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Walt Longmire #20
First Frost
Following the events of The Longmire Defense, we return to find Walt and our familiar cast of characters from Abaroska county tasked with solving a crime even more challenging than the last.Walt Longmire returns in this twentieth installment of the award-winning and bestselling series that has been a hit on both the page and the screen. Set in the unpsoiled countryside of Wyoming, Sheriff Walt Longmire has to navigate his own increasingly complicated personal life with the ever-changing and often violent underworld that encroaches on what was once referred to as the Old West. This time, he is up against a sinister plot that could hurt the people closest to him and forever change the way he sees his beloved Wyoming.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2024
About the author
Craig Johnson
107 books4,693 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 473 reviews
June 15, 2024
Craig has two completely different stories running at once which makes this a more interesting read. Both stories are very entertaining with just the right amount of intrigue. The bonus is a double dose of Longmire humor, Longmire and Henry, the Cheyenne Nation, in one and Longmire and Vic, the Italian Terror, in the other. Their dialogues never cease to create either a chuckle or a guffaw. In the present story Walt is being questioned by the court for excessive shootings. There seems to be some influential (did I mention wealthy) people trying to hang him out to dry and this is the latest fault they could dig up. The other story is a flashback to the days before Henry and he reported for active duty. They happen upon a town with a secret which Judge Everson and crew would like to keep quiet. This is a town that housed a Japanese detention camp during the war and carries a very interesting history. Then there is Sato and his minions who have been following them, trying to locate some missing drugs. Unique relationships are formed and alliances are surprising. This book made me think more deeply about the Japanese detention camps and give second thoughts about what they went through during that era. I am giving this novel a solid five. It was researched well and presented with the simplicity ascribed to it. Enjoy the read.
May 30, 2024
Cusp of Change Past and Present
I’m going to admit that I was just a bit disappointed with this Longmire novel. Not that the writing was bad or that the book wasn’t interesting, but when Craig Johnson starts getting stuck for how he’s going to deal with what happens next with his character he takes him back in memory. That’s all fine and good, but not what I really look forward to. That being said, the story was partially in Walt’s memory from 1964 and partly from the present where he is dealing with a hearing about the shooting he was involved with in the last book. There is no real excitement involved in that aspect of the story.
Walt recalls he and Henry leaving California in 1964 as they are both heading for their duty assignments since they had signed up to go to Vietnam. They got lost and broke down in a ghost town left from an old Japanese internment camp from WWII. People keep warning them to leave and Walt sees what he thinks is a child in a Japanese mask. Scary and exciting things do happen which I can’t go into without spoiling the only excitement the book had to offer. This is the first in the Longmire series that I have not given five stars to.
I’m going to admit that I was just a bit disappointed with this Longmire novel. Not that the writing was bad or that the book wasn’t interesting, but when Craig Johnson starts getting stuck for how he’s going to deal with what happens next with his character he takes him back in memory. That’s all fine and good, but not what I really look forward to. That being said, the story was partially in Walt’s memory from 1964 and partly from the present where he is dealing with a hearing about the shooting he was involved with in the last book. There is no real excitement involved in that aspect of the story.
Walt recalls he and Henry leaving California in 1964 as they are both heading for their duty assignments since they had signed up to go to Vietnam. They got lost and broke down in a ghost town left from an old Japanese internment camp from WWII. People keep warning them to leave and Walt sees what he thinks is a child in a Japanese mask. Scary and exciting things do happen which I can’t go into without spoiling the only excitement the book had to offer. This is the first in the Longmire series that I have not given five stars to.
October 15, 2024
Like all good Longmire sagas, FIRST FROST comes to a happy, bloody knuckled, head-bandaged end.
College age Henry and Walt get lost and waylaid. Despite a serious time crunch they manage to solve a decades old mystery while trying to get to their respective enlistment centers cross country.
Parallel to this story line, current age Walt is facing a court room hearing about his own officer involved shooting from the previous book, THE LONGMIRE DEFENSE.
Is FIRST FROST formulaic, a little bit repetitive ? Yep.
Was there a great batch of heroics , totally implausible at times ? Yep.
Did the hero and his sidekick come off as smart-assy crime solvers ? Yep.
Were there at least 2 incindents at the end that screamed, “SEQUEL!” Yep.
Would you still recommend this novel / series to a friend ? Hell, yep.
College age Henry and Walt get lost and waylaid. Despite a serious time crunch they manage to solve a decades old mystery while trying to get to their respective enlistment centers cross country.
Parallel to this story line, current age Walt is facing a court room hearing about his own officer involved shooting from the previous book, THE LONGMIRE DEFENSE.
Is FIRST FROST formulaic, a little bit repetitive ? Yep.
Was there a great batch of heroics , totally implausible at times ? Yep.
Did the hero and his sidekick come off as smart-assy crime solvers ? Yep.
Were there at least 2 incindents at the end that screamed, “SEQUEL!” Yep.
Would you still recommend this novel / series to a friend ? Hell, yep.
June 11, 2024
I'm a big fan of Craig Johnson's work. I've read all of the Longmire books, and enjoyed the Netflix series, too. I always look forward to revisiting these characters. This novel was a big disappointment for me, however. Not a big fan of the dual timeline--this plot alternates between 1964, when Walt and Henry were returning from college in California on a road trip to boot camp, and the current day, when Walt is on trial for using excessive force. On the road trip, their truck breaks down in a miserable town in Arizona, the former location of a Japanese internment camp where many atrocities were committed. The information about the camp was interesting, but the book really dragged for me-- something I never thought I'd say about either this series or something written by this author.
