The Highwayman

Walt Longmire #11.5

by Craig Johnson

When Wyoming highway patrolman Rosey Wayman is transferred to the beautiful and imposing landscape of the Wind River Canyon, an area the troopers refer to as no-man's-land because of the lack of radio communication, she starts receiving “officer needs assistance” calls. The problem? They're coming from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who met a fiery death in the canyon almost a half-century ago.

With an investigation that spans this world and the next, Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear take on a case that pits them against a legend: The Highwayman.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Westerns, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Thriller

190 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2016

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There is a canyon in the heart of Wyoming carved by a river called Wind and a narrow, opposing, two-lane highway that follows its every curve like a lover."

Craig Johnson truly has a way with words. He can describe a scene in the dry desert or in the heights of the mountains like no other. He can infuse incredibly humorous banter between his characters like no other.

The Highwayman is a book of small stature being only 190 pages long. I grabbed it in a greedy manner from my library and worked my way through it like a woodchuck chucking wood in a short amount of time. Please note: You don't have to wade through all of his previous books in order to partake in this one. The fine-chiseled characters and the landscape of the setting speak for themselves.....and they have much to say.

Strange and unexplainable happenings are causing Rosey Wayman, a recently transferred Wyoming Highway Patrolman to doubt her sanity. She is picking up radio calls at the exact time of night from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who met a fiery death over 50 years ago. And no one, absolutely no one, hears what she hears. Walt Longmire positions himself to get to the bottom of this perplexing situation.

The Highwayman is infused with Arapaho, Shoshone, and Cherokee folklore. It is a delightful spin into the land of the ancestors. Sometimes we just need a little taste of diversion in this heavy-weighted, caustic world in which the daily headlines bring much grief and uncertainty. Craig Johnson rises to the challenge and directs our eyes to simpler times. It's a short read, but it opens into a great expanse of the canyons of beckoning true storytelling.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This novella, which is #11.5 in the 'Walt Longmire' series, has Longmire and his friends dealing with (what might be) a ghost. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Wyoming Highway Patrolman (HP) Bobby Womack, an Arapaho Indian assigned to the Wind River Canyon, was killed thirty years ago - at 12:34 A.M. - when he had a fiery collision with a fuel truck in a mountain tunnel.





Bobby was working under a cloud at the time, because he had shot two thieves fleeing with a bag of collectible coins - after which the coins couldn't be found.



Bobby wasn't flat out accused of taking the coins, but the incident cast a pall on his reputation.

Since Bobby's death, a handful of motorists have reported having encounters with a mysterious HP - wearing a badge that reads Womack - who helped them change a tire; gave them a warning about a broken light; etc.



Now, additional strange things are happening. An HP named Rosey Wayman, who was recently transferred to the Wind River Canyon, reports that's she's been receiving calls at 12:34 A.M. saying "Officer needs assistance”.....and they come from Bobby's radio.



On several nights Rosey has also found a rare coin on the highway, which seems to come from the stash that disappeared three decades ago.

Wayman's supervisor suggests a psychiatric evaluation, and Rosey - who insists she's not 'crazy' - is afraid of losing her job.

Walt Longmire, the Absaroka County Sheriff, wants to help his friend Rosey. So Walt and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear (aka The Cherokee Nation), plan to spend a couple of nights on patrol with Wayman, to see if they can hear the calls.





While they're in the area, Walt and Henry also speak to people who knew Bobby, to learn as much about the dead HP as possible. When Walt and Henry sit down to eat steaks with a very old Arapaho woman called Kimama Bellefeuille, she blesses the food starting with, “Cese’éihii heetih- eh’etii- hióówo’owú-u...….."



Kimama - who gives everyone nicknames - then calls Walt 'Bird Turd' (because bird poop is white). When Walt objects, Kimama dubs him 'Frosty', and when the sheriff complains AGAIN, she names him 'Bucket' (because he's beyond the pale. 😊)

The search for Bobby (if it's him) isn't straightforward, and there's suspense, danger, and excitement leading to the climax of the story. This is an entertaining novella in an authentic western setting.


Wind River Canyon

Recommended to readers who like mysteries, especially Longmire fans.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Highwayman by Craig Johnson is a 2016 Viking Books publication.

It feels like it’s been forever since the last Longmire novel and forever since there were any new episodes of ‘Longmire’ to watch on Netflix. So, I have been seriously jonesing for a Walt Longmire fix.

