Newest Longmire book, meh

[S&W Fan]

I was late to the Longmire party. Started watching it on Netflix then reading the books. Enjoyed the tv show, especially the first few seasons, and enjoyed the books. I never warmed to the character of Vic the way she was portrayed in the tv show-more of a whiner than anything else though I did enjoy the other characterizations. Love the "Vic" of the books.

Well, this last one, Depth of Winter, fell short for me. I thought it was kind of disjointed, there's a glaring S&W error at the very beginning (page 20 fyi) and while I'm more than willing to suspend reality when reading a book this one just went too far for me and a lot of things were very definitely not surprising when they happened. It only took me four nights to read it so it is a fast read-only 292 pages.

So there you good folks have it, one late comer's review that no one asked for .

 

[GB]

It is a sad fact of life that most if not all authors will write a "klunker" on occasion. If the book is part of a series it becomes hard to maintain cohesion and hard to keep it fresh. Even Babe Ruth didn't hit a home run very time.

 

[Inusuit]

I stopped reading Craig Johnson books because he makes so many firearms mistakes. Cold Dishis one example. The plot revolves around a .45-70 used in homicides and the supposed rarity of rifles chambered for it. He ignores Marlin, Shiloh Sharps, and many other current makers.

I'd like to see a TV series based on game warden character in books by T. J. Box. His writing is, to me, much more representative of Wyoming than anything Johnson has written. Given that I've only read a few and watched a couple of the TV shows.

 

[Absalom]

I didn't particularly care for "Depth of Winter" either, although I appreciated the irony of the title. The lengthy interview with the author attached to the book explains why he wrote the book the way he did, but doesn't help make the reading experience better.

It wasn't a mystery, just a pretty conventional action story, playing out somewhat like "Longmire meets Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch". I won't say more, but you'll get what I mean if you've read the book.

Rather than solving a mystery or finding a killer, there is never really any doubt how this will end, and the only mildly interesting question is who of the secondary characters who help the sheriff does not survive the often quite James Bond-ish action.

By the way, if you're interested in some very Wyoming-ish and moody Longmire, I'm just re-reading one of my Johnson favorites, a novella called "The Highwayman". It's sort of a ghost story set along the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway. It helps to have driven the canyon, but it's a good read in any case.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Writers who attain commercial success often reach a point where, their reputation made, they now just want to cash in, and their work suffers. Elmore Leonard is a perfect example. Perhaps Craig Johnson has hit that point.

In any case, I will read it when it comes out in paperback.

 

[Sistema1927]

I had the privilege of meeting Tony Hillerman some years ago. As we talked I told him that while I loved his books, he really didn't have a good handle on either firearms or two-way radios. His response? "Well, I guess that it hasn't kept me from selling books."

 

[rwsmith]

As a matter of fact.....

It is a sad fact of life that most if not all authors will write a "klunker" on occasion. If the book is part of a series it becomes hard to maintain cohesion and hard to keep it fresh. Even Babe Ruth didn't hit a home run very time.

.....he struck out quite a lot.

 

[Chromedhearts]

I stopped reading Craig Johnson books because he makes so many firearms mistakes. Cold Dishis one example. The plot revolves around a .45-70 used in homicides and the supposed rarity of rifles chambered for it. He ignores Marlin, Shiloh Sharps, and many other current makers.

I'd like to see a TV series based on game warden character in books by T. J. Box. His writing is, to me, much more representative of Wyoming than anything Johnson has written. Given that I've only read a few and watched a couple of the TV shows.

If you like "Game Warden" based stories; you'd like a book called "The Poachers Son" by Paul Doiron


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[Absalom]

....
I'd like to see a TV series based on game warden character in books by T. J. Box. His writing is, to me, much more representative of Wyoming than anything Johnson has written. ....

I've read all the Pickett books and most others by C.J. Box and like them, although Box went to some pretty outlandish Jason-Bourne-style plots from early on.

Joe is a great protagonist, although his shtick about not being able to hit anything wth a handgun is getting REALLY old after a dozen books or so. And some of the characters are overdrawn almost to caricatures. That mother-in-law? Keeps popping back up like the Halloween slasher. Sheesh.

 

[Jim Sharp]

Like some others have mentioned, books are often lost in the translation to screen. Perhaps the most egregious example is the Tom Cruise portrayal of 6'6", 260 pound, "rough looking" Jack Reacher. Quite a departure from the on-going literary series.

I, too, think the Craig Johnson characters are misrepresented by the "Longmire" tv series, and I'm especially disappointed by the character of Vic.

C.J. Box's Joe Pickett will, we hope, be spared a similar fate.

 

[Inusuit]

I've read all the Pickett books and most others by C.J. Box and like them, although Box went to some pretty outlandish Jason-Bourne-style plots from early on.

Joe is a great protagonist, although his shtick about not being able to hit anything wth a handgun is getting REALLY old after a dozen books or so. And some of the characters are overdrawn almost to caricatures. That mother-in-law? Keeps popping back up like the Halloween slasher. Sheesh.

My Uncle Roy used to say, "It's good we don't all like the same things, or everyone would want my woman."

 

[mtgianni]

I have tried to read C J Box but find him almost anti-hunting with his poachers everywhere attitude. The last one of his I will ever read had a man buring cars with a county backhoe 14' deep in an area of 6"-10" top soil and 3'x5' boulders under it. Then the fact that this is a well traveled highway and no one commented on the obvious recent digging put me over the top.
I don't think Mr Johnson is a shooter. I know he exagerates the killings done in NE Wyoming, but believe he has a decent handle on small town life and that area. Being published neither makes one a genius, nor prevents them from being a fool.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Over the years I have admired and enjoyed the work of several authors. It has been my observation that there usually comes a point when quality declines a bit, whether it be characters less well developed, obvious errors in technical matters, unrealistic story lines, or (worse in my opinion) rushed endings without significant closure. I have wondered if the authors have allowed themselves to submit lesser quality work in order to capitalize on past successes, or perhaps authors have been pushed to produce by publishers eager to get the next book into print while market demand remains strong.

Probably a little bit of both goes on. Frequently, after a mediocre book has made it into readers' hands the author will learn from the experience and create better work in the future.

It's all good anyway. I have read 2-4 books per week for the past 50 years or so, and see no reason to stop now. The public library keeps me pretty well supplied and family members know there is no better gift for me than a book.

Enjoy!

 

[rwsmith]

I liked the books.....

.....but some of them were meh-ish.

There was a short story where he went out in his scraggly beard and his housecoat to get this lady that was sitting in a parking lot a long time and she thought he was Jesus. Not great story, but kind of a funny idea.