June 30, 2024
“First Frost” is the 20th 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.
When we last left our fearless law enforcement officer at the end of the last book, “The Longmire Defense”, we left our aging hero bruised, beaten up, and returning home to find Vic’s response to his marriage proposal was to move her stuff into is cabin…
When “First Frost” starts, we find our hero, Walt Longmire, is facing a judicial review of his shooting of Tom Rondelle in the prior book – “The Longmire Defense” – in the series. Rondelle was working with Mike Regis, who was also killed by DOJ Agent Ruth One Heart, and the Regis family is now exerting its political power to try and punish Walt for his involvement in their son’s death.
In addition, Vic finds an old surfboard in Walt’s basement and demands to know the story behind it, even though Walt comments, “It’s a long story.” She refuses to take no for an answer, so Walt shares a personal story from his past that helped influence the man he became and law enforcement career he pursued.
It is a story from the summer of 1964, when Walt and Henry had just graduated from college in Southern California and enlisted in the military. They are a week away from reporting for training and being sent to fight in Vietnam. In their early twenties, Walt and Henry are at the peak of their physical prowess, having both played college football, and ready to move on.
They head out on Route 66 for a final road trip towards their military destinations in Louisiana and South Carolina. However, they barely make as far as Arizona before Walt’s truck breaks down and they find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Everyone they meet in the obscure Bone Valley are unfriendly and want them to leave as soon as possible.
Then things get stranger. Walt discovers an old Japanese internment camp, witnesses a ghost with a red devil face Kabuki mask, and finds himself in an unexpected fight with the town strongarm and enforcer for the town’s leader who makes his own rules. Things only get worse from there…
There were several things that I loved about this book, starting with the structure and storytelling. Craig Johnson masterfully weaves back and forth between Longmire’s current day fight to clear his name and protect his role as Sherriff and his past escapade in 1964 that played a powerful role in the man he became. Johnson does a great job of flowing back and forth between the two stories and time periods much like he did in his previous Longmire novel “The Western Star”.
It was a joy to see Walt and Henry as younger men, both philosophical yet raw and naïve in some ways. Bouncing back between their early years and their later years provides interesting perspectives into their relationships and character development. Johnson did a solid job of delivering those differences while maintaining Walt’s moral compass and Henry’s spirit of justice.
The two storylines are good ones with the current day challenges with the Regis family looking like it’s going to play out more in future books. Johnson’s building the heat on that one towards a strong boil. The 1964 story was also interesting and added additional depth to Walt and Henry, as well as their unique friendship. Their Bone Valley adventure was a lot like a Lee Child “Reacher” story, where the good guy comes into a town holding a long-held secret that no one will talk about, and the good guy finds himself taking on the town’s bad guys all by himself. Because of Walt’s die hard drive to do what he perceives as the right thing, it also very similar to Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” storylines, in which Walt plays the role of Spenser’s Knight in shining armor and Henry plays the honored role of Hawk’s violent and anti-authority sidekick. The good news is that Johnson melds both of those influences together in a recipe and adds his own special sauce to make it his own.
What makes it work so well for Johnson is how expertly he weaves Walt, Henry, Vic, Cady, and all of his other characters into different challenging and interesting plotlines in such a smooth and fluid manner. There is nothing forced, and each character is so true to who they are. Good or bad. I look forward to the new developments that he’s setting up for Walt and Vic, Walt and the Regis family, and Cady’s career future. Sounds like good stuff.
For me personally, “First Frost” is another example of Johnson’s winning style and rhythm that draws in the reader and makes Absaroka County, Wyoming a home away from home. The flow reflects a confident author who knows his characters and how he wants to chart their growth and development through the conflicts of the plotting. Scenes transition smoothly from one to another as the story develops and the tension builds to a winning emotional payoff in the end.
Overall, “First Frost” reminds me of why I fell in love with this series to begin with. It delivered a strongly conceived mystery, character development, and compelling settings, that culminated together in a great climactic reading experience that I will cherish.
Now I am left in a state of withdrawal until November, when Johnson publishes his next Longmire adventure – “Tooth and Claw” – a novella focusing on Walt and Henry again in their early years. This time looking for work in Alaska following their time in Vietnam… I can’t wait…
When we last left our fearless law enforcement officer at the end of the last book, “The Longmire Defense”, we left our aging hero bruised, beaten up, and returning home to find Vic’s response to his marriage proposal was to move her stuff into is cabin…
When “First Frost” starts, we find our hero, Walt Longmire, is facing a judicial review of his shooting of Tom Rondelle in the prior book – “The Longmire Defense” – in the series. Rondelle was working with Mike Regis, who was also killed by DOJ Agent Ruth One Heart, and the Regis family is now exerting its political power to try and punish Walt for his involvement in their son’s death.
In addition, Vic finds an old surfboard in Walt’s basement and demands to know the story behind it, even though Walt comments, “It’s a long story.” She refuses to take no for an answer, so Walt shares a personal story from his past that helped influence the man he became and law enforcement career he pursued.
