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Walt Longmire #8
As the Crow Flies
On the heels of A&E’s blockbuster show Longmire—the latest New York Times bestseller in a “a top-notch tale of complex emotions and misguided treachery” (USA Today) The recent A&E premiere of Longmire—a television series based on Craig Johnson’s New York Times bestselling Walt Longmire Mystery Series—was the highest rated scripted drama in the network’s history and consistently held its viewers throughout the season. Its success has readers stampeding to the bookstore, making As the Crow Flies Johnson’s biggest hardcover success. In his eighth adventure, Walt Longmire doesn’t have time for criminals. His daughter is getting married in two weeks and the wedding locale arrangements have just gone up in smoke signals. He needs to find a new site for the nuptials—fast. Unfortunately, his expedition to the Cheyenne Reservation is derailed by a grisly death. It’s not Walt’s turf, but he’s coerced into the investigation by Lolo Long, the beautiful new tribal police chief.
308 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2012
1505 people are currently reading
4441 people want to read
About the author
Craig Johnson
102 books4,964 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Craig Johnson an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. . He lives in Ucross, near Sheridan, Wyoming, population 25.
Johnson has written twelve novels featuring Sheriff Walt Longmire: The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpunished, Another Man's Moccasins, Junkyard Dogs, The Dark Horse (which received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, and was named one of Publisher's Weekly's best books of the year in 2009), Hell Is Empty, As The Crow Flies and A Serpent's Tooth. The Cold Dish and The Dark Horse were both Dilys Award finalists, and Death Without Company was named the Wyoming Historical Association's Book of the Year. Another Man's Moccasins received the Western Writers of America Spur Award for best novel of 2008 as well as the Mountains and Plains award for fiction book of the year.
Former police officer; has also worked as an educator, cowboy, and longshoreman.
AWARDS: Tony Hillerman Award for "Old Indian Trick"; fiction book of the year, Wyoming Historical Society, for Death Without Company, Wyoming Council for the Arts Award.
Craig Johnson an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. . He lives in Ucross, near Sheridan, Wyoming, population 25.
Johnson has written twelve novels featuring Sheriff Walt Longmire: The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpunished, Another Man's Moccasins, Junkyard Dogs, The Dark Horse (which received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, and was named one of Publisher's Weekly's best books of the year in 2009), Hell Is Empty, As The Crow Flies and A Serpent's Tooth. The Cold Dish and The Dark Horse were both Dilys Award finalists, and Death Without Company was named the Wyoming Historical Association's Book of the Year. Another Man's Moccasins received the Western Writers of America Spur Award for best novel of 2008 as well as the Mountains and Plains award for fiction book of the year.
Former police officer; has also worked as an educator, cowboy, and longshoreman.
AWARDS: Tony Hillerman Award for "Old Indian Trick"; fiction book of the year, Wyoming Historical Society, for Death Without Company, Wyoming Council for the Arts Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,189 reviews
November 29, 2016
It's such a pleasure to be on book 8 of a series and still be engaged by the stories, the locale, and the characters. Loved the cover, loved the murder to solve, loved the humor, the Native American Indian Lore, loved the relationships, loved feeling like I was hearing about a friend's life.
Top notch.
Top notch.
August 13, 2015
Mystery writers seem particularly drawn to serialize their creations. Perhaps because the genre allows a plot arc to be completed while building on a foundation of familiar characters and setting. However, as the series goes on the challenge becomes bringing a sense of freshness while allowing the familiar to cradle the reader in comfort. As the Crow Flies manages to capture the spirit of the Longmire tradition: the desolate Western setting, the trials of family, the work of law enforcement, and cultural aspects of the West. In this installment, Sheriff Walt Longmire is tasked with finalizing details of his daughter’s wedding. A problem in venue sends him and best friend Henry Standing Bear out to some picturesque cliffs, where he and Henry witness a woman falling to her death.
Johnson’s sense of place continues to be evocative, and this time action nicely clicks along with a variety of leads to pursue and incidents that spur Walt’s continued involvement in the case. As the death takes place on tribal lands, the reader is given a tour through some of the areas outsiders rarely see, except perhaps the local casino. I thought Johnson did a nice job of being value-neutral with the setting but still descriptive. Walt continues to play doting–but semi-absent–father and has an emotional moment or two where he has to accept emotional fallout from his choices. Pacing is steady and has a balance between the familial and the mystery plot lines.
While I enjoyed it, two concerns hung in my mind. One is that Walt is becoming even more of the awful trope known as the Great White Hope (with thanks to Claudia for verbalizing my concern). In prior books, Walt seems to narrate from bridge status, neither insider nor quite outsider to Native culture, but in this one he becomes much more of a cultural insider. I do think Johnson avoids a lot of the more stupid and common stereotypes of the U.S.’ Native population, whether desperately poor, meth-runners, or charity cases, but in this one he strays far into Mystic Connection With the Earth stereotype (for the love of all that is stereotypical, dear writers, will you stay away from the ‘blind-woman-who-sees-all” character?) In the last book, Walt had a spirit guide on his journey through the wilderness, so while this plot line could have been developed as part of an emotional/spiritual growth story, it does not quite achieve that prominence.
I’d also allow for the possibility that Walt is rejecting the opportunity for spiritual growth, but Johnson doesn’t seem to be exactly headed there either. He just presents it, and while Walt will skim across his experiences in his thoughts, he won’t discuss or even inwardly acknowledge the opportunity. In Johnson’s favor, it should be noted that he does seem to achieve a nice balance in acknowledging differences in the Native cultural landscape and generally presenting characters as complicated and multi-dimensional.
So at the moment I draw up neutral, and will await where Johnson goes next.
My other concern is that this book is heavy with “instruction” to a new tribal police chief, Lolo Long who happens to be a woman and a war veteran. Walt flat out tells her she is wrong for the job, which is probably one of the harshest things I have heard Walt say in six books. I couldn’t tell if he meant to kick her ass into gear, but she responds to the tough love by looking to him for advice. While in theory finding mentors in your field is a great idea, particularly ones that have an extensive network and can assist in opportunities to develop your own relationships, it’s a little weird that Walt half-heartedly takes on the role when he is an outsider in many ways. To his credit, Walt seems sincere in his advice and wish for her success. On the negative side, the fact that Walt considers it appropriate to give her advice seems wrong in so many levels. First, Chief Long clearly has PTSD, so a really thoughtful mentor and fellow war vet should address it. Second, Walt is a physically dominating person–he frequently references college football and we know he’s over six feet tall with equal mass. And that, my friends, is something I know a great deal about, as the daughter of an equally large male police officer. Being a male, large, white and an officer allows for implicit force and explicit authority, and whether Walt acknowledges it or not, he brings that to every interaction. Although Chief Long is described as statuesque or something, she is still female and Native so the ‘authority’ she brings to interactions stems from different sources. Techniques that work for Walt are not going to work for her, although the advice to de-escalate situations is well-given and deserved. It’s well-known in the law enforcement field that female officers tend to be much better at managing confrontation so it resolves in a more peaceful manner. There’s a variety of factors that play into that dynamic, and it just strikes me as odd that Walt doesn’t acknowledge any of them.
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading As the Crow Flies, but it did require a degree of willful suspension and concentrating on following the story. It does deliver nicely on series premise and there’s a satisfying emotional core to the book that makes it a pleasant palate cleanser. It was a great way to lull my reading brain before tackling more gripping reads.
