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Walt Longmire #22
The Brothers McKay
A masterful new novel in the beloved
New York Times
bestselling Longmire series
When Pepper McKay, one of the most hated men in Absaroka County, is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, suspects aren’t in short supply. But Sheriff Walt Longmire’s attention is on those who had gathered for a family meeting that evening, McKay’s very different a smooth-talking charmer, a cosmopolitan journalist, a reclusive monk, and a half-Native ranch hand who keeps the place running. Each had a motive. Each claims he’s innocent.
As Walt investigates what happened that night at the O-Kay Lodge, he’s pulled into a tangle of old grudges and long-buried secrets. Then the case takes a sharp a second body surfaces, and a wildfire tears through the canyon, trapping Walt and forcing him into a fight for his life as both the killer and the elements close in.
The twenty-second novel in the Longmire series, The Brothers McKay is a murder mystery and a survival thriller that tests the sheriff’s hard-won sense of justice—all while paying sly homage to Dostoevsky’s classic.
When Pepper McKay, one of the most hated men in Absaroka County, is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, suspects aren’t in short supply. But Sheriff Walt Longmire’s attention is on those who had gathered for a family meeting that evening, McKay’s very different a smooth-talking charmer, a cosmopolitan journalist, a reclusive monk, and a half-Native ranch hand who keeps the place running. Each had a motive. Each claims he’s innocent.
As Walt investigates what happened that night at the O-Kay Lodge, he’s pulled into a tangle of old grudges and long-buried secrets. Then the case takes a sharp a second body surfaces, and a wildfire tears through the canyon, trapping Walt and forcing him into a fight for his life as both the killer and the elements close in.
The twenty-second novel in the Longmire series, The Brothers McKay is a murder mystery and a survival thriller that tests the sheriff’s hard-won sense of justice—all while paying sly homage to Dostoevsky’s classic.
10 pages, Audible Audio
Published May 26, 2026
About the author
Craig Johnson
128 books5,129 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America’s spur awards and the Owen Wister Award, the Will Rogers Medallion and Lariat Award, the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction, as well as the Bouchercon 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.
source: Amazon
Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America’s spur awards and the Owen Wister Award, the Will Rogers Medallion and Lariat Award, the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction, as well as the Bouchercon 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.
source: Amazon
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 stars for book 22 in the Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I have read all but but one of the previous books in the series. Both my wife and I enjoy this series for the humor and the mysteries. We started reading the series after watching the tv series based on the books.
This book has Walt Longmire, Sheriff of fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, investigating the murder of Pepper McKay. A relevant quote: "Well it's agreed that everyone on the North American continent hated the man." Even Pepper's children didn't like him.
Walt starts interviewing everyone present at the McKay ranch when Pepper was killed. As the investigation progresses, he discovers some buried secrets and grudges. He does finally solve the case, but not before more deaths.
Complicating the investigation are several wildfires near the ranch which could combine into a monster wildfire.
If you have read any of the previous books, you know that Victoria Moretti, Walt's under sheriff, has a very salty tongue. A quote by one of Walt's deputies after he and Walt listen to a message on the office answering machine from Victoria: "He nodded, hitting the button and erasing Vic's recording. 'You know I don't think that I've ever heard anybody use that word that many times in that short of a message."
Walt Longmire is an interesting character. He is Vietnam vet, and a college graduate who quotes the bible and Orwell. He also has a theological debate on morality with a novice monk who is contemplating suicide. He is considered a dinosaur by Vic, because he refuses to have a cell phone.
Triggers:
Sex: none
Language: profanity
Violence: brief description of a man caught in an elk stampede.
Thank You Viking Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheBrothersMcKay #NetGalley.
Pub Date May 26 2026
This book has Walt Longmire, Sheriff of fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, investigating the murder of Pepper McKay. A relevant quote: "Well it's agreed that everyone on the North American continent hated the man." Even Pepper's children didn't like him.
Walt starts interviewing everyone present at the McKay ranch when Pepper was killed. As the investigation progresses, he discovers some buried secrets and grudges. He does finally solve the case, but not before more deaths.
Complicating the investigation are several wildfires near the ranch which could combine into a monster wildfire.
If you have read any of the previous books, you know that Victoria Moretti, Walt's under sheriff, has a very salty tongue. A quote by one of Walt's deputies after he and Walt listen to a message on the office answering machine from Victoria: "He nodded, hitting the button and erasing Vic's recording. 'You know I don't think that I've ever heard anybody use that word that many times in that short of a message."
Walt Longmire is an interesting character. He is Vietnam vet, and a college graduate who quotes the bible and Orwell. He also has a theological debate on morality with a novice monk who is contemplating suicide. He is considered a dinosaur by Vic, because he refuses to have a cell phone.
Triggers:
Sex: none
Language: profanity
Violence: brief description of a man caught in an elk stampede.
Thank You Viking Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheBrothersMcKay #NetGalley.
Pub Date May 26 2026
August 6, 2026
It seems like everyone wants Pepper McKay dead. Their wish has been granted. Unfortunately, the list of suspects are vast, including his four sons. Longmire has his hands full sorting out this hot mess one person at a time. Speaking of hot mess, Longmire is also faced with the wildfire of a lifetime and times is running out. Putting this all together is a ball of confusion with the only reliable entity being a mule named Borax.