It is a story from the summer of 1964, when Walt and Henry had just graduated from college in Southern California and enlisted in the military. They are a week away from reporting for training and being sent to fight in Vietnam. In their early twenties, Walt and Henry are at the peak of their physical prowess, having both played college football, and ready to move on.
They head out on Route 66 for a final road trip towards their military destinations in Louisiana and South Carolina. However, they barely make as far as Arizona before Walt’s truck breaks down and they find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. Everyone they meet in the obscure Bone Valley are unfriendly and want them to leave as soon as possible.
Then things get stranger. Walt discovers an old Japanese internment camp, witnesses a ghost with a red devil face Kabuki mask, and finds himself in an unexpected fight with the town strongarm and enforcer for the town’s leader who makes his own rules. Things only get worse from there…
There were several things that I loved about this book, starting with the structure and storytelling. Craig Johnson masterfully weaves back and forth between Longmire’s current day fight to clear his name and protect his role as Sherriff and his past escapade in 1964 that played a powerful role in the man he became. Johnson does a great job of flowing back and forth between the two stories and time periods much like he did in his previous Longmire novel “The Western Star”.
It was a joy to see Walt and Henry as younger men, both philosophical yet raw and naïve in some ways. Bouncing back between their early years and their later years provides interesting perspectives into their relationships and character development. Johnson did a solid job of delivering those differences while maintaining Walt’s moral compass and Henry’s spirit of justice.
The two storylines are good ones with the current day challenges with the Regis family looking like it’s going to play out more in future books. Johnson’s building the heat on that one towards a strong boil. The 1964 story was also interesting and added additional depth to Walt and Henry, as well as their unique friendship. Their Bone Valley adventure was a lot like a Lee Child “Reacher” story, where the good guy comes into a town holding a long-held secret that no one will talk about, and the good guy finds himself taking on the town’s bad guys all by himself. Because of Walt’s die hard drive to do what he perceives as the right thing, it also very similar to Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” storylines, in which Walt plays the role of Spenser’s Knight in shining armor and Henry plays the honored role of Hawk’s violent and anti-authority sidekick. The good news is that Johnson melds both of those influences together in a recipe and adds his own special sauce to make it his own.
What makes it work so well for Johnson is how expertly he weaves Walt, Henry, Vic, Cady, and all of his other characters into different challenging and interesting plotlines in such a smooth and fluid manner. There is nothing forced, and each character is so true to who they are. Good or bad. I look forward to the new developments that he’s setting up for Walt and Vic, Walt and the Regis family, and Cady’s career future. Sounds like good stuff.
For me personally, “First Frost” is another example of Johnson’s winning style and rhythm that draws in the reader and makes Absaroka County, Wyoming a home away from home. The flow reflects a confident author who knows his characters and how he wants to chart their growth and development through the conflicts of the plotting. Scenes transition smoothly from one to another as the story develops and the tension builds to a winning emotional payoff in the end.
Overall, “First Frost” reminds me of why I fell in love with this series to begin with. It delivered a strongly conceived mystery, character development, and compelling settings, that culminated together in a great climactic reading experience that I will cherish.
Now I am left in a state of withdrawal until November, when Johnson publishes his next Longmire adventure – “Tooth and Claw” – a novella focusing on Walt and Henry again in their early years. This time looking for work in Alaska following their time in Vietnam… I can’t wait…
September 11, 2024
The sparsely populated Absaroka County can only realistically handle so many murders and other major crimes before believability is exhausted. And it’s just as well for sheriff Walt Longmire and his team of deputies. In his wisdom, Craig Johnson has chosen to take us back in time to the years before Walt’s sheriffing days, to 1964 in this case where First Frost picks out Walt and Henry Standing Bear’s eventful drive across the country as they intend to report for their military duty.
In the 20th book in the Walt Longmire series we flit back and forth between the present day, where the fallout from the events in The Longmire Defense are playing out, and 1964 as Walt tells of his brief surfing days before a life threatening escapade in an isolated town in Arizona.
The town is Bone Valley and the truck they were driving in needs repairs. The reception they get from the locals is far from hospitable and things get worse from there. It appears that something happened in the town during World War II, something that’s been covered up ever since…something that some people are prepared to do anything to ensure it remains covered up.
Even as a young man those character traits that define Walt Longmire are evident as he moseys his way through town. His insistence of fighting for the underdog shines through on a number of occasions. If a person’s in trouble, regardless of whether he knows them, he’s prepared to put his life on the line to save them. While it’s a source of frustration for Henry and others, it’s an endless well of entertainment for we readers.
I found this to be an absorbing story that largely centers around the plight of Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII. Added intrigue comes from appearances of a masked figure who seems determined to “guide” Walt in a certain direction through town. A brief but intense interlude with the Japanese Yakuza caps off what is really a surreal escapade in the desert.
Although the Longmire books that devolve into memories of the past aren’t a particular favourite of mine, I was still hooked by this particular trip down memory lane. Fortunately, the court case that was ongoing in the present day was a feisty affair, particularly when Vic Moretti was involved, and provided plenty of humorous moments.
I’m a long time fan of the series and it was once again a pleasure to head back to Absaroka County, Wyoming even if vast portions are set in the Arizona desert.