Three and a half reserved stars
April 11, 2019
This #8 in the Craig Johnson’s series is standard Sheriff Longmire faire. The mysterious death of a young mother is secondary to the characters and their relationships. Walt Longmire and his buddy, ‘Cheyenne Nation’ (Henry Standing Bear) drive the ‘Rez Dog’ (Henry’s pickup) in Montana to ferret out the murderer and motivation. As always, Walt is patient and persistent, de-escalating a life threatening incident and making it to a Cheyenne wedding on time.
Johnson continues to write insightful and humorous books. 3.75 stars on this audible book.
Johnson continues to write insightful and humorous books. 3.75 stars on this audible book.
May 24, 2015
After seven novels following the adventures and criminal investigations of sheriff Walt Longmire of Absaroka county, Wyoming, I have become more of a fanboy that a serious reviewer, glad to spend more time in company of old friends and more indulgent of the ocasional rough spot and commercial plug. Even the plots have started to take second place to the attraction of the Western setting and of the oddball characters.
As The Crow Flies can be described as a typical Longmire book, not because it is formulaic (each novel manages a different setting and type of case that the previous ones), but because it has the signature touches that help identify the author like a fingerprint: a passion for guns and big trucks, for beer and bourbon, a sarcastic sense of humour that is often directed back at himself in Walt, a laid back outside demeanour that covers a steady moral compass, an inclusion of supernatural elements (ghosts and premotions coming from Indian ancestors), a tightly knit community where you feel that each individual life counts.
This tightly knit community is spread though over a huge territory, the sparsest populated in the whole of the US, so Craig Johnson is able to move around in his novels, away from the Absaroka county, and still be in familiar surroundings. For the current case, Walt is going to another state (Montana), to finalize the wedding arrangements for his daughter inside the Cheyenne/Crow Indian Reservation, or Rez in the local vernacular. Most of his team is back in the office, and only Henry Standing Bear is playing sidekick, a bonus for me since I felt he was fading away in the background in the previous novels.
The two friends witness a woman falling to her death from a cliff. Accident or murder? She is an Indian with a newborn son, a husband struggling with unemployment and substance abuse, and other relatives who might not be happy to meet with the law. Longmire has no jurisdiction in the Rez, but he is playing the Good Samaritan to a volatile, aggresive young woman who has just started on the job of sheriff. Lolo Long is a war veteran from Iraq who carries her own heavy baggage of PTSD and insecurities, released mostly by driving too fast, and punching suspects. She manages to be both intense and funny - a good addition to the already established set of colourful secondary characters in the series.
In a perfect cinematic world we would've captured the bad guys in spectacular fashion with explosions, car chases, and a parting kiss. She would've been played by Ava Gardner, and I would've been played by Robert Taylor
One of the secrets of the succes of Longmire is I believe the 'down-to-earth' atitude, the modesty and the personal involvement of the lawman in the investigations. Too many modern thrillers are inspired by blockbuster movies and think they need to go over the top with the adrenaline and the pacing. Because it is more carefully dosed and anchored in the ordinary events of the community, the action here has more impact and more resonance in the mind of the reader( at least in my case, although I don't mind reading the occasional popcorn thriller).
- I'm just wondering how complex this case is, you know?
- It usually is complicated when it concerns matters of the heart; things tend to get venal and earthy.
- So you don't think it's a hidden gold mine or about nuclear weapons?
- No, I don't; I think it's something small, something personal, and probably something stupid.
Longmire has been sheriff for several decades, so he is probably right in his gut feelings. Lolo Long would do well to emulate him, and tamper down her anger if she wants to keep her job.
Things that made this eight book special in the series:
- the Rez location with the more detailed view of the life of the Cheyenne and Crow Indians
- the new character of Lolo Long
- bigger roles played by Dog and Henry
- a glimpse at a local radio station and a new name to add to my wishlist artists ("John Trudell, my brothers and sisters, just a human being trying to make it in a world that is rapidly losing its undertanding of being human.")
- a sign at the entrance of a local waterhole: FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL - SHOT, STABBED, or RAPED
- a traditional wedding ceremony
Things I wanted improved:
- more input from the rest of the Absaroka county crew; for the last three books Walt has been travelling mostly alone in other jurisdictions.
- less product placement
- less evident culprits ( I guessed the identity of the killer very early in the proceedings)
Needless to say, I will keep reading them books if Craig Johnson keeps churning them out.
February 4, 2023
I accidentally picked up this book. When I was out shopping, I was exhausted after a long week and thought this book was The Hollow Kingdom novel. Green book with a bird on the cover, seemed legit! I picked it up, brought it home, and then realized it was NOT the book I thought it was. Regardless, I thought... Why not? The book actually sounded quite interesting. So yay for accidental book shopping!
This is the eighth novel, and apparently it inspired Longmire on Netflix! Who knew? I do wish I had read this series starting from the beginning though, because I was a bit lost.
Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is out to solve a case on the Cheyenne Reservation. A poor woman falls off the side of a cliff with her baby in her arms. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Walt will find out!
I can't say this is my favourite mystery/crime book, but it was a great read! I had to step away from it for a little while because I needed some more positive (and not murder) in my life, but when I came back I was ready to read Longmire's story again. I will say though... the ending was SUPER weird. Does it make more sense if I read the rest of the series? Regardless, interesting read! I'm glad I expanded my horizons and picked it up.
Two out of five stars.
This is the eighth novel, and apparently it inspired Longmire on Netflix! Who knew? I do wish I had read this series starting from the beginning though, because I was a bit lost.
Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is out to solve a case on the Cheyenne Reservation. A poor woman falls off the side of a cliff with her baby in her arms. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Walt will find out!
I can't say this is my favourite mystery/crime book, but it was a great read! I had to step away from it for a little while because I needed some more positive (and not murder) in my life, but when I came back I was ready to read Longmire's story again. I will say though... the ending was SUPER weird. Does it make more sense if I read the rest of the series? Regardless, interesting read! I'm glad I expanded my horizons and picked it up.
Two out of five stars.
September 1, 2014
The ride with this series featuring Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire stays strong and varied, a pleasure I can’t resist. While scouting an outdoor location for the upcoming wedding of his daughter Cady, he and his best friend Henry Standing Bear are at the scene of a fatal plunge of a young Crow woman off a cliff. Walt’s dog Dog discovers her baby, miraculously unhurt by the fall. The case is out of Walt’s jurisdiction, but the new Tribal Police Chief, an inexperienced woman recently returned from service in Afghanistan, need Walt’s help. The pressure on Walt to solve the case fast is tremendous because neglect of his responsibilities to the upcoming wedding would call into question is dedication as a father.
The investigation leads him deep into the community of Cheyenne and Crow Indians on and off the reservation, showcasing the great capability of Johnson to create Native characters with, what seems to me at least, good sensitivity to their plight and cultural values. The domestic scene associated with the wedding events provide a nice comic counterpoint to the tricky and dangerous criminal investigations. For the latter, he has to butt heads with the FBI, and he is often at odds with the abrasive but voluptuous Tribal Chief Lola (perhaps a bit too similar in that respect to his deputy Vic). As usual, Walt’s thought processes in working the clues are aided by dreams and occasional visions, in this case facilitated by peyote in a ceremony with tribal elders. A bit over-the-top to many readers (and judging from my youthful indulgences unrealistic in the characterization of the experience).
Overall, Johnson shines for me in juggling a large cast of characters without losing focus on the mystery and social implications behind the crime. I love both the overall arc of his story and all the parts that make it up. He even excels in making a character out of Walt’s cantankerous truck, Rezdawg. The fun I had with this reminds me of the pleasures I had with Bujold’s science fiction tale “A Civil Campaign”, in which a wedding plan is constantly under threat from crime and intrigues.