So, thankfully, this novella came along a kept me from having some nasty withdrawal symptoms.


A good storyteller is what makes a ghost story affective, and we all know Craig Johnson can weave a mighty good tale.

As the story opens, Walt is in Wind River Canyon looking in on Rosey Wayman, a highway patrol officer dealing with some peculiar circumstances that has folks worried about her mental state.

Out in ‘ no-man’s land’ where the radio transmissions are mostly just static, Rosey begins picking up ‘officer needs assistance’ calls. But, the real problem is that the person sending these transmissions, Bobby Womack, has been dead for a very long time.

Walt and Henry are on this puzzling case that will challenge Walt’s belief system and send a few shivers up your spine.

This story centers around the Arapaho, Shoshone, and Cherokee legends, against the incredible Wyoming backdrop, and tells an absorbing story of honor and redemption.

“It was strange the paths the human heart chose to take and the attachments it made along the way. The surest sign of the altruistic nature of the organ is its ability to ignore race, color, creed, and gender and just blindly love with all its might- one of the most irrefutable forces on earth.”

I loved the mystery, which is a cold case, and examines the prejudices that tarnished the reputation of a good man. The legend and supernatural tales of “The Highwayman’ would make for some pretty good campfire tales. But, of course, there is a logical explanation for everything…. Right?

If you like Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear, books or TV show, either one, you will want to check out this novella length story, which, despite its brevity, is a very rich and powerful story, with outstanding dialogue, and the writing, as always, is spectacular.

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss Walt so much, this novella was great and I am looking forward to the next book on this fantastic series. Walt and Henry have to help out a fellow officer/friend who is having some trouble in the field. A little bit of hocus pocus goes on until the mystery of a former officers death is solved. Loved it. George Guidall is still one of my favorite narrators.

[John (JC) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick but interesting read. This again has Walt dealing with the Native American spirit world. The ending has a nice twist. There were some shocking revelations and much intense action. This is a good short read that I would recommend to Longmire followers and all others who would like a great story.

Quote:

He eyed me with the butt of the weapon still resting on his knee. “Careful, I’m armed.” I nodded. “I can see that. You mind putting the safety on that Red Ryder BB gun??”” He shook his head and studied me through a pair of Ray-Bans. “Cocked and locked, that’s just how I roll.” “You’ll put your eye out.”

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella has the structure common to ghost stories that turn up in literature: spooky reports, a rational investigation, revelations of karmic elements, and an ambiguous resolution. Rosie is a deputy with the highway patrol who on duty near highway tunnels that cut through the Wind River mountains of Wyoming hears on various nights radio calls from a trooper who died there nearly two decades before, the code for “officer in need of assistance.” This is a dangerous passage near the Arapaho reservation land, and the trooper is a rare Native American from the tribe. Evidence suggests he died heroically sacrificing himself by using his cruiser to head off an out-of-control fuel tanker that exploded to smithereens, leaving no chance of identifying his body. Sheriff Walt Longmire and his best friend Henry Standing Bear (an Indian affectionately referred to as “the Cheyenne Nation”) come to this county as a courtesy to the town police chief who has to judge whether the female trooper is subject to hallucinations and needs to be relieved from duty.

While Henry is more open to the alternative that Rosie is being haunted by a ghost, Walt initially favors the likelihood she is the target of a hoax. Tied in with the mystery is the fate of a highjacked shipment of defective silver dollars prized as collector’s items after the Indian officer killed the robbers years before in a shootout near the tunnels. Many with racist attitudes assume the dead officer cadged the treasure away. As Longmire’s investigation gets under way, individual silver dollars turn up at sites where subsequent accidents or near-accidents take place, and stories surface of an officer helping travelers in trouble over the years. A well-constructed yarn if you are in the mood for a collision between the rationale and the spiritual. As the majority of modern residents of our planet believe in ghosts, here you are forced to sort yourself out on your conflicting views on the subject.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Highwayman is book 11.5 in the Walt Longmire Series. Well, it's not a book it's a novella, but it's 190 pages long so it feels almost like a "real book"...

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book and in anticipation of An Obvious Fact (book twelve in the series that comes this fall) was this book a pleasant appetizer.