This was a fun read, not as fast moving as some of Johnson’s other endeavors but entertaining enough.
This was a fun read, not as fast moving as some of Johnson’s other endeavors but entertaining enough.
June 18, 2026
“The Brothers McKay” is the 22nd book in the “Longmire” mystery series (not including novellas and short stories), continuing the crime fighting 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. Just in case you weren’t aware, this is one of the best law enforcement starting lineups in the mystery/crime fiction today.
When “The Brothers McKay” starts, we find our hero, Walt Longmire, has a murder on his hands. This time it’s Pepper McKay, the most hated man in all of Absaroka County, has been found dead while fishing on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon. When Walt shows up to investigate it appears that someone took a rock to Pepper’s head and left him to die. That’s not much of a surprise, seeing that Pepper has threatened all of the men and attempted to rape most of the women, including Walt’s wife years ago before she passed away.
The bigger problem for Walt is that pretty everyone in the county is a suspect, starting with the three adult sons who had a serious family meeting at the ranch the night before Pepper’s death. They include a charmer who followed his father’s interest in chasing women, a very career focused journalist, and a religious monk. That’s just for starters. There’s also a half-native illegitimate son working as a ranch hand along with the Lyman’s, a long-time older couple who have been managing the ranch for a long time even though they cannot stand Pepper. Each one has a strong motive and opportunity, and although everyone claims that they wish they had, they swear their innocent.
That isn’t Longmire’s only problem. There’s more on his plate. His daughter – the greatest legal mind – has been appointed the Attorney General for the state of Wyoming. If that wasn’t enough, the former Russian special forces assassin who tried to kill him in a previous book, Maxim Sidorov, has shown up and is under the temporary legal custody of Longmire. Much to Walt’s frustration, Maxim assigns himself to his own cell and offers his assistance in helping the sheriff solve the case.
Walt’s investigation will lead him to discover long hidden family secrets and grudges, a raging wildfire blazing through the canyon and cutting off his chance to escape peril, and a death that is strangely somehow connected to the classic Russian Dostoyevsky novel “The Brothers Karamazov” …
After finishing this 22nd Longmire novel, I have mixed feelings. Let’s start with the things that I liked:
- The premise of the murder mystery - who killed a man that everyone hated - has promise and Johnson plays with that premise pretty well, including the use of past history and humor. There is even a character who wants to claim credit for the murder, even though he didn’t do it. Additionally, Johnson’s incorporation of his personal experiences with the “The Brothers Karamazov” as part of the mystery was pretty creative and added an additional layer of depth to the story.
- I don’t really know why, but I found the character of Maxim Sidorov unique and interesting; his exchanges with Walt were edgy, funny, and almost on the same level as Walt’s banter with his best friend, Henry. For me, Maxim brough a fresh perspective and double-edged conflict into Walt’s world.
- It was also nice to see and catch-up with Double Tough, one of Longmire’s deputies, again and the other law enforcement location. I didn’t realize how much I had missed him. I must add that it’s always nice when Cady – the greatest legal mind – shows up, even if it was only in phone calls in this one. We need more of her presence, and that of her daughter, Lola, in future novels.
- Last, but not least Borax – the most stubborn, independent and patient, mule – stole every scene he was in and was a real joy as he played a key role in helping Walt out in more ways than one. He and Maxim were definitely two of the high points of this novel.
Now for the things that I struggled with:
- Some of the primary characters, especially Walt’s fiancée and master user of the f-word, Vic, and Walt’s best friend, Henry, played smaller roles, mostly because Walt’s time and energy are spent dealing with Maxim and investigating Pepper’s murder. However, Vic hasn’t played much of a role in the last two books along with this one, and Henry’s presence was small in this one and the last one. I miss them and would like to see more development with Walt and Vic’s relationship.
- This felt like a bit of an in-betweener book. The murder mystery and Russian classic novel connection was good in concept but didn’t really draw me in the way that the earlier books in the series did. Walt did a lot of running around and asking questions, but the answers became repetitive. The responses fell into the repetitive pattern of “Everyone wanted to kill Pepper, but it wasn’t me. Still, I’m curious as to why did someone kill him now?” And when the murder is solved at the end, it came across as not only anti-climactic, but a bit of was that it? I was never invested in the killer, and the big reveal lacked any real climactic payoff. There was no real development (except for maybe Maxim) for the primary characters or their storylines.
- It felt to me like Johnson fell into his familiar formula trap that he continues to fall into with this series. I call it the let’s put Walt through a physical set of challenges are that so hellish anyone else would die. He is dramatically injured physical yet finds a way to sacrifice himself in order to save another person while miraculously surviving a runaway fire that should have killed him. Johnson puts Walt through such a physical onslaught that he’s lucky to be alive. The problem is that he does this in pretty much every book. After having survived these incredible experiences in 22 books at count, it becomes harder on the reader because you know that he’s not going to die. On the other hand, Walt is not Superman either and he cannot keep surviving these incredibly impossible “Mission Impossible” challenges. The whole time I was reading about his being trapped in the runaway fires, I was never worried about how he was going to get out of it. He’s not only the stubbornest person we know, he’s also the most incredibly luckiest person in the world.