The investigation leads him deep into the community of Cheyenne and Crow Indians on and off the reservation, showcasing the great capability of Johnson to create Native characters with, what seems to me at least, good sensitivity to their plight and cultural values. The domestic scene associated with the wedding events provide a nice comic counterpoint to the tricky and dangerous criminal investigations. For the latter, he has to butt heads with the FBI, and he is often at odds with the abrasive but voluptuous Tribal Chief Lola (perhaps a bit too similar in that respect to his deputy Vic). As usual, Walt’s thought processes in working the clues are aided by dreams and occasional visions, in this case facilitated by peyote in a ceremony with tribal elders. A bit over-the-top to many readers (and judging from my youthful indulgences unrealistic in the characterization of the experience).
Overall, Johnson shines for me in juggling a large cast of characters without losing focus on the mystery and social implications behind the crime. I love both the overall arc of his story and all the parts that make it up. He even excels in making a character out of Walt’s cantankerous truck, Rezdawg. The fun I had with this reminds me of the pleasures I had with Bujold’s science fiction tale “A Civil Campaign”, in which a wedding plan is constantly under threat from crime and intrigues.
May 17, 2021
4 stars.
I cannot click I see today. Lol. I might do a proper review down the road.
🇺🇸💀🐼🦋
I cannot click I see today. Lol. I might do a proper review down the road.
🇺🇸💀🐼🦋
November 26, 2020
Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is in a pickle. His daughter has her heart set on a wedding site on the Cheyenne Reservation, but there is a last minute conflict that arises. And while he and Henry Standing Bear are trying to unravel the snag in plans, they see a woman fall from a nearby cliff. Suddenly Longmire isn't just trying to save a wedding, but also helping the local police chief investigate the case.
As the Crow Flies is the 8th book in the Walt Longmire series. These books just keep getting better and better. I love the setting, the characters and the plots. I listen to the audio books. George Guidell is a perfect narrator for these stories. Always a great listening experience!
I'm savoring this series. I listen to one book....then take a break for awhile....then listen to more. I don't want to reach the end! I'm still sad the TV show is done. I'm really taking my time with this series and enjoying each book and short story.
I loved the side plot about Cady's wedding. Both Longmire and Henry Standing Bear love Cady. And they really work hard to get her wedding problem fixed. In the end, it's a group effort. The investigation this time was really interesting and complex. It definitely kept my attention from start to finish.
Another awesome book in this series. I'm going to wait a bit and then jump into book 9 -- A Serpent's Tooth. There are couple novellas in between -- Christmas in Absaroka County and Messenger. I have both in ebook format. I'll read those before the 9th novel. :)
One of my favorite book series!
As the Crow Flies is the 8th book in the Walt Longmire series. These books just keep getting better and better. I love the setting, the characters and the plots. I listen to the audio books. George Guidell is a perfect narrator for these stories. Always a great listening experience!
I'm savoring this series. I listen to one book....then take a break for awhile....then listen to more. I don't want to reach the end! I'm still sad the TV show is done. I'm really taking my time with this series and enjoying each book and short story.
I loved the side plot about Cady's wedding. Both Longmire and Henry Standing Bear love Cady. And they really work hard to get her wedding problem fixed. In the end, it's a group effort. The investigation this time was really interesting and complex. It definitely kept my attention from start to finish.
Another awesome book in this series. I'm going to wait a bit and then jump into book 9 -- A Serpent's Tooth. There are couple novellas in between -- Christmas in Absaroka County and Messenger. I have both in ebook format. I'll read those before the 9th novel. :)
One of my favorite book series!
July 4, 2018
The best Longmire book of the eight that I have read. I would give this 4.5 stars if I could. I found this entry to be the most humorous also. Walt & Henry are trying to plan Cady's wedding and doing a poor job of it when they become involved in a murder on the reservation. Rezdawg takes a prominent role in this one and a new character, Lolo Long, is introduced. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2016
Both my wife and I enjoy reading this series, which we have been reading in order. I rate this a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear are exploring places to hold Cady's wedding(Walt's daughter). They are on a Cheyenne reservation in Montana(way outside Walt's jurisdiction as Sheriff of Absaroka county, Wyoming). They were going to have the wedding at the tribal building and had made a reservation months before, but a tribal function is going to displace them. So they are at the base of a cliff called Painted Warrior, a very scenic spot at the end of a dirt road. Then they see a person fall from the cliff.
Even though Walt has no business investigating this suspicious death, he does with Henry's help.
In addition to Henry, the Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long, and the FBI become involved. There are several suspects and a surprise ending. My wife and I like the humor in this series. The previous book was darker than this one. The first few chapters have a lot of humorous interplay between Walt, Henry, and Henry's truck, Rezdawg.
Most of Chapter 7 is devoted to Walt's participating in a tribal peyote religious episode. There are frequent dream/hallucinogenic scenes in the books in this series and I was ok with it. But my wife was not and thought it was too long.
Some quotes about Rezdawg:
"...the truck was a holy relic of his life and that replacing parts would alter its spirit."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again--I'm not apologizing to your crappy truck."
Even though Walt has no business investigating this suspicious death, he does with Henry's help.
In addition to Henry, the Tribal Police Chief Lolo Long, and the FBI become involved. There are several suspects and a surprise ending. My wife and I like the humor in this series. The previous book was darker than this one. The first few chapters have a lot of humorous interplay between Walt, Henry, and Henry's truck, Rezdawg.
Most of Chapter 7 is devoted to Walt's participating in a tribal peyote religious episode. There are frequent dream/hallucinogenic scenes in the books in this series and I was ok with it. But my wife was not and thought it was too long.
Some quotes about Rezdawg:
"...the truck was a holy relic of his life and that replacing parts would alter its spirit."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again--I'm not apologizing to your crappy truck."
July 18, 2022
Some people didn't seem to like this one, seemingly because there wasn't enough action and mystery, and perhaps too much Native American mysticism. But personally, I have different expectations: I like the interesting people, the humor, and the overall feel of the stories. I loved the Longmire TV series, which I saw before I read the books, and perhaps that helped me appreciate the books more because I have a picture in my mind of some of the people.
One of the stars of this story was Henry's truck. Walt hates the truck with a passion, and even his dog doesn't like it. But Henry refuses to fix it up because it has some special meaning to him and any changes might change it. It's funny, because Henry also has a very nice Thunderbird that he takes meticulous care of, and notices any tiny scratch.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by George Guidall, who narrates all or most of the others. I believe he is an excellent narrator for this series, and other books I've listened to also.
PS. The reason I don't list the audiobook edition is because they often only show 1 page for the length, so it messes up statistics, not that it really matters.
One of the stars of this story was Henry's truck. Walt hates the truck with a passion, and even his dog doesn't like it. But Henry refuses to fix it up because it has some special meaning to him and any changes might change it. It's funny, because Henry also has a very nice Thunderbird that he takes meticulous care of, and notices any tiny scratch.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by George Guidall, who narrates all or most of the others. I believe he is an excellent narrator for this series, and other books I've listened to also.
PS. The reason I don't list the audiobook edition is because they often only show 1 page for the length, so it messes up statistics, not that it really matters.
March 15, 2023
I am always excited to read a book in the Longmire series. Reading about Walt is like a visit with an old friend. Walt is facing several battle fronts in this book. His patience and tenacity are commendable. Henry Standing Bear is ever present, providing moral support and being a sounding board for Walt’s concerns. You can tell that Craig Johnson has much respect for the native Indian. This draws great respect from me. My advice to my fellow readers is to sit back and enjoy the ride.
April 27, 2024
A little duller than the last few novels, As the Crow Flies covers Walt's investigation into a suspicious death while seeking a venue for Cady's wedding.