I found the story interesting with an Arapaho patrolman supposedly haunting the Wind River Canyon. Is highway patrolman Rosey Wayman mad or is she really hearing Bobby Womack calling for assistance? Either way, it's a wonderfully written story. Craig Johnson has a way of writing a book that makes me slow down the reading to really appreciate each and every word. John Connolly is another writer that just can put words together and create such fine magic that every page is a pure joy to read. You know the kind of books that perhaps takes a long way to building up the story before everything explodes, but you don't care and don't feel bored because you enjoy the slow, but steady pace.

Craig Johnson also has some pretty fine characters that carry the story. Walt Longmire is such a stable and strong characters, and I love it when Henry Standing Bear his pal since childhood shows up and assist him in various cases. And, of course, I love their banter. Then, we have Vic, Walt's fierce deputy who he is having a kind of relationship with. She was unfortunately not in this book. But, I do hope she will show up in An Obvious Fact.

A solid and interesting story with some action and even some funny moments. This book was a great read and I recommend this series warmly!

[Truman32 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Craig Johnson’s amiable sheriff, Walt Longmire is back in his half-novel/novella hybrid (it’s numbered 11.5 in the series) The Highwayman.

Walt is pulled to Wyoming’s desolate Wind River Canyon to help an old friend, highway patrol officer, Rosey Wayman. Rosey has been getting calls on her police band: “officer needs assistance” despite the fact that the canyon’s towering walls should make radio communication near impossible. What’s more, she recognizes the voice asking for help. It’s patrolman Bobby Womack, a legendary police officer who met his demise in a fiery crash decades ago.

What the heck is going on? It’s up to Walt and his buddy Henry Standing Bear to get to the bottom of this spooky conundrum!

Johnson peppers his short story with the winsome characters we expect. And while the mystery is so straightforward that even the Scooby team in their Mystery Machine could solve it in minutes, it is always engaging. It helps that the slender tale is packaged in a slender book—the pages are sized roughly to those of a paperback and consisting of no more than190 (though the price at $20 is about as slender as my ass after a week of Vegas all you can eat buffets. But I digress.). There is a ghostly supernatural bent, as well as some really nice action scenes—Johnson is terrific in all his books at writing riveting high-tension chases and escapades of daring-do. And I cannot oversell the endearing charm of his lead characters, Walt and Henry. Brave, smart, big, easy-going, funny and honorable. What more can you ask for from your detective heroes? They are the real reason to read Johnson’s long running Longmire series.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shorter novel, albeit 190 pages, about Longmire and Henry being outside their own stomping grounds helping a friend who is plagued by an apparent ghost of an Indian Highwayman who died violently and under the suspicion of robbery.

This story adds little to the continuation of the Longmire tales as with "dry bones", this one is a little sidestep in the realm of the more supernatural kind. That said some of the earlier Longmire tales have more supernatural aspects than this short story does have. The story in itself is a strong addition to the Longmire series and shows the writer Johnson at the hight of his writing skills. I really enjoyed the story and it was not his best but Longmire and Henry were well depicted and shown to be a great couple in crime books. Really looking forward to the next book.

Well advised to read in sequence for the better enjoyment of the series.

It also concludes the target of my annual reading list, and that is well worth being the case as I read so much of the Longmire tales this year.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, easy book to read, 190p. I read it in 1 day. Walt Longmire, Absaroka County Sheriff, is called on to help a Wyoming Highway Patrol officer who is hearing radio calls from a HP officer dead for thirty years. Her Captain wants to send her for a psychiatric evaluation. Walt and his friend Henry Standing Bear agree to sit with her for a few nights in Wind River Canyon, where she hears the calls.
This is an entertaining story with some buried secrets and a ghost who comes to rescue them from death. There is a bit of humor when an Indian shaman calls Walt a "Bird Turd", because he is white.
I liked the ending and recommend this book to Longmire fans. 4.5 stars

[Algernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be honest – like most I love a good ghost story and every time I’ve driven through the Wind River Canyon I’ve felt as if there was one just waiting to be put down on paper.

Honest Craig Johnson got his wish here : a good ghost story, set in the general milieu of his long running Longmire series.
I’ve been running out of steam myself with the series, distracted by shiny new things on my reading list and so in 2023 I took only half a step forward: The Highwayman is a novella that makes a transition to the next big episode in the main plot.