Overall, this was an okay book, but I wouldn’t put in my upper list of Longmire favorites. For me, I struggled a bit at times with keeping my attention throughout the second half of the book, as it fell into what I already described as the Walt formula that goes something like this - Walt gets stubborn, refuses to listen to anyone and must do things his way, and almost ends up dying, but struggles (and gets really lucky) to survive and solves the crime that was committed. It felt a bit of a race towards an ending we already knew the outcome would be.
Truth be told, my primary issue was that this one lacked the emotional impact of his prior novels which captured my full attention and kept my eyes glued to every page. For me, this felt a bit like too much of the same old thing. I am now seeing that I need more from Walt and the rest of the characters moving forward, learning and growing through their challenges, and not just the same old formula in which Walt rarely faces the accountability of his actions.
I still love you Walt and crew, but here’s hoping for more growth and development in the next book!
When “The Brothers McKay” starts, we find our hero, Walt Longmire, has a murder on his hands. This time it’s Pepper McKay, the most hated man in all of Absaroka County, has been found dead while fishing on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon. When Walt shows up to investigate it appears that someone took a rock to Pepper’s head and left him to die. That’s not much of a surprise, seeing that Pepper has threatened all of the men and attempted to rape most of the women, including Walt’s wife years ago before she passed away.
The bigger problem for Walt is that pretty everyone in the county is a suspect, starting with the three adult sons who had a serious family meeting at the ranch the night before Pepper’s death. They include a charmer who followed his father’s interest in chasing women, a very career focused journalist, and a religious monk. That’s just for starters. There’s also a half-native illegitimate son working as a ranch hand along with the Lyman’s, a long-time older couple who have been managing the ranch for a long time even though they cannot stand Pepper. Each one has a strong motive and opportunity, and although everyone claims that they wish they had, they swear their innocent.
That isn’t Longmire’s only problem. There’s more on his plate. His daughter – the greatest legal mind – has been appointed the Attorney General for the state of Wyoming. If that wasn’t enough, the former Russian special forces assassin who tried to kill him in a previous book, Maxim Sidorov, has shown up and is under the temporary legal custody of Longmire. Much to Walt’s frustration, Maxim assigns himself to his own cell and offers his assistance in helping the sheriff solve the case.
Walt’s investigation will lead him to discover long hidden family secrets and grudges, a raging wildfire blazing through the canyon and cutting off his chance to escape peril, and a death that is strangely somehow connected to the classic Russian Dostoyevsky novel “The Brothers Karamazov” …
After finishing this 22nd Longmire novel, I have mixed feelings. Let’s start with the things that I liked:
- The premise of the murder mystery - who killed a man that everyone hated - has promise and Johnson plays with that premise pretty well, including the use of past history and humor. There is even a character who wants to claim credit for the murder, even though he didn’t do it. Additionally, Johnson’s incorporation of his personal experiences with the “The Brothers Karamazov” as part of the mystery was pretty creative and added an additional layer of depth to the story.
- I don’t really know why, but I found the character of Maxim Sidorov unique and interesting; his exchanges with Walt were edgy, funny, and almost on the same level as Walt’s banter with his best friend, Henry. For me, Maxim brough a fresh perspective and double-edged conflict into Walt’s world.
- It was also nice to see and catch-up with Double Tough, one of Longmire’s deputies, again and the other law enforcement location. I didn’t realize how much I had missed him. I must add that it’s always nice when Cady – the greatest legal mind – shows up, even if it was only in phone calls in this one. We need more of her presence, and that of her daughter, Lola, in future novels.
- Last, but not least Borax – the most stubborn, independent and patient, mule – stole every scene he was in and was a real joy as he played a key role in helping Walt out in more ways than one. He and Maxim were definitely two of the high points of this novel.
Now for the things that I struggled with:
- Some of the primary characters, especially Walt’s fiancée and master user of the f-word, Vic, and Walt’s best friend, Henry, played smaller roles, mostly because Walt’s time and energy are spent dealing with Maxim and investigating Pepper’s murder. However, Vic hasn’t played much of a role in the last two books along with this one, and Henry’s presence was small in this one and the last one. I miss them and would like to see more development with Walt and Vic’s relationship.
- This felt like a bit of an in-betweener book. The murder mystery and Russian classic novel connection was good in concept but didn’t really draw me in the way that the earlier books in the series did. Walt did a lot of running around and asking questions, but the answers became repetitive. The responses fell into the repetitive pattern of “Everyone wanted to kill Pepper, but it wasn’t me. Still, I’m curious as to why did someone kill him now?” And when the murder is solved at the end, it came across as not only anti-climactic, but a bit of was that it? I was never invested in the killer, and the big reveal lacked any real climactic payoff. There was no real development (except for maybe Maxim) for the primary characters or their storylines.
- It felt to me like Johnson fell into his familiar formula trap that he continues to fall into with this series. I call it the let’s put Walt through a physical set of challenges are that so hellish anyone else would die. He is dramatically injured physical yet finds a way to sacrifice himself in order to save another person while miraculously surviving a runaway fire that should have killed him. Johnson puts Walt through such a physical onslaught that he’s lucky to be alive. The problem is that he does this in pretty much every book. After having survived these incredible experiences in 22 books at count, it becomes harder on the reader because you know that he’s not going to die. On the other hand, Walt is not Superman either and he cannot keep surviving these incredibly impossible “Mission Impossible” challenges. The whole time I was reading about his being trapped in the runaway fires, I was never worried about how he was going to get out of it. He’s not only the stubbornest person we know, he’s also the most incredibly luckiest person in the world.