Henry Standing Bear and Sheriff Walt Longmire are considering a location on the Cheyenne reservation when a reflection on a distant cliff catches their eyes. As they watch, they're horrified to see someone fall off, landing 40 feet below. Rushing to the scene, they find a Native American woman taking her last breaths - and realize she'd been holding an infant when she fell!
Was it a tragic accident? The last act of a desperate woman? Something more nefarious?
I found the plot slow and Tribal Sheriff Lolo Long ridiculous and not remotely believable as a sheriff. The only part of the novel I enjoyed was when Walt partakes of peyote during a tribal ceremony. The funniest and most interesting chapter of the whole book, imo.
At least these novels fly by - I feel like I can pick one up and finish it in a single day! Onward to A Serpent's Tooth.
Henry Standing Bear and Sheriff Walt Longmire are considering a location on the Cheyenne reservation when a reflection on a distant cliff catches their eyes. As they watch, they're horrified to see someone fall off, landing 40 feet below. Rushing to the scene, they find a Native American woman taking her last breaths - and realize she'd been holding an infant when she fell!
Was it a tragic accident? The last act of a desperate woman? Something more nefarious?
I found the plot slow and Tribal Sheriff Lolo Long ridiculous and not remotely believable as a sheriff. The only part of the novel I enjoyed was when Walt partakes of peyote during a tribal ceremony. The funniest and most interesting chapter of the whole book, imo.
At least these novels fly by - I feel like I can pick one up and finish it in a single day! Onward to A Serpent's Tooth.
June 17, 2013
Book Review:
Sadly, I've reached the end of my rope (well, until June 4th when The Serpent's Tooth comes out). It's probably time to take a breather from this excellent series.
But...wait! I do believe it's time to crank up Netflix and check out Longmire's Season 1. Holy crap...it's available for downstreaming. Love the idea of finally seeing the characters and settings dramatized for television. Ok, ok...looks like I'll crank up a few shows this evening. More on that later....
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Series Review
Craig Johnson has written nine novels in his Walt Longmire series. Formerly a police officer; he has also worked as a educator, cowboy and longshoreman. Awards include Tony Hillerman Award, Wyoming Historical Society Award, Wyoming Councl for the Arts Award, as well as numerous starred awards. Johnson was also a board member of the Mystery Writers' of America.
Craig Johnson as an artist, as a man who paints with words ascribes to the essential characteristic of what makes art different from anything else: only it can portray the world as the artist thinks it ought to be as opposed to how it is. "Now a days, it's really hard to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys..." he says in an interview. "But Walt's a pretty good guy...the kinda guy if my car slithered off the road on I-80 in a blizzard, he's the guy I'd want to help me out." Johnson admits to portraying Walt Longmire, the hero in this award-winning series, as "The kinda guy my wife says I want to be in about 10 years."
Starting from his choice of book title all the way to the final period at the end of the book Johnson's prose fills the reader's soul with a longing for the good. And where else is one to find it but in the fictional county of Absaroka, Wyoming and it's Sheriff Walt Longmire. As with the work of William Kent Krueger Johnson introduces readers to the Western concept of cowboys and indians. Growing up in the Netherlands, I read till late in the night the wildly popular series Winnetou and Old Shatterhand (not available in the States). When playing outside 6000 miles away from American soil, it wasn't cops and robbers we played, it was cowboys and indians. It was this image of America I held in my mind as a 12 year old boy standing on the deck of the U.S.S. Rotterdam as we sailed into New York Harbor and waited in the lines of Ellis Island to be granted access to my boyhood dreams.
Unlike older western novels, however, Johnson brings this cultural diversity into the 20th century and without delving into multi-culturalism brings us to that mystical nether region between the two where native american and white man meet each other half-way. Johnson's aim is at portraying a fictional world as it should be and this includes diversity. Henry, a native american is Walt's best friend. The indian community stands ready to aid the law, helps the white man bring justice regardless of race, color or creed. Walt Longmire, in a hallucinatory fit, dances with the Cheyenne spirits who guide him to safety in the midst of a devastating blizzard even though the unconscious man slung over his shoulders is a perpatrator against a Native American woman. Walt does not question his sanity afterwards. Craig Johnson's world is one we might all long for...and isn't that the purpose of art?
Too often I read book reviews where the reviewers seem to place verisimilitude above fiction. In my opinion, if you want reality, if you want to read about the way things are, then view a documentary, read a biography, check out reality TV. This is fiction, and if an author changes reality to suit his notion for the book, so be it...
For some, the first in the series moves along a bit slowly...but to them I would say: give this writer time to paint his world as he sees fit. Books that concentrate on rural settings often have the advantage of highlighting the human condition in startling clarity. Distractions such as are found in urban settings removed, we see good and evil and compassion in a more profound way. Wyoming's Absaroka County gives us this magnifying glass. I found the plot intriguing and the ending second-to-none. Truly, the titles are well chosen in these novels.
There's a huge fan base for Johnson's work out there. A fan base that is after values, the good kind. I'm reminded of my daughter's fascination with Taylor Swift, whose millions of fans adulate her for precisely the same reason: her vision of 'the good'. There is a Renaissance occurring in a real world that at best can be portrayed as lost in the grey fog of compromised values; a Renaissance that has caught the attention of not only our youth, but all ages. And they are telling us what they want.
There's a reason A&E's Longmire series has been approved for Season #2. The first season sported A&E's #1 original-series premier of all time with 4.1 million total viewers. I plan to read this entire series and after that, I plan to view the A&E series (hopefully on Netflix where it is not yet available for down-streaming). Johnson, remarking on the television series agrees that he is 100% on board as the televised version is keeping very close to the books.
Unless there is a drastic divergence in subsequent Longmire novels, this review will be the same for all the Walt Longmire books.
Enjoy!
Sadly, I've reached the end of my rope (well, until June 4th when The Serpent's Tooth comes out). It's probably time to take a breather from this excellent series.
But...wait! I do believe it's time to crank up Netflix and check out Longmire's Season 1. Holy crap...it's available for downstreaming. Love the idea of finally seeing the characters and settings dramatized for television. Ok, ok...looks like I'll crank up a few shows this evening. More on that later....
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Series Review
Craig Johnson has written nine novels in his Walt Longmire series. Formerly a police officer; he has also worked as a educator, cowboy and longshoreman. Awards include Tony Hillerman Award, Wyoming Historical Society Award, Wyoming Councl for the Arts Award, as well as numerous starred awards. Johnson was also a board member of the Mystery Writers' of America.
Craig Johnson as an artist, as a man who paints with words ascribes to the essential characteristic of what makes art different from anything else: only it can portray the world as the artist thinks it ought to be as opposed to how it is. "Now a days, it's really hard to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys..." he says in an interview. "But Walt's a pretty good guy...the kinda guy if my car slithered off the road on I-80 in a blizzard, he's the guy I'd want to help me out." Johnson admits to portraying Walt Longmire, the hero in this award-winning series, as "The kinda guy my wife says I want to be in about 10 years."
Starting from his choice of book title all the way to the final period at the end of the book Johnson's prose fills the reader's soul with a longing for the good. And where else is one to find it but in the fictional county of Absaroka, Wyoming and it's Sheriff Walt Longmire. As with the work of William Kent Krueger Johnson introduces readers to the Western concept of cowboys and indians. Growing up in the Netherlands, I read till late in the night the wildly popular series Winnetou and Old Shatterhand (not available in the States). When playing outside 6000 miles away from American soil, it wasn't cops and robbers we played, it was cowboys and indians. It was this image of America I held in my mind as a 12 year old boy standing on the deck of the U.S.S. Rotterdam as we sailed into New York Harbor and waited in the lines of Ellis Island to be granted access to my boyhood dreams.
