human beings. What comes as a bit of a shock during their search is the fact that an interstate polygamy group has moved into their county, and this group is carrying lots of fire power and a big grudge.
Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series reminds me of a Navajo rug: both books and rug are joys to contemplate, but if you're looking for all the individual components that make them things to treasure, you find that the threads are so closely woven together that they're difficult to pick apart. If you do manage to pick a few out and you begin to list them, the person you're trying to convince may listen for a bit and then look at you as if a few too many of your own threads have come loose. In A Serpent's Tooth, some of Johnson's threads are polygamy (if you think that's a tale just for Utah and Arizona, think again), "My Friend Flicka," an escape artist who thinks he's a Mormon law man from the 1800s, a slow car chase, a black-and-orange corsage, and lost boys. Together, they (and all those other threads) add up to a subtly nuanced tale of the modern West that shows the Old West never died.
Craig Johnson can explore our world without using stereotypes or clichés. His intricately layered plots, note-perfect dialogue, and entrancing characters shine spotlights deep into our minds. How much greater could love be if it combined romantic love with a "band of brothers" mindset? We can explore this in A Serpent's Tooth. We can hoist Walt Longmire up on a tall pedestal because this man understands that the good fights have to be fought, regardless what their cost may be to him. If he turned his back on them, he would not be able to live with himself. And every truly good man deserves a friend who is his equal-- perhaps even his better-- and Walt has this in the Cheyenne Nation, AKA Henry Standing Bear. The Cheyenne Nation will add humor to Walt's life, he'll talk sense to him when others can't or won't, and he'll never, ever turn his back on the Sheriff of Absaroka County. They are more than friends-- more than family-- to each other.
These books make me laugh, they remind me of what I love about the West, and I enjoy trying to figure out whodunit, but Craig Johnson's talent brings a lump to my throat. This writer can write about life's truly ugly face, but he never forgets its soul.
If you've never read one of Craig Johnson's books, you need to correct this glaring oversight. If you're watching the television series "Longmire" on A&E and think you don't need to read the books, think again. What you're watching is the bare bones from the books. In fact the bones are so bare you probably can't even get DNA from 'em. Start with A Serpent's Tooth. Bet you anything once you've finished reading this book that you'll be looking for all the others. Since 2004 whenever anyone's asked me for a recommendation, Craig Johnson always springs to mind first. Always.
I usually enjoy the Longmire books, this is the ninth I've read. But with this one, I had a hard time keeping track of the characters/action at one point. These books are never straightforward, and this proved to be no exception. My favorite character is Henry, and I always enjoy the scenes he is in. I would have liked more of them.
Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
I laughed. I cried. I was interested to the point of intrigue. I couldn't put it down.
Craig Johnson continues to improve with each book in the Walt Longmire series, which is shocking when you stop to realize just how excellent the first book, "A Cold Dish", happened to be! The first paragraph in this review is no exaggeration Johnson plays the readers' emotions like a musical instrument one which he has mastered but still loves.
In this book, Absaroka County is "blessed" with a visit from an unknown young runaway. And a religious / cult compound. And someone who claims to be the man who served as bodyguard to the founders of the Mormons, but lives on due to the blessing of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. How do all of these combine to form a criminal conspiracy?
Read the book. Soon.
RATING: 5 stars.
Craig Johnson continues to improve with each book in the Walt Longmire series, which is shocking when you stop to realize just how excellent the first book, "A Cold Dish", happened to be! The first paragraph in this review is no exaggeration Johnson plays the readers' emotions like a musical instrument one which he has mastered but still loves.
In this book, Absaroka County is "blessed" with a visit from an unknown young runaway. And a religious / cult compound. And someone who claims to be the man who served as bodyguard to the founders of the Mormons, but lives on due to the blessing of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. How do all of these combine to form a criminal conspiracy?
Read the book. Soon.
RATING: 5 stars.
I began reading the Longmire books primarily because of the TV series which is now ended. I must say however, that the books provide a lot more depth to the characters and with each one I read, I want to read more! In this one, Longmire is drawn into investigating a religious cult when a young boy is found doing chores for an old woman who thinks the boy is an angel. Turns out the boy is a "lost boy" from a splinter Mormon group that practices polygamy in South Dakota and is now setting up a similar group in Walt's county in Wyoming. A "lost boy" is one who is rejected by the cult primarily because the older men want the young women and girls to themselves. The boy also seems to have a bodyguard in the person of Orrin Porter Rockwell, the destroying angel of Momondom who died in 1878. So who is this supposed 200 year-old man who looks and acts like Rockwell? Well it turns out that there are bad people involved with the cult who are not there for the religion but for somehow making a fortune for themselves. But how are they able to do this in the deserts of Wyoming and South Dakota? Walt and his crew, including Vic and Standing Bear, seek to find out what is going on which leads to peril for several.
This was a very good entry in the series and it looks like Walt and Vic may be getting serious. I need to still read some of the earlier entries as well as the ones to follow. Looking forward to it!
This was a very good entry in the series and it looks like Walt and Vic may be getting serious. I need to still read some of the earlier entries as well as the ones to follow. Looking forward to it!
Ninth in the Walt Longmire series, and if you haven't read them, please start from the beginning...they're all so good. In this book, we start with a local elderly woman telling Walt how angels are doing her household chores. The angel turns into a homeless 15-year-old who's been kicked out of his polygamist cult. The search for his mother turns up some definite oddities, segues into rough territory and ends explosively. I read it in one gulp. Johnson can really set a scene, there's great dialog, and of course the familiar characters. That said I do wonder how Longmire can get away with not calling any other agency in on what really shouldn't be his pitch. Continually losing his prisoner was amusing, but didn't put him in a good light. And I thought the CIA rancher was a stretch, seemed a bit convenient to have her suddenly enter the story. Still, I like that Johnson has each book be sort of self-contained and they all have a little different feel to them.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
My husband enjoys this series very much. Another good story in this series.
