My wife and I are big fans of the Longmire television series and the books, by Craig Johnson, upon which they’re based. The stories are always engaging, entertaining, and provide a colorfully perceptive view of contemporary Western life. I’ve always enjoyed Westerns, going back to when I was a little kid and was taken back “into the thrilling days of yesteryear” by the Lone Ranger. I’ve also always enjoyed mysteries, starting with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, that occupied my time when I wasn’t watching Westerns.

So, a few years ago, when we were doing a cross-country drive from Seattle to Massachusetts for the summer, we decided to take a slight detour off of I-90, setting our sights on Buffalo, Wyoming, home to Sheriff Walt Longmire and Co. And since it was morning, why not have breakfast at the Busy Bee, a real-life café and their frequent TV hangout?

We pulled into town, expecting to find a drowsy, off-the-beaten track, typical Western village (if there is even still such a thing). Boy, were we surprised! Buffalo was packed to the gills. We couldn’t find a parking spot for a half mile within “downtown.”

What gives? we wondered. Wouldn’t you know, it was the annual Longmire Days weekend, and the town was flooded with tourists. Most of them looked 70+ ––it seems Longmire is much more popular among the senior set. Every store seemed to be selling Longmire paraphernalia, from hats to spurs (and books, of course). Flyers listed the nonstop schedule of all the Longmire activities that were taking place over the weekend.

We did manage to find a seat at the Busy Bee among a sea of white hair, sharing a table with some seniors who had driven up from Colorado and were drooling as much over the prospect of catching a glimpse of the celebrity actors as they were over their pancakes. Breakfast was pretty good, once we got it.

What struck me the most about the whole surreal experience was the almost fanatical adoration of Walt Longmire. It seemed that these folks almost thought he was a real person and not simply a fictional character. That’s when my light bulb went off!

What if, I thought, a real murder were to take place in a small Western town during one of these festival weekends, and the townspeople expected the TV sheriff to solve it while giving the real law enforcement short shrift? Lo and behold, that’s how a new Western hero, Jefferson Dance, was born. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

My full-length novel, Roundtree Days, will be released in August 2022. It is set in the fictional Utah desert town of Loomis City, where all kinds of mayhem will take place. I don’t want to give any of it away. In the meantime, I’ve written five Jefferson Dance short mysteries that I’m rolling, out one per week, for your reading pleasure. So, for the moment, please enjoy “Oh, Give Me a Home,” and be sure to have a nice day now.