Unlike older western novels, however, Johnson brings this cultural diversity into the 20th century and without delving into multi-culturalism brings us to that mystical nether region between the two where native american and white man meet each other half-way. Johnson's aim is at portraying a fictional world as it should be and this includes diversity. Henry, a native american is Walt's best friend. The indian community stands ready to aid the law, helps the white man bring justice regardless of race, color or creed. Walt Longmire, in a hallucinatory fit, dances with the Cheyenne spirits who guide him to safety in the midst of a devastating blizzard even though the unconscious man slung over his shoulders is a perpatrator against a Native American woman. Walt does not question his sanity afterwards. Craig Johnson's world is one we might all long for...and isn't that the purpose of art?
Too often I read book reviews where the reviewers seem to place verisimilitude above fiction. In my opinion, if you want reality, if you want to read about the way things are, then view a documentary, read a biography, check out reality TV. This is fiction, and if an author changes reality to suit his notion for the book, so be it...
For some, the first in the series moves along a bit slowly...but to them I would say: give this writer time to paint his world as he sees fit. Books that concentrate on rural settings often have the advantage of highlighting the human condition in startling clarity. Distractions such as are found in urban settings removed, we see good and evil and compassion in a more profound way. Wyoming's Absaroka County gives us this magnifying glass. I found the plot intriguing and the ending second-to-none. Truly, the titles are well chosen in these novels.
There's a huge fan base for Johnson's work out there. A fan base that is after values, the good kind. I'm reminded of my daughter's fascination with Taylor Swift, whose millions of fans adulate her for precisely the same reason: her vision of 'the good'. There is a Renaissance occurring in a real world that at best can be portrayed as lost in the grey fog of compromised values; a Renaissance that has caught the attention of not only our youth, but all ages. And they are telling us what they want.
There's a reason A&E's Longmire series has been approved for Season #2. The first season sported A&E's #1 original-series premier of all time with 4.1 million total viewers. I plan to read this entire series and after that, I plan to view the A&E series (hopefully on Netflix where it is not yet available for down-streaming). Johnson, remarking on the television series agrees that he is 100% on board as the televised version is keeping very close to the books.
Unless there is a drastic divergence in subsequent Longmire novels, this review will be the same for all the Walt Longmire books.
Enjoy!
October 11, 2022
Still absolutely love this series. I love the blending of the spiritual, mysticism, humor, relationships, Walt’s inner dialogue, and so much more. The ending was so beautiful. Sure hope to see this tribal police chief in the future to see how she has matured in the position. So many funny parts along with the serious and sad parts. I feel like I have lived a large part of a life while listening to this audiobook. I will see you again soon, Walt and company.
March 17, 2016
The Walt Longmire books are a wee bit addictive to lay around unread. When I started the series I had a lot of them to read and while I get closer to the last books I find myself wishing I was not there yet.
This time Henry Standing Bear and Walt Longmire are on the reservation because their place for the wedding of Longmire's daughter Cady fell through. It is enough to get them into trouble with the local new Indian police-chief. When They also see an Indian woman plummet to her death with her baby it seems that Longmire cannot get any breaks. He gets tossed into a murder investigation with the FBI on one side, police-chief Lola Long on one side, His daughter & future mother in law on yet another side. It is bound to get messy Longmire style. And it delivers yet another good story that is situated on the reservation outside of Longmire's own jurisdiction and yet he is expected by all parties to protect and serve and teach basic police-skills as well.
The series still feels fresh even if I have missed Vic Moretti's involvement in these last books, you keep wondering where she and Walt are at the moment.
The book ends with a marriage as it should.
This time Henry Standing Bear and Walt Longmire are on the reservation because their place for the wedding of Longmire's daughter Cady fell through. It is enough to get them into trouble with the local new Indian police-chief. When They also see an Indian woman plummet to her death with her baby it seems that Longmire cannot get any breaks. He gets tossed into a murder investigation with the FBI on one side, police-chief Lola Long on one side, His daughter & future mother in law on yet another side. It is bound to get messy Longmire style. And it delivers yet another good story that is situated on the reservation outside of Longmire's own jurisdiction and yet he is expected by all parties to protect and serve and teach basic police-skills as well.
The series still feels fresh even if I have missed Vic Moretti's involvement in these last books, you keep wondering where she and Walt are at the moment.
The book ends with a marriage as it should.
August 6, 2014
Another great installment in the Longmire Saga. A high point in this book was Walt Longmire participating in a Piote ceremony out in the desert. Note. These Longmire books do not necessarily need to be read in order. There is enough background offered by Mr. Johnson to allow the overall story arc to not interfere with the specific volume.
A most enjoyable read. Recommended to those who do or do not watch the television series.
A most enjoyable read. Recommended to those who do or do not watch the television series.
September 5, 2017
**As I continue my Longmire series read, full disclosure requires that I openly admit I am a devoted fan of the Longmire television show (on A/E and now Netflix) and have enjoyed reading the previous books in the Longmire book series that inspired that show even more. With that said, I am still doing my best to provide objective and an honest review. **
“As the Crow Flies” is the eighth book in the “Longmire” mystery series, continuing the fictional adventures of Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming; his daughter, Cady, the world’s greatest lawyer; his best friend, Henry Standing Bear; his loyal and outspoken deputy, Vic Moretti; his loyal and less outspoken deputy, and Dog, his faithful animal companion.
The story begins two weeks from Walt’s daughter’s wedding to Vic’s younger brother. Walt and Henry are trying to secure the wedding site when they meet Lolo Long, former Iraq war veteran and new tribal police chief. She is stubborn and volatile, ticketing Henry and arresting Walt for his comments. Before you know it, Lola and Walt witness a young crow woman fall from Painted Warrior’s cliffs along with her young baby son. The mom dies but she’s able to protect the baby during the fall. It is suicide or murder? As usual, Walt gets involved and mentors Lola through the investigation while simultaneously working with Cady and Vic’s mom to complete the final wedding plans.
The story moves back and forth between a serious homicide investigation on the Indian reservation and organizing Cady’s wedding day. Johnson does a great job of balancing the serious moments with the family related humorous scenes, most of which are at Walt’s expense. Much of the strength in this book comes from the strong relationship between Walt and Cady. Not having his wife to plan and participate in the event really draws the two together in a powerful bond that provides strength and power.
The other thing that makes this outing so strong is how well Johnson uses Indian religious mysticism to help make Longmire’s individual experiences remarkable and personal to the reader. In the first book, “The Cold Dish”, Walt had a special mystical experience in another mountain area. In the last book, “Hell is Empty” Johnson used that came mountainous region to build on as Walt faced strong physical dangers that pushed him to a breaking point. In this book, Longmire continues his journey by taking part in a sacred native American peyote smoking meeting and experiencing his own personal revelations. I will not ruin what happens for those who haven’t read this book yet, but it is special, leaving the reader to ponder several allegorical meanings.
For the record, I am eight books into the Longmire series and continue to be surprised at how well Johnson finds different ways to tell stories that link so well to his characters and their challenges in life and philosophy. The addition of Lola’ character is great. As much as I disliked her during the first half of the book, her challenges with returning to her family after the harsh realities of the Iraq war really made an impact on my thoughts. I also loved a special appearance by the rebel FBI man, Clyde, who almost steals the show.
However, my favorite moment in this book involves the epilog, which describes the outcome of whether Cady’s wedding takes place or not. For me, it was the highest emotional payoff in the eight books so far. I am man enough to admit a few tears were shed because of the loving bond between a father and daughter.