Overall, this was an okay book, but I wouldn’t put in my upper list of Longmire favorites. For me, I struggled a bit at times with keeping my attention throughout the second half of the book, as it fell into what I already described as the Walt formula that goes something like this - Walt gets stubborn, refuses to listen to anyone and must do things his way, and almost ends up dying, but struggles (and gets really lucky) to survive and solves the crime that was committed. It felt a bit of a race towards an ending we already knew the outcome would be.
Truth be told, my primary issue was that this one lacked the emotional impact of his prior novels which captured my full attention and kept my eyes glued to every page. For me, this felt a bit like too much of the same old thing. I am now seeing that I need more from Walt and the rest of the characters moving forward, learning and growing through their challenges, and not just the same old formula in which Walt rarely faces the accountability of his actions.
I still love you Walt and crew, but here’s hoping for more growth and development in the next book!
June 24, 2026
I love catching up with Walt and his motley crew of friends and family. One of the things that I love about Walt is that he kind reminds me of my Papa Jack (FIL), who died quite a few years ago and who I miss very much. Anyway, like Walt, Papa Jack was such an interesting character whose stories I could listen to forever. He was a man who lived a very full life and loved sharing his experience with the people he loved. Anyway, Walt is such a great character, and Craig Johnson has created such an epic series that I hope to enjoy for as long as he chooses to entertain us.
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of Walt and his officers investigating the death of Pepper McKay, who it seems no one is going to miss. The suspect list is long and pretty much includes all of his kids (legal and illegitimate) and quite a few neighbors, including a couple of women he raped. There is the secondary storyline of a series of fires that the local troopers and fire departments are trying to contain.
Most of the story revolves around the questioning of the suspects, where a lot of family secrets are revealed along with some of Pepper’s more notorious behavior and offences. The ending got really intense for Walt who had to depend on a wild beast to save his life. Johnson kept me guessing on this one throughout the whole story and I never saw the ending coming. WHOO HOO!!! Boy howdy!!! Loved that ending! Walt is such a bad@$$!!!
The continuing character development of Walt and the gang was entertaining. Really enjoyed the addition of Maxim Sidorov, that we met in the last installment. Maxim, aka Boris, has been working with the Feds and is now going to be living in Absaroka County and Walt is going to be his quasi-parole officer. Looking forward to seeing more of him and his antics. The pacing was steady to fast, especially in the second half that often had me doing the “one more chapter” chant. The storyline was interesting as all of the installments are and the writing was classic Johnson and as good as ever. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Viking Penguin for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #VikingPenguin # TheBrothersMcKay
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of Walt and his officers investigating the death of Pepper McKay, who it seems no one is going to miss. The suspect list is long and pretty much includes all of his kids (legal and illegitimate) and quite a few neighbors, including a couple of women he raped. There is the secondary storyline of a series of fires that the local troopers and fire departments are trying to contain.
Most of the story revolves around the questioning of the suspects, where a lot of family secrets are revealed along with some of Pepper’s more notorious behavior and offences. The ending got really intense for Walt who had to depend on a wild beast to save his life. Johnson kept me guessing on this one throughout the whole story and I never saw the ending coming. WHOO HOO!!! Boy howdy!!! Loved that ending! Walt is such a bad@$$!!!
The continuing character development of Walt and the gang was entertaining. Really enjoyed the addition of Maxim Sidorov, that we met in the last installment. Maxim, aka Boris, has been working with the Feds and is now going to be living in Absaroka County and Walt is going to be his quasi-parole officer. Looking forward to seeing more of him and his antics. The pacing was steady to fast, especially in the second half that often had me doing the “one more chapter” chant. The storyline was interesting as all of the installments are and the writing was classic Johnson and as good as ever. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Viking Penguin for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #VikingPenguin # TheBrothersMcKay
May 31, 2026
After more than twenty books in the Longmire universe, I thought I had a good sense of where Craig Johnson might take Walt next. After introducing Russian assassins to the story one, a reimagining of a Russian literary classic, did not catch me by surprise too much.
With “The Brothers McKay”, Johnson borrows liberally from the original source material and somehow makes it feel perfectly at home in modern-day Wyoming. The result is a novel that works both as a mystery and as a playful literary adaptation, rewarding readers whether they recognize the inspiration or not.
As always, Johnson's greatest strength remains his characters and dialogue. My favorite exchange may be:
"The person you are after is insane or a literary major."
"Same thing—I should know."
That combination of wit, self-awareness, and affection for humanity is what continues to make these books so enjoyable.
We are also introduced to a character I sincerely hope will become a regular fixture in future installments: Borax the mule. Walt's description of him is perfect:
"I climbed in the truck and sat there staring at him thinking that if I had an animal spirit, I was probably looking at it."
In a series filled with memorable characters, it takes something special for a mule to steal scenes, but Borax manages it.
Most long-running series eventually begin to feel tired. The Longmire books continue to do the opposite. “The Brothers McKay” is fresh, funny, thoughtful, and another reminder of why I keep coming back to Absaroka County year after year. Now that Johnson has successfully brought a Russian classic to Wyoming, the next logical step seems to be a visit to Russia itself.
With “The Brothers McKay”, Johnson borrows liberally from the original source material and somehow makes it feel perfectly at home in modern-day Wyoming. The result is a novel that works both as a mystery and as a playful literary adaptation, rewarding readers whether they recognize the inspiration or not.