The good think about the story is that it can be read and appreciated on its own, without the need for the reader to be familiar with any of the other books in the series or with backgrounds for the main actors. The cast in the Wind River investigation is actually a one man and a half show, with Sheriff Walt Longmire of Absaroka County taking the spotlight and with his friend and sidekick Henry Standing Bear providing moral and physical support.

“I think we’re all haunted, by one thing or another.”

There has been a spiritual angle to the police investigations of the Absaroka County Sheriff’s Office right from the start of the series. I don’t personally enjoy this inclusion of the supernatural in a police procedural, but Craig Johnson has used the device sparingly and has brought some good supporting arguments for the Cherokee / Arapaho / Cheyenne traditions that are pertinent to the plots.

“That supposition still depends on the willful suspension of all critical, rational thinking and a belief in things that go bump in the night.”

In the current novella, these old tales and old ghosts play a more central role than usual in the series. I am not going to describe the events investigated by Sheriff Longmire: this is a short book, and it is better to be patient and let the story unfold at its own pace.
I would mention that one of the major attractions for me is the beautiful, windy and often deadly natural environment of Wyoming, a place that I’m sure would be a major destination for me if I ever manage a trip to the States: rugged mountains, scenic lakes and rivers, wildlife, friendly people [hopefully].

Until I get my wish, I will probably pick up the next book in the Longmire series, and I will hopefully do it before another winter holiday approaches.

[Craig Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this slim, "pocket-book"-sized novel, Craig Johnson rises to the challenge of concocting a "ghost story," deftly managed in under 200 small pages, which can be polished off in a pleasant afternoon or a (probably less pleasant) plane flight. Johnson's familiar and justifiably popular characters negotiate their way through most of the time-honored ghost story tropes (which the author seems to have studied). There's enough tension and mystery, which are not taken so far as to promote eye rolling and are sorted out satisfactorily in the end. The modest scale does not allow for the usual complexities of plot or characterization. Wind River Canyon, which looms as the largest character, comes off as more menacing than beautiful (which it may well be in the dead of winter). The little book arouses the desire for a road trip to this Wyoming Scenic Byway--but best not in winter.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been enjoying the Longmire Netflix series - I binge watched all 6 seasons in the last couple of months. This was a fun side story of just Walk and Henry Standing Bear, who is my favorite character. If you're a fan of the show or of Johnson's mystery books, then this is worth the time!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful Longmire novella-length story weaving in mystical elements from local legend and the supernatural in a mystery involving Walt and Henry and a highway patrol deputy who's questioning her own sanity over mysterious events along a desolate stretch of canyon road that reach back into its tragic past. Walt confronts the limits of his own rationality as he experiences events that seemingly defy explanation despite all his efforts.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

**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. **

“The Highwayman” is a Longmire series novella which takes place between Book 11 “Dry Bones” and Book 12 “An Obvious Fact”. It runs 190 pages, which is about half to two-thirds the length of a normal Longmire novel. To describe it in one sentence is to say this is Craig Johnson’s attempt at writing a ghost story, and for the most part he does pretty good, intermixing mystery and legend together in a “Longmire” tale.

The story begins with Walt and Henry helping a friend and fellow officer of the law, Rosey Wayman, a Wyoming highway patrolman who is assigned to the beautiful and mountainous range of the Wind River Canyon, an area that many have nicknamed “no-man’s land” because of the weak ability to send and receive radio communications. The problem that Rosey is having is that on some nights at exactly 12:34 am she receives an “Officer needs assistance call” from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who died in a fiery crash over thirty years ago.

When Walt is called in by Rosey’s boss, Jim Thomas, to investigate, he brings along Henry to aid him in the work. As Walt talks to others who knew Bobby he finds out the history of the Highwayman is legendary. Although most will not talk about Bobby, there are those who have witnessed over the years his ghost showing up to help various individuals who were lost or in need. Eventually, Walt discovers a connection between Bobby and Rosey that leads to his own meeting with the legendary Bobby, or those who want to keep his legend alive. I don’t want to ruin the ending for anyone reading it, so you will have to find out for yourself the final outcome of the ghostly legend. All I can say is that I enjoyed it and found it to be entertaining.

This novella focuses primarily on the friendship between Walt and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear. None of the other primary characters (including Dog) are present this time. Craig Johnson does introduce some new characters like Rosey, the patrolman, Mike Harlow, a retired patrolman, and Kimama Bellefeuille, a sarcastic Arapaho medicine woman that stands toe to toe with Walt and nicknames him “Bucket”. You will have to read it to find out why, and it is certainly worth it. I would love to see her make another appearance in a future outing.