Overall, “As the Crow Flies” is two stories melded together about family, love, and second chances. It was the best ending of all the Longmire books so far.
“As the Crow Flies” is the eighth book in the “Longmire” mystery series, continuing the fictional adventures of Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming; his daughter, Cady, the world’s greatest lawyer; his best friend, Henry Standing Bear; his loyal and outspoken deputy, Vic Moretti; his loyal and less outspoken deputy, and Dog, his faithful animal companion.
The story begins two weeks from Walt’s daughter’s wedding to Vic’s younger brother. Walt and Henry are trying to secure the wedding site when they meet Lolo Long, former Iraq war veteran and new tribal police chief. She is stubborn and volatile, ticketing Henry and arresting Walt for his comments. Before you know it, Lola and Walt witness a young crow woman fall from Painted Warrior’s cliffs along with her young baby son. The mom dies but she’s able to protect the baby during the fall. It is suicide or murder? As usual, Walt gets involved and mentors Lola through the investigation while simultaneously working with Cady and Vic’s mom to complete the final wedding plans.
The story moves back and forth between a serious homicide investigation on the Indian reservation and organizing Cady’s wedding day. Johnson does a great job of balancing the serious moments with the family related humorous scenes, most of which are at Walt’s expense. Much of the strength in this book comes from the strong relationship between Walt and Cady. Not having his wife to plan and participate in the event really draws the two together in a powerful bond that provides strength and power.
The other thing that makes this outing so strong is how well Johnson uses Indian religious mysticism to help make Longmire’s individual experiences remarkable and personal to the reader. In the first book, “The Cold Dish”, Walt had a special mystical experience in another mountain area. In the last book, “Hell is Empty” Johnson used that came mountainous region to build on as Walt faced strong physical dangers that pushed him to a breaking point. In this book, Longmire continues his journey by taking part in a sacred native American peyote smoking meeting and experiencing his own personal revelations. I will not ruin what happens for those who haven’t read this book yet, but it is special, leaving the reader to ponder several allegorical meanings.
For the record, I am eight books into the Longmire series and continue to be surprised at how well Johnson finds different ways to tell stories that link so well to his characters and their challenges in life and philosophy. The addition of Lola’ character is great. As much as I disliked her during the first half of the book, her challenges with returning to her family after the harsh realities of the Iraq war really made an impact on my thoughts. I also loved a special appearance by the rebel FBI man, Clyde, who almost steals the show.
However, my favorite moment in this book involves the epilog, which describes the outcome of whether Cady’s wedding takes place or not. For me, it was the highest emotional payoff in the eight books so far. I am man enough to admit a few tears were shed because of the loving bond between a father and daughter.
Overall, “As the Crow Flies” is two stories melded together about family, love, and second chances. It was the best ending of all the Longmire books so far.
September 29, 2025
4 Stars for As the Crow Flies: Walt Longmire, Book 8 (audiobook) by Craig Johnson read by George Guidall.
Walt’s daughter is getting married and he better be there for her. He’s missed a lot in her life because cases keep getting in the way. And wouldn’t you know it, while looking for a venue for the wedding Walt witness a woman plummet to her death. It’s outside his jurisdiction but he must help to find out what happened to that poor woman. Hopefully his daughter will understand.
Walt’s daughter is getting married and he better be there for her. He’s missed a lot in her life because cases keep getting in the way. And wouldn’t you know it, while looking for a venue for the wedding Walt witness a woman plummet to her death. It’s outside his jurisdiction but he must help to find out what happened to that poor woman. Hopefully his daughter will understand.
January 23, 2016
What a good read! I've just been taking sips of the Walt Longmire series starting with his latest, Dry Bones. I picked this one up because I wanted some backstory on his daughter's wedding and to get a feel for the characters.
As mentioned by others, there is a multitude of regular characters that appear in Craig Johnson's series. Keeping them straight is sometimes a bit confusing. That's why I have taken a Longmire Pledge to retrace my steps and to start at the very beginning with Book One. Sometimes dipping your toes into the latest book assures you that it is quite worth the swim back to the beginning shores....and believe me it is.
Craig Johnson has an uncanny ability to develop such stellar banter back and forth between the characters. His sense of humor is beyond good. Goodreads even has a whole gamut of his quotes here on this site. Laugh-out-loud stuff that is so memorable.
As the Crow Flies keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Just when you think that "case closed" has arrived, it hasn't. I really recommend this one highly.
As mentioned by others, there is a multitude of regular characters that appear in Craig Johnson's series. Keeping them straight is sometimes a bit confusing. That's why I have taken a Longmire Pledge to retrace my steps and to start at the very beginning with Book One. Sometimes dipping your toes into the latest book assures you that it is quite worth the swim back to the beginning shores....and believe me it is.
Craig Johnson has an uncanny ability to develop such stellar banter back and forth between the characters. His sense of humor is beyond good. Goodreads even has a whole gamut of his quotes here on this site. Laugh-out-loud stuff that is so memorable.
As the Crow Flies keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Just when you think that "case closed" has arrived, it hasn't. I really recommend this one highly.
May 9, 2025
It was fun to have so much of the book involve my home state and places I have spent much time in. I have always been curious about what a peyote vision trip would be like.
I can't believe Walt didn't react more to that last-second news.
This was a great one for the further evolution of Henry as a character, even though I always wanted more.
The reservation was the main setting, and the mystery was a bit convoluted.
A good one for showing that we all have craziness going on in our lives, but when someone takes a chance on us, it can make a big difference.
4 Stars
I can't believe Walt didn't react more to that last-second news.
This was a great one for the further evolution of Henry as a character, even though I always wanted more.
The reservation was the main setting, and the mystery was a bit convoluted.
A good one for showing that we all have craziness going on in our lives, but when someone takes a chance on us, it can make a big difference.
4 Stars
April 30, 2024
Another character driven book with a good who done it plot. This one is on a Cheyenne Indian reservation and Longmire’s daughter is getting married there by Henry Standing Bear. Longmire and Bear witness an apparent suicide by a young Indian woman falling off a cliff holding her baby. Longmire suspects foul play and is asked by the Indian Chief of Police to help investigate.
April 25, 2016
2.5 stars. Not one of the best of this series, as the mystery is pretty weak, but there were several things I enjoyed - especially that Walt and Henry are together for almost the entire book, picking at each other and complaining in between the serious police work. The Cheyenne Nation appears rather grumpy in this novel (punching an offensive driver?) although I suppose wedding planning can do that to you.
I enjoyed reading about the radio station on the Cheyenne reservation, and I liked the DJ’s oft-repeated slogan: “Stay calm, have courage, and wait for signs.” Although the whole wedding-planning thing was awkward, I was touched by Walt memorizing the Cheyenne words to give his daughter away. (Although as Henry’s lifelong friend, why doesn’t Walt speak more Cheyenne?)
I can’t say I cared much for the new tribal police chief, Lolo Long. She was first unbelievable as an abrasive cop, then unbelievable as a contrite supplicant. Also any interaction Walt has with a woman is a little uncomfortable - it’s not that he behaves badly, but there is something odd about his almost reverent sexual attraction to every single woman remotely within his age range.
I enjoyed reading about the radio station on the Cheyenne reservation, and I liked the DJ’s oft-repeated slogan: “Stay calm, have courage, and wait for signs.” Although the whole wedding-planning thing was awkward, I was touched by Walt memorizing the Cheyenne words to give his daughter away. (Although as Henry’s lifelong friend, why doesn’t Walt speak more Cheyenne?)