In the 20th book in the Walt Longmire series we flit back and forth between the present day, where the fallout from the events in The Longmire Defense are playing out, and 1964 as Walt tells of his brief surfing days before a life threatening escapade in an isolated town in Arizona.
The town is Bone Valley and the truck they were driving in needs repairs. The reception they get from the locals is far from hospitable and things get worse from there. It appears that something happened in the town during World War II, something that’s been covered up ever since…something that some people are prepared to do anything to ensure it remains covered up.
Even as a young man those character traits that define Walt Longmire are evident as he moseys his way through town. His insistence of fighting for the underdog shines through on a number of occasions. If a person’s in trouble, regardless of whether he knows them, he’s prepared to put his life on the line to save them. While it’s a source of frustration for Henry and others, it’s an endless well of entertainment for we readers.
I found this to be an absorbing story that largely centers around the plight of Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII. Added intrigue comes from appearances of a masked figure who seems determined to “guide” Walt in a certain direction through town. A brief but intense interlude with the Japanese Yakuza caps off what is really a surreal escapade in the desert.
Although the Longmire books that devolve into memories of the past aren’t a particular favourite of mine, I was still hooked by this particular trip down memory lane. Fortunately, the court case that was ongoing in the present day was a feisty affair, particularly when Vic Moretti was involved, and provided plenty of humorous moments.
I’m a long time fan of the series and it was once again a pleasure to head back to Absaroka County, Wyoming even if vast portions are set in the Arizona desert.
July 15, 2024
I loved the introductory Acknowledgments by Craig Johnson, narrated by George Guidall. Guidall is such a wonderful narrator and the absolute perfect narrator for Walt Longmire. Johnson prepares the reader that he is, once again, venturing into Walt’s past. I have loved these occasional excursions into Walt’s (and by extension, Henry’s too) past because it becomes even clearer as to how and why Walt became the man that he is.
The story starts out with Vic cleaning out Walt’s basement (as fiancée’s moving in with fiancés are infamous for doing) so she can turn it into a workout room. Walt, on the other hand, doesn’t move anything for fear of what is in the boxes and what throwing them out will do to him and his decades of memories. One particular piece of memorabilia, a 7ft long surfboard, is the perpetual “long story” and the trigger for this story.
The book summary is pretty vague, but the primary storyline is about Walt and Henry’s time back in May of 1964. They were recent college graduates (USC & Berkeley) who lost their college draft deferments and are now off to different boot camps down south (LA&SC) via Route 66. In one last surf day down at Malibu, they end up saving some drug traffickers whose boat capsizes in the rough surf and all the cargo (in watertight containers) are washed up on shore making it easy for the police to collect.
The story flips back and forth from Walt and Henry’s cross-country trip to their respective boot camps and the present-day inquiry where Walt is questioned about the shooting from the previous installment where Walt has to justify his actions of killing someone. That storyline is mostly about Walt and his lawyer making the prosecutor look like an idiot. The historical story is the primary storyline, which has Walt and Henry stranded in an AZ, podunk town pretty much owned by a Judge Everson. I loved how Henry introduced himself to the Judge, who is a racist of the worse kind (think KKK on steroids).
It's not long before Walt and Henry begin to realize that something is seriously wrong with this town. While waiting for their car to get fixed, they start to get to know a few of the townspeople. The Judge also sends one of his thugs out after Walt and Henry and Walt ends sending the thug back to the Judge beat to #%!! – twice. Anyway, it’s not long before Henry is kidnapped and Walt is left for dead out in the desert. The end comes pretty quick after that in a flurry of @$$ whoopings all around. There looks to be more trouble for Walt to come regarding the man he killed in the last installment as well as the wealthy family he exposed as being as corrupt to the core.
At this point in the series, the characterization for the main characters is very well developed. Some of the supporting characters were a little thin. The pacing in this series is always a slow build up in the first half and fast paced in the second half. The storylines are always interesting and the writing is phenomenal. I’m looking at an over all rating of 4.25 that I will round down to a 4star rating.
The story starts out with Vic cleaning out Walt’s basement (as fiancée’s moving in with fiancés are infamous for doing) so she can turn it into a workout room. Walt, on the other hand, doesn’t move anything for fear of what is in the boxes and what throwing them out will do to him and his decades of memories. One particular piece of memorabilia, a 7ft long surfboard, is the perpetual “long story” and the trigger for this story.
The book summary is pretty vague, but the primary storyline is about Walt and Henry’s time back in May of 1964. They were recent college graduates (USC & Berkeley) who lost their college draft deferments and are now off to different boot camps down south (LA&SC) via Route 66. In one last surf day down at Malibu, they end up saving some drug traffickers whose boat capsizes in the rough surf and all the cargo (in watertight containers) are washed up on shore making it easy for the police to collect.
The story flips back and forth from Walt and Henry’s cross-country trip to their respective boot camps and the present-day inquiry where Walt is questioned about the shooting from the previous installment where Walt has to justify his actions of killing someone. That storyline is mostly about Walt and his lawyer making the prosecutor look like an idiot. The historical story is the primary storyline, which has Walt and Henry stranded in an AZ, podunk town pretty much owned by a Judge Everson. I loved how Henry introduced himself to the Judge, who is a racist of the worse kind (think KKK on steroids).