Overall, “The Highwayman” is a good, entertaining read. A mystery wrapped into a ghost story can be enjoyable if done right, and Johnson does a good job of mixing them together. If nothing else, Walt doesn’t suffer a concussion in this outing. That alone is reason to celebrate. Although this is not one of Walt’s strongest outings, it is still a worthy read. Consider it an afternoon or evening well spent.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Craig Johnson’s latest Walt Longmire book called “The Highwayman”, Johnson sends his Sheriff of Wyoming's Absaroka County on a mission to scenic Wind River Canyon located in central Wyoming, in order to help an old friend. This old friend is the blond haired, blue eyed, freckled faced Rosey Wayman, a Highway Patrol officer. She has been on duty in the canyon, and on some nights, she receives a distress call on her radio from the man, now thirty years dead, who has has also patrolled the canyon and had died in a horrible collision. She is now in doubt of her sanity.

Walt, traveling with his best friend Henry Standing Bear whom Walt affectional calls “the Cheyenne Nation” try to discover what is happening. One of their first encounters is with an old Arapaho medicine woman who tries several nick names for Longmire, and settles for “bucket”.

Mr. Johnson travels a bit further into the ghostly, spiritual, landscape with this standalone story in the Longmire series as all of the usual characters other than Walt and Standing Bear are off stage.
The story is well written and should be enjoyed by any of the fans of previous book in the series or the Longmire television show.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Craig Johnson's Longmire series, and of the TV show based on it, I was happy to find this short book in my library. It's small in stature, only about 6" by 5", and only 190 pages.

There is a bit of Native American spirituality in all the Longmire books, but Walt isn't buying that as the reason why a Wyoming Highway Patrolman is hearing a voice coming over the police radio frequency at exactly 12:34 a.m. on several nights. The setting, the Wind River Canyon, is spooky enough, but Walt still doesn't believe in ghosts. The humor I expect between Walt and Henry is in here and so are a couple of tense dangerous events.

This was a nice enjoyable read to fill in between full sized books on a day with little time for reading.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good novella featuring just Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear on a short trip to the Wind River Reservation. I enjoy reading any interaction between these two friends.....especially Henry's non-reaction to Walt's skeptical viewpoint went magical things happen.

There is a brief sighting of one of Margaret Coel's characters.....a red-headed priest from New England which made me chuckle to boot.

[Kathleen Minde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could I tell you how much I love Craig Johnson's series and not have you roll your eyes and shout "We know! We know!"? Doubtful.

Could I tell you that his new novella, The Highwayman, is full of mysticism and skepticism both, and it works? Yep.

Could I tell you how much fun it is to read a story about Walt and the Cheyenne Nation, and without Vic, without you screaming "Where's Vic"? Yeah, but you know I miss her, too.

Could I tell you that Craig Johnson is my next husband without you looking at me like I grew a horn in the middle of my forehead? Ummm, no, dream on.

Could I just say keep on writing the good fight, Craig Johnson, and have you totally agree with me? You bet I could.

(And for those confused on the concept of novella vs. book, one is longer but they cost close to the same price.)

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Highwayman" (2016) is an engaging modern ghost story. A State Trooper named Rosey Wayman is patrolling the Wind River Canyon on a desolate part of the Wyoming highway system ... and is hearing things. At a specific time on random nights she'll get a distress call over the police scanner from a legendary trooper who has been dead for decades.

No one believes that the ghost of patrolman Bobby Womack is really calling up Rosey; she must be crazy. Sheriff Longmire and his friend Henry are here to support their friend Rosey and Longmire doesn't believe any of this ghost story business while he investigates the specifics of the odd things going on.

Verdict: "The Highwayman" is a well-paced story that I know has other literary predecessors but I couldn't help but see the Scooby Doo mystery in it. Just a fun story, a little clunky to read at times, but a fun short novel or novella. You don't have to be a Longmire reader to enjoy it; it isn't a part of the series but more like a light Halloween special not connected to the overarching series storyline.

Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG

[Cathy Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm such a Craig Johnson fan that I don't care if what he writes is short like this novella or a full-length book, as long as the man keeps writing. As popular as he's become, I have to wonder how on earth he finds the time to write because he always seems to be on tour.