As always, Johnson's greatest strength remains his characters and dialogue. My favorite exchange may be:
"The person you are after is insane or a literary major."
"Same thing—I should know."
That combination of wit, self-awareness, and affection for humanity is what continues to make these books so enjoyable.
We are also introduced to a character I sincerely hope will become a regular fixture in future installments: Borax the mule. Walt's description of him is perfect:
"I climbed in the truck and sat there staring at him thinking that if I had an animal spirit, I was probably looking at it."
In a series filled with memorable characters, it takes something special for a mule to steal scenes, but Borax manages it.
Most long-running series eventually begin to feel tired. The Longmire books continue to do the opposite. “The Brothers McKay” is fresh, funny, thoughtful, and another reminder of why I keep coming back to Absaroka County year after year. Now that Johnson has successfully brought a Russian classic to Wyoming, the next logical step seems to be a visit to Russia itself.
June 7, 2026
Three “legitimate”sons, and one much younger half brother conceived in rape. A murdered father, apparently universally hated. Parallels to the classic Dostoyevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov right in Absaroka county. I always enjoy visiting with Walt, Vic, and Henry, but this parallel was a bit heavy handed, the cliffhanger ending was disappointing, and the Russian character who spoke in broken English really got on my nerves.
June 4, 2026
Craig Johnson never disappoints! Long live Borax!
June 8, 2026
I need to give up on this series, I haven’t liked one in ages, this was slightly better than the last few but I spent most of it feeling like I was rushing to get through it in a bad way
October 18, 2026
Pretty good but not the best of the Longmire books. Not enough of the characters I have come to love: Vic, Ruby, Henry, etc.
August 12, 2026
What have we here in Longmire Land circa volume #22 ?
There's Sheriff Walt Longmire, a bit more damaged but still indestructable.
Some of his verbal interactions with suspects, downright pissy. Uncharacteristic.
And now, more than ever, his detailed knowledge of history and trivia are becoming
more absurd: St. Bernard dogs in the Alps (57 BC), Lucas Land Rover (68 series 11A
88), Oscar Wilde vs. Aristotelian mimesis, the minor characters from THE BROTHERS
KARAMAZOV and so much more ; there's a difference between being smart and just
copying out arcane trivia from Wikipedia to sound smart.
Arch nemesis Boris Sidarov reappears, teasing Walt with information on his missing
friend Ruth One Heart. A subplot dragging along from novel to novel screaming "sequel."
The same Sidarov with the horrible racist accent somewhere between Boris Badenov of
Moose and Squirrel fame and Yoda. No wonder Russia hates us.
Then we have Cady making several phone appearances, Henry leaning menacingly in
doorways and Dog who is perpetually underfoot when not being petted and scritched
behind the ears. Vic, now Walt's lovable four letter spoutin' fiancé leans on stuff pretty
much just to strike a sexy pose.
The reader is still in for an interesting plot, a few murders and multiple suspects, and the
comfort of a familiar, well liked cast. The issue here is maybe how long the series has
been around. As beloved as it is by so many die-hard fans, does Craig Johnson find
himself, like Cady, 'phoning it in' because the publisher has to have another best seller ?
Sad to say but the best parts centered on a temporary character : Borax the mule.
There's Sheriff Walt Longmire, a bit more damaged but still indestructable.
Some of his verbal interactions with suspects, downright pissy. Uncharacteristic.
And now, more than ever, his detailed knowledge of history and trivia are becoming
more absurd: St. Bernard dogs in the Alps (57 BC), Lucas Land Rover (68 series 11A
88), Oscar Wilde vs. Aristotelian mimesis, the minor characters from THE BROTHERS
KARAMAZOV and so much more ; there's a difference between being smart and just
copying out arcane trivia from Wikipedia to sound smart.
Arch nemesis Boris Sidarov reappears, teasing Walt with information on his missing
friend Ruth One Heart. A subplot dragging along from novel to novel screaming "sequel."
The same Sidarov with the horrible racist accent somewhere between Boris Badenov of
Moose and Squirrel fame and Yoda. No wonder Russia hates us.
Then we have Cady making several phone appearances, Henry leaning menacingly in
doorways and Dog who is perpetually underfoot when not being petted and scritched
behind the ears. Vic, now Walt's lovable four letter spoutin' fiancé leans on stuff pretty
much just to strike a sexy pose.
The reader is still in for an interesting plot, a few murders and multiple suspects, and the
comfort of a familiar, well liked cast. The issue here is maybe how long the series has
been around. As beloved as it is by so many die-hard fans, does Craig Johnson find
himself, like Cady, 'phoning it in' because the publisher has to have another best seller ?
Sad to say but the best parts centered on a temporary character : Borax the mule.
June 10, 2026
2.5
Like a number of other reviewers, I loved Borax, but the novel itself, not so much. It just feels like Craig Johnson is getting tired of writing about Sheriff Longmire’s life and job.
Like a number of other reviewers, I loved Borax, but the novel itself, not so much. It just feels like Craig Johnson is getting tired of writing about Sheriff Longmire’s life and job.