It's not long before Walt and Henry begin to realize that something is seriously wrong with this town. While waiting for their car to get fixed, they start to get to know a few of the townspeople. The Judge also sends one of his thugs out after Walt and Henry and Walt ends sending the thug back to the Judge beat to #%!! – twice. Anyway, it’s not long before Henry is kidnapped and Walt is left for dead out in the desert. The end comes pretty quick after that in a flurry of @$$ whoopings all around. There looks to be more trouble for Walt to come regarding the man he killed in the last installment as well as the wealthy family he exposed as being as corrupt to the core.
At this point in the series, the characterization for the main characters is very well developed. Some of the supporting characters were a little thin. The pacing in this series is always a slow build up in the first half and fast paced in the second half. The storylines are always interesting and the writing is phenomenal. I’m looking at an over all rating of 4.25 that I will round down to a 4star rating.
April 22, 2024
I have read all the Walt Longmires, and I think this is one of the best. A return to the strengths of the series, and an acknowledgment that the Sheriff, surely in his 80s by now, is no longer an action hero. The format works well, split between modern day Walt being called to testify in a hearing concerning a shooting that occurred in the last book, and some 60 years earlier as he and Henry Standing Bear are leaving college and preparing to enlist to go to Vietnam.
Both stories are compelling, but the two men in their youth are splendidly entertaining in the preview of the long friendship they have shared over the years. Walt and Henry have decided on a road trip before they report to the military, and are not that far out of California when they run into trouble in Arizona. Their truck runs off the road in the middle of nowhere and they find themselves in a very strange little semi-deserted town where the few residents are anxious for them to leave.
The town has an unhappy history as the site of a WWII internment camp for Japanese. There are obviously some pretty dark secrets there, and the town and surrounding area are ruled by a retired judge who runs things like the entitled, rich and stubborn old man he is. This is a great tale with some fascinating characters.
Meanwhile back in present day Wyoming, Walt is being targeted by the influential family of a man who got shot in his last case.
This was a splendid read and it's always nice to spend some time with Walt and Henry. The glimpse of their younger years was enlightening and entertaining. The split time period format is a great way to extend this series and exercise Johnson's terrific storyteller skills. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Both stories are compelling, but the two men in their youth are splendidly entertaining in the preview of the long friendship they have shared over the years. Walt and Henry have decided on a road trip before they report to the military, and are not that far out of California when they run into trouble in Arizona. Their truck runs off the road in the middle of nowhere and they find themselves in a very strange little semi-deserted town where the few residents are anxious for them to leave.
The town has an unhappy history as the site of a WWII internment camp for Japanese. There are obviously some pretty dark secrets there, and the town and surrounding area are ruled by a retired judge who runs things like the entitled, rich and stubborn old man he is. This is a great tale with some fascinating characters.
Meanwhile back in present day Wyoming, Walt is being targeted by the influential family of a man who got shot in his last case.
This was a splendid read and it's always nice to spend some time with Walt and Henry. The glimpse of their younger years was enlightening and entertaining. The split time period format is a great way to extend this series and exercise Johnson's terrific storyteller skills. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 6, 2024
An excellent installment in this terrific series.
June 11, 2024
First Frost is another masterpiece in the Longmire saga. This time Craig Johnson lets us know more about Walt and Henry when they where young. I really loved this book and together with the last one it is up there among the best in this series. We also get some really good bantering in the present, both in court and of course between Walt and Victoria. I only hope in the future we get more of the background and that we get to see his grandfathers house play a part in the books, I am still not over that part. If someone out there still haven't read any of these books? It's about time to fix it.
August 20, 2024
It's interesting that the 20th entry in the ever enjoyable Walt Longmire series could have sort of been the first, since it introduces us to Walt and Henry when they were fresh out of college and off to join the military for duty in Vietnam.
Although the story is told in dual time-line fashion, flipping between present and past, the real meat of the tale is in the past. Walt and Henry find themselves in an "off the grid" town in Arizona called Bone City, and oh what fun they find there. A past with a dark secret, roughneck oil workers and a disbarred judge who runs the town like ol' Roy Bean. Johnson uses this setting as an opportunity to shine some light on the plight of Japanese Americans who were mistreated and "interred" during WWII. With just a touch of "preachiness," he manages to weave a pretty good mystery with a twist that I didn't foresee at all.
There is also a fair resemblance in this story to many of those featuring Robert Crais' characters, Elvis Cole & Joe Pike which, while very entertaining, seemed a bit out of place, given that Walt and Henry are supposed to be young and green, and would not likely be quite so adept as they are here. Nevertheless, that doesn't prevent this from being a very entertaining tale, and any fan of the series should definitely include it if, for no other reason, than the backstory it provides. Reading a Longmire book is often akin to visiting with old, familiar friends, and a nice way to spend several evenings with some good music on for accompaniment.
Although the story is told in dual time-line fashion, flipping between present and past, the real meat of the tale is in the past. Walt and Henry find themselves in an "off the grid" town in Arizona called Bone City, and oh what fun they find there. A past with a dark secret, roughneck oil workers and a disbarred judge who runs the town like ol' Roy Bean. Johnson uses this setting as an opportunity to shine some light on the plight of Japanese Americans who were mistreated and "interred" during WWII. With just a touch of "preachiness," he manages to weave a pretty good mystery with a twist that I didn't foresee at all.