I can’t say I cared much for the new tribal police chief, Lolo Long. She was first unbelievable as an abrasive cop, then unbelievable as a contrite supplicant. Also any interaction Walt has with a woman is a little uncomfortable - it’s not that he behaves badly, but there is something odd about his almost reverent sexual attraction to every single woman remotely within his age range.
August 9, 2020
'As The Crow Flies' has a classic Walt Longmire opening. The first chapter is filled with the patient, quiet, gentle, dry humour of the long friendship between Walt Longmire and Henry Standingbear as they struggle to find a new location for Katie's wedding when the venue on the Reservation becomes unavailable at the last minute. There's a strong sense of place, a feeling of family and the easy companionship that comes from doing something important but not too challenging. Then, just as I was relaxing with Walt and Henry, taking in the beauty of the landscape, they see someone die and everything changes.
For me, this captures the spirit of the Longmire stories: men doing their best, taking their ease where they can but always keeping a weather eye for the next piece of misery the world will throw their way.
In this case, most of the misery takes place over the state border and in tribal lands where Longmire has no jurisdiction. He ought to have no involvement. He ought to be focused on his daughter's wedding. Yet he gets involved and stays involved because 'ought' doesn't count for much when it goes against who you are.
There's a clever little story in here that kept me guessing. We get a new strong woman for Longmire to bounce off, an ex-soldier who is now the Tribal Police Chief. She's everything Longmire loves: fierce, driven, indomitable and just inexperienced enough that he has something to teach her. We go deeper into life on the Reservation and the see how the man in Tux who greats you at the Casino may also be the man in bucksking who guides who introduces himself as your guardian for the length of your Spirit Journey. you through a spirit journey. We get the return of an unconventional FBI man and we get some very tense action scenes.
Yet, it seemed to me that the central question of this book was, 'Who is Walt Longmire?'.
In this book he seems to be a man who can't stop putting being a Sheriff before being a father, even for his daughter's wedding. We know from previous books how important Katie is to him and yet, as she points, out he has missed all the ceremonial occasions of her life by putting the job first. What does this say about him?
And what is it with Walt and Cheyanne / Crowe culture? It clearly calls to him. He's incorporated its spirits and some of its rituals into his life. He seems more sympathetic to it than to the white culture he was born into. I don't think he's a wannabe-indian, flee his own culture to find refuge in a tailor-made, easy-fit version of First Nation culture where he can think well of himself. He's a well-read man who is as strongly attached to Western thinkers and poets and novelists as he is to anything coming from the Cheyanne Nation
I think that keeping the question, 'Who Is Walt Longmire?' at the centre of those novels is what gives them their strength. I think Walt knows the answer to the question and he knows the answer might change for better or worse. I think he's a man who watches himself, not in a narcissistic I-have-to-find-myself sort of way but as a man who knows that watching himself is the only way to stopping himself from slipping into depression, anger and perhaps arrogance.
Which is why I'll be back for the next Longmire book, whatever the plot is about.
For me, this captures the spirit of the Longmire stories: men doing their best, taking their ease where they can but always keeping a weather eye for the next piece of misery the world will throw their way.
In this case, most of the misery takes place over the state border and in tribal lands where Longmire has no jurisdiction. He ought to have no involvement. He ought to be focused on his daughter's wedding. Yet he gets involved and stays involved because 'ought' doesn't count for much when it goes against who you are.
There's a clever little story in here that kept me guessing. We get a new strong woman for Longmire to bounce off, an ex-soldier who is now the Tribal Police Chief. She's everything Longmire loves: fierce, driven, indomitable and just inexperienced enough that he has something to teach her. We go deeper into life on the Reservation and the see how the man in Tux who greats you at the Casino may also be the man in bucksking who guides who introduces himself as your guardian for the length of your Spirit Journey. you through a spirit journey. We get the return of an unconventional FBI man and we get some very tense action scenes.
Yet, it seemed to me that the central question of this book was, 'Who is Walt Longmire?'.
In this book he seems to be a man who can't stop putting being a Sheriff before being a father, even for his daughter's wedding. We know from previous books how important Katie is to him and yet, as she points, out he has missed all the ceremonial occasions of her life by putting the job first. What does this say about him?
And what is it with Walt and Cheyanne / Crowe culture? It clearly calls to him. He's incorporated its spirits and some of its rituals into his life. He seems more sympathetic to it than to the white culture he was born into. I don't think he's a wannabe-indian, flee his own culture to find refuge in a tailor-made, easy-fit version of First Nation culture where he can think well of himself. He's a well-read man who is as strongly attached to Western thinkers and poets and novelists as he is to anything coming from the Cheyanne Nation
I think that keeping the question, 'Who Is Walt Longmire?' at the centre of those novels is what gives them their strength. I think Walt knows the answer to the question and he knows the answer might change for better or worse. I think he's a man who watches himself, not in a narcissistic I-have-to-find-myself sort of way but as a man who knows that watching himself is the only way to stopping himself from slipping into depression, anger and perhaps arrogance.
Which is why I'll be back for the next Longmire book, whatever the plot is about.
August 28, 2024
Cady heiratet
Walt Longmire hat eigentlich weder Zeit noch den Kopf fürs Arbeiten. Mit Henry Standing Bear ist er mit Reservat, um Cadys Hochzeitslocation klarzumachen. Aber es kommt wie es kommen muss. Die eigentliche Buchung wird von den Vertragspartnern storniert. Auf der Suche nach einem Ersatz landen Walt und Henry auf einer Ebene mit einer grandiosen Aussicht. Leider müssen sie mit ansehen, wie eine junge Frau einen steilen Abhang hinabstürzt. Die junge Frau stirbt. Dog findet ihren kleinen Sohn, der glücklicherweise überlebt hat. Und Walt wird erstmal von der leitenden Polizistin des Reservats verhaftet. Es könnte also besser laufen.
In seinem achten Fall ermittelt Sheriff Walt Longmire man könnte sagen gegen seinen Willen. Gut, dass Cady erst in ein paar Tagen ankommt. Bis dahin wird sich des mit dem Ort der Feier und worum er sich sonst noch kümmern soll schon regeln. Bei der Betrachtung der Leiche der gestürzten Frau ergeben sich Anzeichen, dass sie nicht freiwillig gesprungen ist. Für Walt ist es wichtig, dass die Verstorbene zu ihrem Recht kommt und der Täter seiner Strafe zugeführt wird. Vorher muss er mit der zuständigen Polizistin Lolo Long ins Reihe kommen und die Handschellen loswerden, mit denen sie wedelt.
Dieser Band der Walt Longmire Reihe glänzt mit seinem hintersinnigen Humor. Es ist lustig, wenn mit den Hochzeitsvorbereitungen so viel schiefgeht oder Walt sich mit Lolo Long auseinandersetzen muss und dabei jederzeit in Gefahr ist im Gefängnis zu enden. Sie macht ihm häufiger mal klar, dass er in ihrem Revier nichts zu sagen hat und sich an ihre Regeln zu halten hat. Aber Walt kann nicht einfach ein Privatmann sein, wenn es um eine tote junge Frau geht, die alles tat, um ihr Baby zu retten. Mal wieder ein Krimi, der sich wie von selbst wegliest. Die Ermittlungen sind dabei spannend und verzwickter als man zunächst meint. Und wenn Cady schließlich auch vor Ort ist, wird es noch richtig anheimelnd familiär. Schön. Und ein paar Bände gibt es noch.