November 3, 2026
The Brothers McKay is a homage to “The Brothers Karamazov," and the hero is a mule called Borax, how cool is that! Walt Longmire has his work cut out in discovering who murdered Pepper McKay, as there are so many suspects, including his three sons. Longmire is also acting as a parole officer for Maxim Sidorov - a Russian spy who once tried to kill him, and two wildfires are raging, which threaten his life. As regards Sidorov - I believe his story will carry on into the next volume, which is great because his partnership with Longmire is quite intriguing and they have good energy together.
Wisdom from Sidorov: "When anger and revenge are married their daughter is called cruelty."
Walt Longmire tells the mule: "I'd rather take a quick shower than be quick fried to a crackly crunch."
Excellent narration from George Guidall as usual, he's one of my favorites.
Wisdom from Sidorov: "When anger and revenge are married their daughter is called cruelty."
Walt Longmire tells the mule: "I'd rather take a quick shower than be quick fried to a crackly crunch."
Excellent narration from George Guidall as usual, he's one of my favorites.
July 1, 2026
Another great one in the long-running Longmire series.
This time the author manages to riff on The Brothers Karamazov. And Walt's dangerous encounter with Nature involves a wildfire. Never a dull moment!
This time the author manages to riff on The Brothers Karamazov. And Walt's dangerous encounter with Nature involves a wildfire. Never a dull moment!
June 19, 2026
Johnson really outdid himself with this one. A wealthy rancher who is basically hated by anyone he's ever met is murdered. A classic style mystery with a Longmire twist.
The rancher left 4 children, 1 illegitimate who all could be considered suspects, along with the neighbors, employees and even Walt. Meanwhile after an incredibly dry season wildfires are running rampant all over the area.
Knowing Walt, the possibilities are endless for unexpected mayhem.
The rancher left 4 children, 1 illegitimate who all could be considered suspects, along with the neighbors, employees and even Walt. Meanwhile after an incredibly dry season wildfires are running rampant all over the area.
Knowing Walt, the possibilities are endless for unexpected mayhem.
July 13, 2026
Worst in the series. Boring and time to put this series to bed
July 3, 2026
Enjoyed this latest Walt Longmire novel tremendously. Craig Johnson is one of the few authors who is truly a master of creating interesting and multifaceted characters like Maxim Sidorov who was a deadly adversary in a previous novel now potential ally who now shows a modicum of shared law enforcement background and respect towards Longmire . No doubt we will see Maxim in a future Longmire novel who has agreed to help locating and rescuing Longmire’s relative, Ruth One Heart. I loved the nonhuman character in mule form known as “Borax” who helps Longmire locate the murder weapon and helps Longmire to escape an out of control fire and save the life of a troubled young monk. Longmire is tempted to “deputize” Borax! LOL”
I find Craig Johnson’s trivia references to the game of “Clue”, the ninth marquess of Queensbury, and The Brothers Karamasov novel to be intriguing and educational. Encouraged me to do some research and learn!
Thanks for the adventure!
I find Craig Johnson’s trivia references to the game of “Clue”, the ninth marquess of Queensbury, and The Brothers Karamasov novel to be intriguing and educational. Encouraged me to do some research and learn!
Thanks for the adventure!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2026
A murder mystery, survivalist, Borax, theology, FIRE! Russian literature, buried secrets, Crazy Woman Canyon, small town and who would have thought- our hero-Sheriff Walt Longmire. The prose of writing enhance the experience of reading so Enjoy.
September 13, 2026
I had high hopes but the last couple of chapters were too convenient and idiotic.
July 31, 2026
The prompt in the review space reads “What did you think of this book?”
Well, if I was writing in the style of Vic Moretti’s speech pattern, I would drop about 23 f-bombs in describing how idiotic the premise and story telling were.
The never-ending escaping the fire scene; the completely random killer; the idiotic ending with the Russian; the mule who’s more intelligent than the main characters.
Gimme a break - horrible read.
Johnson churns out his Longmire works annually. I am giving myself a reminder for next year to remember NOT to pick up his Longmire book #23.
Well, if I was writing in the style of Vic Moretti’s speech pattern, I would drop about 23 f-bombs in describing how idiotic the premise and story telling were.
The never-ending escaping the fire scene; the completely random killer; the idiotic ending with the Russian; the mule who’s more intelligent than the main characters.
Gimme a break - horrible read.
Johnson churns out his Longmire works annually. I am giving myself a reminder for next year to remember NOT to pick up his Longmire book #23.
October 12, 2026
I’ve been away from Walt Longmire for too long. But dipping into The Brothers McKay and it all comes roaring back, the Walt Longmire sly insights and world-weary stoicism. Intelligence ad keen insights wrapped in an “aw, shucks” statesman.
Tbe Brothers McKay comes as an homage to Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Craig Johnson walks us through the reasons for doing so in his opening acknowledgements. I’m no expert on Karamazov. I read it in high school and enjoyed the parts I understood, but how many working mystery writers today would want to take on such a challenge?
Karamazov aside, The Brothers McKay is entertaining from start to finish. Go read the plot descriptions for Karamazov if you feel the need to put yourself in literary criticism mode, but the basic structure of The Brothers McKay is straightforward.
The dead man is Pepper McKay. “The patriarch of the extended McKay family was not a complicated man but had led a somewhat complex life with business interests that spanned the globe, including but not restricted to the O-Kay Ranch at the mouth of Crazy Woman Canyon in Absaroka County.”