There is also a fair resemblance in this story to many of those featuring Robert Crais' characters, Elvis Cole & Joe Pike which, while very entertaining, seemed a bit out of place, given that Walt and Henry are supposed to be young and green, and would not likely be quite so adept as they are here. Nevertheless, that doesn't prevent this from being a very entertaining tale, and any fan of the series should definitely include it if, for no other reason, than the backstory it provides. Reading a Longmire book is often akin to visiting with old, familiar friends, and a nice way to spend several evenings with some good music on for accompaniment.
June 20, 2024
The story of Walt's surfboard and an unfortunate stop in a desert town.
July 14, 2024
Always great. This book flips between modern day ( Walt's hearing on a shooting from a previous book) and his days just after college graduation when he and Henry take a road trip. Read this one to get some of Walt's background and to see the early relationship with Henry. Excellent.
June 13, 2024
I’m a diehard fan of the Longmire books, but this one disappointed me. The book contains two stories—one an adventure tale of young Walt Longmire and his buddy Henry Standing Bear, both recent college graduates who have enlisted in the military at the start of the Viet Nam War. The second story is a feeble continuation of adult Walt’s legal troubles that began in the last book, Longmire Defense (which I thoroughly enjoyed.) I had three issues with First Frost. The first is that young Walt and Henry talk, act and think exactly like their adult selves. I listened to the audiobook version, and this is not to fault the highly skilled narrator, George Guidall. It wasn’t the voice itself that bothered me; it was the word choice, phrasing, and decision-making. Moreover, young Walt’s moral compass is as fine-tuned then as it is in the other books, and I found that hard to swallow. If wisdom comes from experience and past mistakes, Walt had little to gain as he aged, given his younger man’s personality. My second issue with the book is the second story, with its endless references to things that happened in Longmire Defense. Johnson often brings up past business in his books, and usually he gives sufficient clues to orient the reader. Not so with this one. Last but not least, this second story ended with a disturbing cliffhanger that felt like a cheat to me. Other books have ended with cliffhangers, but they always seemed organic, even inevitable. This time it seemed forced. None of this will stop me from being one of the first in line for the next Longmire book. Johnson has a stunning track record of delivering great books with vivid characters, complex plots, and honorable themes. He’s entitled to a misfire, and this is the first one I’ve encountered.
June 13, 2024
In the latest novel, Walt has to justify his self-defense shooting from the last novel. But more significantly, the book repeatedly flashes back to 1964 when Walt and Bear’s truck breaks down in a small Arizona town. They sense that past evil has a hold on the town’s spirit. And despite threats to move on, Walt shows his natural investigative nature at a young age.
June 22, 2024
I couldn't have timed the completion of my Longmire backlog any better - just in time for the release of No. 20, First Frost. It's reminiscent of prior novels like Hell and Back in that much of it is set in a ghost town.
Back in 1964, Walt and Henry have just graduated from USC and are on their way to report for enlistment into the military. Their car throws a rod in the desert, so they walk toward a town that sprang up around an old WWII Japanese internment camp. The few residents live under the tyranny of the mayor, who is hiding a dark and dirty secret. In the present, Sheriff Walt Longmire is on trial for the events that occurred at the end of The Longmire Defense, including the deaths of several former Wyoming statesmen. Were the shootings truly justified?
The dual timeline setup is familiar, but Longmire fans will be happy to get another peek at the more hotheaded, twentysomething Walt and Henry (I certainly enjoy reading about their younger selves!) It will be too long until another new novel comes out, and I'll miss these characters until then.
Back in 1964, Walt and Henry have just graduated from USC and are on their way to report for enlistment into the military. Their car throws a rod in the desert, so they walk toward a town that sprang up around an old WWII Japanese internment camp. The few residents live under the tyranny of the mayor, who is hiding a dark and dirty secret. In the present, Sheriff Walt Longmire is on trial for the events that occurred at the end of The Longmire Defense, including the deaths of several former Wyoming statesmen. Were the shootings truly justified?
The dual timeline setup is familiar, but Longmire fans will be happy to get another peek at the more hotheaded, twentysomething Walt and Henry (I certainly enjoy reading about their younger selves!) It will be too long until another new novel comes out, and I'll miss these characters until then.
July 1, 2024
Another year another Longmire tale and very welcome too.
This book consists of two separate stories the aftermath of the previous book in which influencial parties want Longmire taken out of the game.
The second story is about a young Longmire and Henry who finished their college time in California and planned a roadtrip towards their military draft. Before the men set of on their Journey they try to save men from drowning which turn out to be drugsmugglers, that Will have consequences.
While travelling towards their military bases they get into a carcrash and while waiting for their truck to be repared they find out that this little town had a internment camp for Japanese citizens during WW2. And due to this camp something dark happened there. Longmire and Henry get involved because of who they are.
Johnson once again has managed to touch a subject that has recently been into the spotlight but is not a very popular subject but a rather shameful moment in US history. While the Japanese citizen in the US were put into prisoncamps the Italian & German citizen did not share this fate, maybe because the Japaneze did look different.
Another great tale by Johnson about the everlasting Longmire and his Cheyenne friend Henry.
Chosing to tell a story from Longmire his past does kinda fit because Longmire is getting old. But the book is full with the trademark wittisms which makes this series quite fun to read and Longmire a great character, just like the cast gathered around him.