4,5 Sterne
Walt Longmire hat eigentlich weder Zeit noch den Kopf fürs Arbeiten. Mit Henry Standing Bear ist er mit Reservat, um Cadys Hochzeitslocation klarzumachen. Aber es kommt wie es kommen muss. Die eigentliche Buchung wird von den Vertragspartnern storniert. Auf der Suche nach einem Ersatz landen Walt und Henry auf einer Ebene mit einer grandiosen Aussicht. Leider müssen sie mit ansehen, wie eine junge Frau einen steilen Abhang hinabstürzt. Die junge Frau stirbt. Dog findet ihren kleinen Sohn, der glücklicherweise überlebt hat. Und Walt wird erstmal von der leitenden Polizistin des Reservats verhaftet. Es könnte also besser laufen.
In seinem achten Fall ermittelt Sheriff Walt Longmire man könnte sagen gegen seinen Willen. Gut, dass Cady erst in ein paar Tagen ankommt. Bis dahin wird sich des mit dem Ort der Feier und worum er sich sonst noch kümmern soll schon regeln. Bei der Betrachtung der Leiche der gestürzten Frau ergeben sich Anzeichen, dass sie nicht freiwillig gesprungen ist. Für Walt ist es wichtig, dass die Verstorbene zu ihrem Recht kommt und der Täter seiner Strafe zugeführt wird. Vorher muss er mit der zuständigen Polizistin Lolo Long ins Reihe kommen und die Handschellen loswerden, mit denen sie wedelt.
Dieser Band der Walt Longmire Reihe glänzt mit seinem hintersinnigen Humor. Es ist lustig, wenn mit den Hochzeitsvorbereitungen so viel schiefgeht oder Walt sich mit Lolo Long auseinandersetzen muss und dabei jederzeit in Gefahr ist im Gefängnis zu enden. Sie macht ihm häufiger mal klar, dass er in ihrem Revier nichts zu sagen hat und sich an ihre Regeln zu halten hat. Aber Walt kann nicht einfach ein Privatmann sein, wenn es um eine tote junge Frau geht, die alles tat, um ihr Baby zu retten. Mal wieder ein Krimi, der sich wie von selbst wegliest. Die Ermittlungen sind dabei spannend und verzwickter als man zunächst meint. Und wenn Cady schließlich auch vor Ort ist, wird es noch richtig anheimelnd familiär. Schön. Und ein paar Bände gibt es noch.
4,5 Sterne
July 6, 2012
First Sentence: “I wanna know what Katrina Walks Nice did to get kicked out of a joint like this for sixty-one days.”
Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear witness a young woman falling from a cliff, but the Sheriff’s dog, Dog, finds a baby fell with her and is, remarkably, still alive. Was it suicide, an accident or murder? Who is the baby’s father? The event happened outside Longmire’s territory and must work with the new, inexperienced, tribal police chief, a female veteran of the war in Iraq. Longmire has until his daughter Cady’s impending wedding to find the answers.
Johnson’s distinctive voice and humor come thru from the opening sentences while also eliciting a sense of dread. What sets Johnson apart is that where a lesser author might include a portent of bad things to come, Johnson accomplishes the same goal without that blatant and unnecessary device.
It is remarkable that Johnson creates fully-developed characters without providing detailed backstories, yet we know enough of the salient points of their past for their present to make sense. Johnson shows respect for his characters by having the relationship between Walt and Henry work as equals. The author also has the gift of taking the inhuman (Dog) and inanimate (Henry’s car Rezdawg) and imbuing them with personalities in a very relatable, “I-do-that” way. The wonderful juxtaposition of Walt’s job and personality provide realism to the character and the story.
The naturalness and quality of dialogue makes such a difference to a story. Johnson know how to write dialogue. Whether during tense—“I picked u the tarnished, encrusted lighter. Across the front was SAIGON, 67-68, 101st AIRBORNE, and on the back, WHEN THE POWER OF LOVE OVERCOMES THE LOVE OF POWER, THE WORLD SHALL KNOW PEACE. I handed it back to him. “Thoreau?” “Hendrix, Jimi”… --or humorous situations, such as Walt’s conversations with Dog.
It was fascinating to learn about the Cheyenne Nation, the Old Man Chiefs and the peyote ceremony. Once very slight concern I do have is whether it has become so expected that Johnson include Indian spiritualism in each of his books, their inclusion is starting to feel forced.
“As the Crow Flies” is a well-written, well-balanced story that keeping you reading, and guessing, until the very end. It’s another great book from Craig Johnson.
AS THE CROW FLIES (Pol Proc-Sheriff Walt Longmire-Wyoming/Montana-Contemporary – VG+
Johnson, Criag – 8th in series
Viking, 2012
Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear witness a young woman falling from a cliff, but the Sheriff’s dog, Dog, finds a baby fell with her and is, remarkably, still alive. Was it suicide, an accident or murder? Who is the baby’s father? The event happened outside Longmire’s territory and must work with the new, inexperienced, tribal police chief, a female veteran of the war in Iraq. Longmire has until his daughter Cady’s impending wedding to find the answers.
Johnson’s distinctive voice and humor come thru from the opening sentences while also eliciting a sense of dread. What sets Johnson apart is that where a lesser author might include a portent of bad things to come, Johnson accomplishes the same goal without that blatant and unnecessary device.
It is remarkable that Johnson creates fully-developed characters without providing detailed backstories, yet we know enough of the salient points of their past for their present to make sense. Johnson shows respect for his characters by having the relationship between Walt and Henry work as equals. The author also has the gift of taking the inhuman (Dog) and inanimate (Henry’s car Rezdawg) and imbuing them with personalities in a very relatable, “I-do-that” way. The wonderful juxtaposition of Walt’s job and personality provide realism to the character and the story.
The naturalness and quality of dialogue makes such a difference to a story. Johnson know how to write dialogue. Whether during tense—“I picked u the tarnished, encrusted lighter. Across the front was SAIGON, 67-68, 101st AIRBORNE, and on the back, WHEN THE POWER OF LOVE OVERCOMES THE LOVE OF POWER, THE WORLD SHALL KNOW PEACE. I handed it back to him. “Thoreau?” “Hendrix, Jimi”… --or humorous situations, such as Walt’s conversations with Dog.
It was fascinating to learn about the Cheyenne Nation, the Old Man Chiefs and the peyote ceremony. Once very slight concern I do have is whether it has become so expected that Johnson include Indian spiritualism in each of his books, their inclusion is starting to feel forced.
“As the Crow Flies” is a well-written, well-balanced story that keeping you reading, and guessing, until the very end. It’s another great book from Craig Johnson.
AS THE CROW FLIES (Pol Proc-Sheriff Walt Longmire-Wyoming/Montana-Contemporary – VG+
Johnson, Criag – 8th in series
Viking, 2012
January 31, 2017
A woman falls to her death right in front of Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear. During the course of the investigation, the reader is introduced to a peyote ceremony and several fascinating characters. The story takes place entirely on a reservation in Montana. Another enjoyable Longmire mystery.
May 26, 2022
Not one of my favorites in this series but seems like it could be crucial for setting up answers to questions posed in the previous book. Although the beginning had my interest, there wasn't as much action later. It was more about character interactions and a lot of feels for Walt. As always, the dry humor keeps me reading.
May 6, 2020
Very enjoyable entry in Walter Longmire series. This has all the folksy charm of the first few books, lots of Henry and a sweet interplay with Cady that winds to a great conclusion. Plus we get a new character, Lolo Long tribal police chief, and she has great interactions/ dialogues with Walt. The mystery is good too, but it's everything else that makes this series enjoyable to me.
August 30, 2020
This one has more interaction between The Bear and Walt which I think adds a lot to the story. Good twists and poignant family times lead to a well rounded tale.
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