Few people can write dialogue like Craig Johnson, and he proves it again here in The Highwayman. Walt and Henry talk to everyone they possibly can to figure out what's going on with Rosey. They uncover a mystery about a missing stash of 1888-O "Hot Lips" Morgan silver dollars. (No, I'm not going to tell you what that "Hot Lips" is all about!) And the deeper they dig, the more they learn about Bobby Womack, a dedicated patrolman who died in a fiery crash in the Wind River Canyon. Some of the things they learn just don't add up the way they should....

Have any of you read Johnson's last novella Spirit of Steamboat? I have, and I still remember those barn-burning action scenes that gave me paper cuts, I was turning the pages so fast. Well, you get more of that kind of action here in The Highwayman. The setting, the characters, the dialogue, the action, the story... you get everything that all we die-hard Craig Johnson fans have come to expect-- even a logical explanation for almost everything.

Trust me. If the only thing you know about Craig Johnson comes from watching the Longmire television series-- as excellent as that series is-- you really, really need to read the books. What better place to start than with The Highwayman? Once you've read this one, you're going to be going back for all the others. Craig Johnson is one of the very best writers in the business.

[Steven Howes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series of mysteries. Most of these novels can be read separately and still be enjoyed; but they all contain some tidbits of information or character history that connect the books together so I always advocate reading them in order. Mr. Johnson has also written several Longmire novellas that I gather are not considered as a part of the series but are stories that take place "in between" or "in addition to" the ones in each of the books. I have not read all of these (I plan to) but in my opinion, this one and his "Spirit of Steamboat" are two of his best works. They are both complex, contain plenty of action, and emphasize the character qualities I have come to admire in Walt and his closest associates. This one also includes elements of the supernatural and Arapaho/Shoshoni culture along with the Wyoming landscape that these literary works call home.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

With each Longmire installment, Craig Johnson develops his depiction of place and interweaving of the spiritual and the adventurous. Much as Tony Hillerman's series, his characters have brought the Wyoming setting closer and yet further, which isn't as contradictory as it sounds given the material.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better not to start the series with this book. Still a good read 3.5 stars

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story that comes in at 11.5 in the Walt Longmire mystery series and revolving around a Wyoming sheriff in Absaroka County. The focus is on Trooper Rosey Wayman.

My Take
There are a lot of little stories in this about Bobby and Indian mythology, as Johnson pulls in Walt's previous metaphysical encounters when he attempts to explain to Rosey and himself that Rosey's encounters have a rational explanation…even as Walt doesn't believe what he's saying.

On the annoying side, I don't get why Rosey is so obdurate about the whole situation. So she keeps getting the radio transmission? So those silver dollars are showing up? So what? Investigate the back history. There's nothing threatening about what's going, so why does she feel threatened?

Why would the robbers hide their spoils where they did? When did they have the time? As for that moment with the Toyopet and the tunnel mouth, why would they continue to sit there?? Kimama knows what must be coming??

It's a question of the spiritual. Or a cry for help. Despite Walt's own experiences, he's inclined one way, with an ending that goes both ways.

It takes a lot of action and a long time before the truth comes out about Bobby Womack's actions that night. It'll make you weep.

The Story
Rosey is hearing Bobby's voice over her radio. Every night at 12:34am. It's the same thing every time: Unit 3, 10-78, officer needs assistance.

She's a good trooper, one whom no one wants to lose, so Walt and Henry come up to…chat.

The Characters
Trooper Rosey Wayman recently transferred over to Troop G within the Highway Patrol to patrol the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway. As a child, Rosey had lived in Riverton where she had a nanny, Butterfly.

Troop G, Highway Patrol, Wyoming
Bobby Womack was a hero and a highway patrolman. A once-in-a-lifetime man despised for being Arapaho. Now people whisper Heeci'ecihit (The Highwayman). Theona Womack had been his mother.

Captain Jim Thomas is in charge of Troop G. Mike Harlow, a former Marine, used to patrol Wind River Canyon until he retired. Bobby Womack was his revered training officer. Parker has the bladder of a grape. Eunice Wallace is with Central Dispatch Headquarters in Cheyenne.

Walt Longmire, a.k.a., Bucket, has been the sheriff in Absaroka County for years. Henry Standing Bear, a.k.a., the Cheyenne Nation, has been Walt's best friend since childhood.