These books are quite non-political but does not spare difficult subjects .
A great installment so far in the series.
This book consists of two separate stories the aftermath of the previous book in which influencial parties want Longmire taken out of the game.
The second story is about a young Longmire and Henry who finished their college time in California and planned a roadtrip towards their military draft. Before the men set of on their Journey they try to save men from drowning which turn out to be drugsmugglers, that Will have consequences.
While travelling towards their military bases they get into a carcrash and while waiting for their truck to be repared they find out that this little town had a internment camp for Japanese citizens during WW2. And due to this camp something dark happened there. Longmire and Henry get involved because of who they are.
Johnson once again has managed to touch a subject that has recently been into the spotlight but is not a very popular subject but a rather shameful moment in US history. While the Japanese citizen in the US were put into prisoncamps the Italian & German citizen did not share this fate, maybe because the Japaneze did look different.
Another great tale by Johnson about the everlasting Longmire and his Cheyenne friend Henry.
Chosing to tell a story from Longmire his past does kinda fit because Longmire is getting old. But the book is full with the trademark wittisms which makes this series quite fun to read and Longmire a great character, just like the cast gathered around him.
These books are quite non-political but does not spare difficult subjects .
A great installment so far in the series.
June 13, 2024
Another strong outing in this long running series.
The author takes us (and Walt Longmire) back to the summer of 1964. The story is framed by the present as Walt tells the story to Vic while he is taking part in a preliminary hearing re: the events in the previous book (The Longmire Defense)
It all starts when Vic unearths an old surfboard the the basement of his house. What then unfolds is a tale of Walt and Henry, a cross-country drive, and a very strange town in Arizona near one of the WWII era Japanese relocation 'camps'.
The historical story is a good one, with a tight mystery and interesting characters. It also offers the reader a good look at the bedrock beliefs that led Walt to a career in law enforcement.
An exciting read. I'll be on hand for the next one (Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story) and the one after that..
The author takes us (and Walt Longmire) back to the summer of 1964. The story is framed by the present as Walt tells the story to Vic while he is taking part in a preliminary hearing re: the events in the previous book (The Longmire Defense)
It all starts when Vic unearths an old surfboard the the basement of his house. What then unfolds is a tale of Walt and Henry, a cross-country drive, and a very strange town in Arizona near one of the WWII era Japanese relocation 'camps'.
The historical story is a good one, with a tight mystery and interesting characters. It also offers the reader a good look at the bedrock beliefs that led Walt to a career in law enforcement.
An exciting read. I'll be on hand for the next one (Tooth and Claw: A Longmire Story) and the one after that..
August 21, 2024
Audio. Liked John’s review.
April 27, 2024
Penguin Group Viking provided an early galley for review.
Johnson was another of the authors I heard talk about his upcoming release at a Mystery Writers Panel at PLA2024. Although this is the twentieth book in the series, it sounded like it might be a good place to jump in - what with being a flashback to the main character's youth and all. What can I say? I like a good pitch from someone who is passionate about their work.
The author's comfort level with these characters he has been writing for the past two decades shows through. The dialogue and the interplay come across as effortless; this is a world he knows well with characters that are fully fleshed out. Anyone who has been reading the series all along will feel like they are in comfortable surroundings.
Now that I've had a taste of the adventures of Walt Longmire, I just might have to go back and read more of the series (when time allows).
Johnson was another of the authors I heard talk about his upcoming release at a Mystery Writers Panel at PLA2024. Although this is the twentieth book in the series, it sounded like it might be a good place to jump in - what with being a flashback to the main character's youth and all. What can I say? I like a good pitch from someone who is passionate about their work.
The author's comfort level with these characters he has been writing for the past two decades shows through. The dialogue and the interplay come across as effortless; this is a world he knows well with characters that are fully fleshed out. Anyone who has been reading the series all along will feel like they are in comfortable surroundings.
Now that I've had a taste of the adventures of Walt Longmire, I just might have to go back and read more of the series (when time allows).
June 4, 2024
A sort of a prequel story with a history lesson about nisei internment camps. Also a follow-up to the last book. I don't generally like stories that jump back and forrth in time, but it was interesting in this case to get some depth to the characters of Longmire and Standing Bear. A fine addition to the series for fans.
June 16, 2024
Meh, just haven’t loved this series lately
June 15, 2024
5 stars
Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson is a favorite character to me. I love the way the character exhibits a tough, no nonsense guy with a steadfast commitment to knowing what is right or wrong and determined to defend those who need it.
This story takes place after the 'Longmire Defense' book in which Walt had to kill in order to defend himself while bring down the long-running corruption of politicians and government officials dating back to the death of Walt's father. In this story, Walt is enduring an officer-involved inquest brought by an eager Assistant District Attorney. At the same time, Walt is reliving a part of his past through tell Victoria, his Under-Sheriff, an adventure he and Henry Standing Bear endured just after graduating from college and reporting for the military.
During the inquest, it is typical Walt and Vic as they deal with the young, aggressive attorney. In the telling of his past, it is Walt and Henry in their best casual dedication to fairness and doing what is right. Between saving the passengers of a capsized boat where they were surfing (a boat later to be discovered to be loaded with drugs) or happening upon an almost ghost town in the Arizona desert where they need to have Walt's truck repaired but in the meantime find several mysteries to solve well before Walt has entered the law enforcement ranks.