Over time, the ranch had become a “a guest, or dude, ranch where well-heeled left and right coasters had flocked to experience the authentic ranch lifestyle.” Pepper is (was) married to BeeBee Harris, the heir to the family fortune. He’d also been married twice before. And Pepper has children. Specifically, sons. “Three sons, and maybe a half,” is how undersheriff Victoria Moretti tells it as she gives Longmire a rundown on the family dynamics on the way to the crime scene.
The three sons start with David, Pepper’s son by a previous wife. He’s ex-U.S. Army, former CIA, and maybe former security consultant. The next two are BeeBee’s sons, Ian and Alan. Ian is a young journalist who works for the High Plains Bulletin. And Alan is a monk at the Saint Benedict’s Monastery near Meeteetse.
And “the half”? Well, the buzz is that the young man who is the head wrangler at the ranch, Manx Henenoka, is Pepper’s illegitimate son, “the product of a tryst with a Shoshone cook who used to work there before she died.” That’s the same general set-up as Karamazov, including the illegitimate offspring.
So, three (and a half) possible suspects. Of course, that number will grow. The novel starts as Longmire and Moretti wind their way into the canyon and find the historic O-Kay Lodge. There’s a wildfire brewing. And Pepper McKay’s body has been plucked from Crazy Woman Creek, where he’d been found floating face down. There had been a family meeting so all the suspects are close by and an extra set of footprints in the soft earth by the river suggest Pepper hadn’t accidentally fallen and hit his head. Pepper was “always drinking” and there was a flattened flask in his fishing vest.
The story includes copies of The Brother Karamazov, so it’s not like Johnson expects us to draw the comparisons and finally make use of our college degrees in comparative literature (just kidding), but I think fans of the Walt Longmire novels (there are now 22 plus many short stories) consume these novels to be back in that familiar Walt Longmire worldview. The clue-finding is mostly through keen observations of crime scene details and human behavior and most of the excavation of key details is through Longmire’s indirect, low-key, chatty inquisition.
In this one, there’s a mule named Borax that plays a major role and a harrowing escape from a deep canyon as a wildfire bears down. Longmire gets himself trapped under a large rock overhang. He’s got a bad ankle and a pint of Jägermeister. His companions are the mule and a young novice from the monastery, Michael Rakin. Rakin is struggling with his faith and the break in the action provides for deep conversation. Original sin, acquired sin, and theology debates as the fire bears down. Longmire, we all know, has seen hell. Johnson doesn’t need to go into the details, but fans know.
Elk stampede, Rakin gets hurt, trees explode, all hope is lost.
At one point, as Longmire is unloading blankets off the back of the mule, Borax blinks. And “then he cast his great chestnut eyes toward me as if to ask, What’s next?”
Fans of Walt Longmire are already wondering the same thing.
Tbe Brothers McKay comes as an homage to Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Craig Johnson walks us through the reasons for doing so in his opening acknowledgements. I’m no expert on Karamazov. I read it in high school and enjoyed the parts I understood, but how many working mystery writers today would want to take on such a challenge?
Karamazov aside, The Brothers McKay is entertaining from start to finish. Go read the plot descriptions for Karamazov if you feel the need to put yourself in literary criticism mode, but the basic structure of The Brothers McKay is straightforward.
The dead man is Pepper McKay. “The patriarch of the extended McKay family was not a complicated man but had led a somewhat complex life with business interests that spanned the globe, including but not restricted to the O-Kay Ranch at the mouth of Crazy Woman Canyon in Absaroka County.”
Over time, the ranch had become a “a guest, or dude, ranch where well-heeled left and right coasters had flocked to experience the authentic ranch lifestyle.” Pepper is (was) married to BeeBee Harris, the heir to the family fortune. He’d also been married twice before. And Pepper has children. Specifically, sons. “Three sons, and maybe a half,” is how undersheriff Victoria Moretti tells it as she gives Longmire a rundown on the family dynamics on the way to the crime scene.
The three sons start with David, Pepper’s son by a previous wife. He’s ex-U.S. Army, former CIA, and maybe former security consultant. The next two are BeeBee’s sons, Ian and Alan. Ian is a young journalist who works for the High Plains Bulletin. And Alan is a monk at the Saint Benedict’s Monastery near Meeteetse.
And “the half”? Well, the buzz is that the young man who is the head wrangler at the ranch, Manx Henenoka, is Pepper’s illegitimate son, “the product of a tryst with a Shoshone cook who used to work there before she died.” That’s the same general set-up as Karamazov, including the illegitimate offspring.
So, three (and a half) possible suspects. Of course, that number will grow. The novel starts as Longmire and Moretti wind their way into the canyon and find the historic O-Kay Lodge. There’s a wildfire brewing. And Pepper McKay’s body has been plucked from Crazy Woman Creek, where he’d been found floating face down. There had been a family meeting so all the suspects are close by and an extra set of footprints in the soft earth by the river suggest Pepper hadn’t accidentally fallen and hit his head. Pepper was “always drinking” and there was a flattened flask in his fishing vest.
The story includes copies of The Brother Karamazov, so it’s not like Johnson expects us to draw the comparisons and finally make use of our college degrees in comparative literature (just kidding), but I think fans of the Walt Longmire novels (there are now 22 plus many short stories) consume these novels to be back in that familiar Walt Longmire worldview. The clue-finding is mostly through keen observations of crime scene details and human behavior and most of the excavation of key details is through Longmire’s indirect, low-key, chatty inquisition.
