Books: Longmire by Craig Johnson

Author: Craig Johnson https://www.craigallenjohnson.com/ 

Series: Walt Longmire

I found the series in March of 2014. I was trying to find more western themed books such as those by Tony Hillerman.  I finally tried NoveList Plus a database that the state of Idaho makes available to Idaho residents through the Libraries Linking Idaho (lili.org) project. 

From the database publisher:

"NoveList Plus is a database of book recommendations for all library workers who do readers' advisory. Our expertise and passion for books and reading means you'll always be able to provide the best help to the readers in your community. Our recommendations are crafted by experts, and we let you know who wrote a recommendation and why the recommendation makes sense. We offer recommendations for titles, authors, and series, as well as audiobooks."

This database is searchable by elements such as appeal, genre, theme, and other tags.  They provide lists of books and/or series that are similar or "read alike."  I have found other authors and series by searching NoveList for books that I love and finding what they recommend.

So now you know how I found the series. I fell in love with the first book.  It has all of the elements that I look for in a series: humor, eccentric supporting cast, good story lines, western setting, and then there's the mystical element that adds a fresh dimension.  You may be familiar with the television series on NetFlix.  The character names may be the same but the plot lines, personalities, and other aspects are very different.  On the other hand because Craig Johnson was heavily involved in the creation of the series it is still true to the ethos he created in his books. Just don't expect them to be the same.  I enjoyed the first season of Longmire but then gave it up.  I really prefer the books, but that is my nature.  I'd rather read than watch.

In his most recent book Daughter of the Morning Star he highlights the problem of missing indigenous women.  I like how much research he puts into his books, whether it's about the Vietnam war (Another Man's Moccasins) or the difficulties surrounding fossil ownership (Dry Bones).  My favorite book is Junkyard Dogs because it always makes me laugh.  I must admit that though I read (on Kindle) the first book, I've listened to the rest on Audible.  

Books in the series:

• The Cold Dish, 2004
• Death Without Company, 2006
• Kindness Goes Unpunished, 2007
• Another Man’s Moccasins, 2008
• The Dark Horse, 2009
• Junkyard Dogs, 2010
• Hell is Empty, 2011
• As the Crow Flies, 2012
• A Serpent's Tooth, 2013
• Spirit of Steamboat (novella), 2013
• Any Other Name, 2014
• Wait for Signs (anthology), 2014 
• Dry Bones, 2015
• The Highwayman (novella), 2016
• An Obvious Fact, 2016
• The Western Star, 2017
• Depth of Winter, 2018
• Land of Wolves, 2019
• Next To Last Stand, 2020
• Daughter of the Morning Star, 2021

Happy reading!

Jenny