Kimama Bellefeuille is an Arapaho medicine woman. Sam Little Soldier had been Bobby's best friend since childhood; now he's the local radio expert who supervises the local radio station. Joey is his grandson and knows even more.

Coleman owns a heating oil business in Thermopolis. Dave Calhoun runs a whitewater rafting business.

Renegade Wyoming Department of Transportation employees.

The 1888-O "Hot Lips" Morgan silver dollar is a huge collectible.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a woodcut style with the deep grays of a rocky tunnel, its arch outlined in stone. In the light at the other end of the tunnel, a stark silhouette of a flat-hat in ankle-brushing duster stands, ready for anything. A band of yellow at the top showcases the series as a television series and also highlights the author's embossed name and info with the title in white.

The title is who's behind it all, The Highwayman.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Sentence: There is a canyon in the heart of Wyoming carved by a river called Wind and a narrow, opposing, two-land highway that follows its every curve like a lover.

Highway Patrolman Rosey Wayman has been instructed to have a psychiatric evaluation as she claims received several radio calls of “officer needs assistance,” at exactly 12:34 a.m. from a long-dead Arapaho patrolman, Bobby Womack. She has also found, under mysterious circumstances, rare silver dollar coins, a bag of which Bobby is thought to have stolen. Is Bobby’s ghost haunting the Wild River Canyon? Or is something more corporal at work?

Johnson does write wonderfully evocative descriptions which create a strong sense of place—“Traveling north through rolling flats, there is a windswept, rocky terrain that stands like a fortress next to the shores of the Boysen Reservoir with ice blue water that reflects the Owl Creek Mountains, looking as if they might run to the Arctic Circle.” However, there is also the point at which description begins to feel as though it’s merely filler. We do eventually move past that, as well as more incidents of it, and into the story itself, which begins in a rather disjointed fashion. Even the initial dialogue—although it’s excellent dialogue--- suffers the same issue as it’s occasionally difficult to tell who is speaking. All of this is such a shame because the plot is a very intriguing one and worth the effort.

Characters are one of Johnson’s definite strengths. Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear may be the primary characters, but each of the characters comes alive under Johnson’s hand.

“The Highwayman” achieves the just the right balance of drama and humor, real and paranormal. It is filled with plot twists, action and danger and ends up being a good way to spend a weekend afternoon.

THE HIGHWAYMAN (Msyt-Sheriff Longmire/Henry Standing Bear-Wyoming-Contemp) – G+
Johnson, Craig – Novella
Viking – 2016

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Longmire and Henry try to help an old friend who's on the verge of being sent for psychiatric treatment by her boss. Why? She hears dead people. Well, not dead people, but one dead person, an officer who died over 30 years ago. She keeps getting a distress call over her police scanner at the same time every night, but nobody else hears it. Is it real or is she losing her sanity?

I've read all the books and stories in the Longmire series. Several have strong elements of the paranormal, of Walt seeing visions, getting warnings from the hereafter. This book, however, takes it too far. It's more of a ghost story than a Longmire story and I just couldn't get into it. There are a lot of unanswered questions about his friend's mental state beyond just hearing the voice that aren't addressed. If you don't mind ghost stories and you like Longmire and Henry, you might enjoy it. I just wish it had been more of a mystery than it was.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read as always. Longmire series is one of my very best favorites with some of my favorite characters. When Craig Johnson ends this series I will just have to start over reading them again, there that good.

[Rod Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this compact novella “The Highwayman,” the Longmire police series takes a turn to the supernatural.

As much a ghost story as a police procedural, The Highwayman finds Sheriff Walt Longmire investigating some strange radio calls in his territory. Namely, a patrol officer has been fielding distress calls from an officer who died long ago in a highway tunnel accident.

Many hallmarks of the series are here. Descriptions of the area’s natural wildlife and Native culture, blended with new elements from the spirit world. Thus, patrolling the Cloud Peak Wilderness one might encounter the seven-foot apparition of a Crow Indian named Virgil White Buffalo.

Along with natural elements such as local horned owls and grandfather sage, a magical bounty of silver dollars livens the mysterious storyline.

Though not as tightly plotted as some other tales in the series, The Highwayman brings fresh ideas into the Longmire universe. We always enjoy a case with Longmire and his sidekick Henry Standing Bear as they serve their native Absaroka County, Wyoming.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short story in the longmire series. Good one.