In this one, there’s a mule named Borax that plays a major role and a harrowing escape from a deep canyon as a wildfire bears down. Longmire gets himself trapped under a large rock overhang. He’s got a bad ankle and a pint of Jägermeister. His companions are the mule and a young novice from the monastery, Michael Rakin. Rakin is struggling with his faith and the break in the action provides for deep conversation. Original sin, acquired sin, and theology debates as the fire bears down. Longmire, we all know, has seen hell. Johnson doesn’t need to go into the details, but fans know.
Elk stampede, Rakin gets hurt, trees explode, all hope is lost.
At one point, as Longmire is unloading blankets off the back of the mule, Borax blinks. And “then he cast his great chestnut eyes toward me as if to ask, What’s next?”
Fans of Walt Longmire are already wondering the same thing.
October 15, 2026
Longmire sure is one of my long time favorites. The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson is no exception. It takes place under a few days during some bad wild fires in Wyoming. A man is dead, was it an accident or? Well in his usual style this story has some twists and a gallery of characters like nothing else. Combine that with some office bantering and a dose of humor. I just love it. I would however want to know more about his grandfathers ranch that is supposedly under renovation. I feel it should take up more space. Still I will recommend this book and series to all lovers of good storytelling.
May 27, 2026
This one started out a bit slow for me. It's hard to get upset at the dead guy when he was so awful. The weird Russian guy was more interesting as was Walt's reaction to him being there. I find I'm very intrigued by their conversation at the end.
The last part of the book was a bit harrowing for Walt. The fire coming, he's stuck out there, a weird guy, random elk stampede and a stubborn mule, all things that made it harder for Walt to deal with. At least he figured out the bad guy and why, even if it was a stupid reason for everything.
The last part of the book was a bit harrowing for Walt. The fire coming, he's stuck out there, a weird guy, random elk stampede and a stubborn mule, all things that made it harder for Walt to deal with. At least he figured out the bad guy and why, even if it was a stupid reason for everything.
May 30, 2026
One of the least enjoyable Longmire books but still much better than most. A ridiculous plot with silly gimmicks like pretending you can legally force people to stay in a location without arresting them or having any probable cause they committed a crime. But it's a Longmire book so it's worth reading.
October 15, 2026
This is another good addition to the Longmire series. Walt has to find out who murdered one of the most disliked individuals in Absaroka County. Almost every local has a motive to carry out the murder, and many of the locals wish that they had been the one to perform the deed.
As usual, the book is filled with interesting facts and the writing style is witty. All of the usual characters make an appearance. I would have liked more of undersheriff Vic. Her character is strong and hilarious.
The story is fast paced. At one point Walt has to navigate a large wildfire. The descriptions of the fire make it come alive.
If you are a fan of the Longmire series, you won't be disappointed. If you are new to the series, I suggest reading the books in order.
As usual, the book is filled with interesting facts and the writing style is witty. All of the usual characters make an appearance. I would have liked more of undersheriff Vic. Her character is strong and hilarious.
The story is fast paced. At one point Walt has to navigate a large wildfire. The descriptions of the fire make it come alive.
If you are a fan of the Longmire series, you won't be disappointed. If you are new to the series, I suggest reading the books in order.
October 24, 2026
Craig Johnson's Longmire books are always enjoyable, and I love his literary allusions. This book's title is an homage to Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, and as a Dostoevsky fan, I enjoyed the parallel.
Some things seemed contrived to fit the plot, though, including the Karamazov angle. Most troubling to me was that Vic made some choices that were NOT true to her character, again, I think, because it advanced a particular plot point. Even Walt did things in this book that I found reckless rather than brave, irresponsible rather than professional.
Overall it was still an enjoyable read, and no one writes a man vs nature conflict better than Craig Johnson, who is a poet at heart and who knows the terrain about which he writes so profoundly.
Some things seemed contrived to fit the plot, though, including the Karamazov angle. Most troubling to me was that Vic made some choices that were NOT true to her character, again, I think, because it advanced a particular plot point. Even Walt did things in this book that I found reckless rather than brave, irresponsible rather than professional.
Overall it was still an enjoyable read, and no one writes a man vs nature conflict better than Craig Johnson, who is a poet at heart and who knows the terrain about which he writes so profoundly.
June 13, 2026
Would give it a 2.9 if I could. I’ve read all of Craig Johnson’s Longmire series and love the main character and his musings. That was the saving grace of this book. Other than enjoying Longmire, the story was kind of “meh”. The book was fairy slow through the 1st three quarters and then seemed to rush to the end. Didn’t really draw me in like many of his other books. The parallels to Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” were somewhat awkward, the super mule was totally unrealistic, and the ending was wrapped up in a little bow. Maybe a bit harsh but I have high expectations for this series.
November 3, 2026
Boy howdy! I've read a lot of Longmire. This is a good one for fans of the series.
November 12, 2026
Ok, I may be biased, as I love these books, but that was excellent and I can’t wait for the next adventure.
June 17, 2026
Detective western that rips off Dostoevsky? What more could you want?
June 4, 2026
Walt Longmire continues to prevail in the Wyoming landscape. Complete with his sidekicks Dog and The Navajo Nation, he encounters a family with many viable suspects and withstands a raging natural disaster.
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