A very enjoyable read as always (for me) by Craig Johnson.
Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson is a favorite character to me. I love the way the character exhibits a tough, no nonsense guy with a steadfast commitment to knowing what is right or wrong and determined to defend those who need it.
This story takes place after the 'Longmire Defense' book in which Walt had to kill in order to defend himself while bring down the long-running corruption of politicians and government officials dating back to the death of Walt's father. In this story, Walt is enduring an officer-involved inquest brought by an eager Assistant District Attorney. At the same time, Walt is reliving a part of his past through tell Victoria, his Under-Sheriff, an adventure he and Henry Standing Bear endured just after graduating from college and reporting for the military.
During the inquest, it is typical Walt and Vic as they deal with the young, aggressive attorney. In the telling of his past, it is Walt and Henry in their best casual dedication to fairness and doing what is right. Between saving the passengers of a capsized boat where they were surfing (a boat later to be discovered to be loaded with drugs) or happening upon an almost ghost town in the Arizona desert where they need to have Walt's truck repaired but in the meantime find several mysteries to solve well before Walt has entered the law enforcement ranks.
A very enjoyable read as always (for me) by Craig Johnson.
August 30, 2024
Quite the far fetched tale. Literary license in overdrive. Flashbacks to 1964 road trip to bootcamp alternate between an officer involved shooting hearing in the present. The maturity and judgment displayed by two recent college graduates on their way to war seem to be that of their older selves. So maybe they've always been that way.
Japanese gangsters- Yakuza. A sole survivor living in the Arizona desert like a Japanese soldier who doesn't know the war ended. Manchurian war crimes. Drug smuggling. Dirty cops. Heroic life saving. A town bully. Internment camp. Lynchings. That's a lot to pack in- perhaps too much. Never mind that draftees don't drive to boot camp or induction- they travel via government furnished transportation. So the whole premise is false. Boot camp at 29 Palms vice San Diego was another falsity.
Japanese gangsters- Yakuza. A sole survivor living in the Arizona desert like a Japanese soldier who doesn't know the war ended. Manchurian war crimes. Drug smuggling. Dirty cops. Heroic life saving. A town bully. Internment camp. Lynchings. That's a lot to pack in- perhaps too much. Never mind that draftees don't drive to boot camp or induction- they travel via government furnished transportation. So the whole premise is false. Boot camp at 29 Palms vice San Diego was another falsity.
June 19, 2024
Longmire is one of my top five all-time favorite series. I love the humor, mystery and the ensemble cast. This book was great because we get to see two sides to Walt. 1964 when he and Henry Standing Bear are heading to report for basic training, and present day as he is defending himself in an officer involved shooting. I love the way Johnson weaves past historic events into the book, in this case the Japanese detention camps. I am not a history fan, but he left me wanting to research these sad events. The most hilarious part of this book was when Vic took the stand to defend him shooting the bad guys. EPIC!!!! Craig Johnson has graciously agreed to attend our library's Literary Festival next year, and I absolutely cannot wait to meet this genius!!!
June 24, 2024
Walt and his buddy Henry Standing Horse are driving to their respective Marine and Army inductions after graduating college when they lose their way and their truck breaks down in an almost deserted village run by wealthy Judge Everson. Interspersed with these chapters Johnson tells the story of Longmire's current difficulties with the courts stemming from his most recent arrests. Maybe not as much a must-read as most of the Longmire's books, but it's always a treat to see Walt and Henry in action.
July 5, 2024
First Frost delivered the goods. Johnson expertly carried out two story lines five decades apart in this book. Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear are wonderful characters. Johnson filled in my gaps with a story about the week before they entered the military and the Vietnam War after concluding their college educations and football eligibility. Vic Moretti had some of the best lines in the book as is often the case in this fantastic series.
Highly recommended reading at 4.5 stars. My only criticism is sometimes not being able to easily figure out who the speaker is in a dialogue situation. 5 star plotting, characters, and action. This was a one day 91% plane ride read withe the last bit serenaded by the crashing waves in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Highly recommended reading at 4.5 stars. My only criticism is sometimes not being able to easily figure out who the speaker is in a dialogue situation. 5 star plotting, characters, and action. This was a one day 91% plane ride read withe the last bit serenaded by the crashing waves in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
June 7, 2024
4.5 stars. I didn’t want this one to end. It’s one of my favorites of the recent novels. It ticks all of the boxes for a Longmire tale; in touch with both literature and history, it’s thoughtful, meaningful, and deeply humane.
June 13, 2024
I guess I’m in a cowboy phase right now. But this just suited what I wanted in a book. My family has watched the Longmire T.V. Show several times but this is my first book that I’ve read and it was wonderful. Highly recommend.
June 25, 2024
This 20th installment in the Longmire series ricochets between 1964 and present day. Walt and Henry were through college and headed from California eastward to report for duty to their respective military induction facilities when they experience trouble with their vehicle and end up stranded in Bone Valley, AZ which hosts a bizarre set of inhabitants. In the present day, the sheriff is trying to get through his officer-involved-shooting hearing
and stand on the right side of the law. I do wish he and Vic would finally get married!
and stand on the right side of the law. I do wish he and Vic would finally get married!
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