Showing posts with label Longmire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Longmire. Show all posts

Saturday, April 25, 2020

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Another Man's Moccasins


So Stormi and I are continuing our series read of the Longmire this month with the fourth installment. I'm sad to say that this series isn't doing it for us and we've decided to move on.  Now I do think each of us plan to read more Longmire books in the future but the pressure of reading one each month is wearing on us.  Don't fret though because we have a new series next month so stay tuned!  So read on to see what I thought of Another Man's Moccasins and then make sure you visit Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: Another Man's Moccasins (Longmire #4)
AUTHOR: Craig Johnson
PUBLISHER: Penguin Books
PUBLISHING DATE: May 29, 2008


FROM GOODREADS: 

A murder victim might connect to Walt’s past in the fourth novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire series, the basis for LONGMIRE, now on Netflix.

When the body of a young Vietnamese woman is discovered alongside the interstate in Wyoming's Absaroka County, Sheriff Walt Longmire finds only one suspect, Virgil White Buffalo, a Crow with a troubling past. In what begins as an open-and-shut case, Longmire gets a lot more than he bargained for when a photograph in the young woman's purse connects her to an investigation that Longmire tackled forty years ago as a young Marine investigator in Vietnam. 

In the fourth book in Craig Johnson's award-winning Walt Longmire series, the though yet tender sheriff is up to his star in a pair of murders connected by blood, yet separated by forty haunted years.

MY THOUGHTS:
A young Vietnamese woman is found brutally murdered in a country ditch.  Nearby, a Native American, Virgil White Buffalo, is found living in a tunnel.  A man of little words who is quite intimidating by his size along, Virgil offers little information on what has happened.  However, in his possession is the woman's purse, which actually contains a picture of a woman Walt knew while fighting in Vietnam.  And in the background of the pictures sits a young Walt Longmire. 

While the reader is learning all about the present day murder, Johnson offers extensive flashbacks which tells of a murder Walt investigated while station in Vietnam.  The stories go back and forth and in the end, intersect in dramatic fashion. 

I have to admit that I wasn't wholly invested in the mystery in this installment.  I think the flashback sections became too much for me as I've never been a big fan of war movies or books.  What I did like about the book was all our familiar characters are back in full force.  Vic is present once again and she and Walt are trying to figure out where to go after the events in the last book.  Henry once again is helping Walt with both investigations, and Ruby is still holding down the fort manning the sheriff's office.  I do enjoy the banter between Walt and Ruby.  For example, when he calls her on the radio, he starts singing songs with "ruby" in them to much of her disdain.  And once again, Dog makes a brief appearance and Walt finally admits that he's never going to name him anything else. 

I enjoyed the ending but had figured out a piece of the mystery before it happened.  However, Johnson did manage to throw a few curve balls.  As I mentioned, reading one of these books each month is seeming too much like a chore so I'll be moving on to another series next month for the project between myself and Stormi.  However, I still think from time to time I'll pick up a Longmire book knowing there's no real pressure to finish it on a deadline.  I also still think part of the problem is that I enjoyed the TV series much more than the books and it is kind of interfering with my reading progression.

RATING: 3 PAWS

Thursday, February 20, 2020

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Death Without Company


So welcome to 2020 and yep, Stormi and I are at it again.  This month we continued on with our series read of the Walt Longmire Mysteries and after a rather dismal start, I think we are both happy to say we are glad we didn't just chuck it in after the first one.  I guess persistence does pay! 

  So continue on for my thoughts on the first book and then check out Stormi's review over at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!  I have to admit that I love the fact that this author is from my state and graduated from my alma mater, Marshall University.  

TITLE: Death Without Company (Walk Longmire #2)
AUTHOR: Craig Johnson
PUBLISHER: Penguin Books
PUBLISHING DATE: March 16, 2006

FROM GOODREADS: When Mari Baroja is found poisoned at the Durant Home for Assisted Living, Sheriff Longmire is drawn into an investigation that reaches fifty years into the mysterious woman’s dramatic Basque past. Aided by his friend Henry Standing Bear, Deputy Victoria Moretti, and newcomer Santiago Saizarbitoria, Sheriff Longmire must connect the specter of the past to the present to find the killer among them. 

MY THOUGHTS: I am so glad that Stormi and I decided to continue on and not decide to make a snap judgement based on our mediocre feelings about book one.  This book really paid off for me and I found it much more engrossing.

One evening an elderly lady is assisted living, Mari Baroja, passes away.  Walt's friend and previous sheriff, Lucien, calls Walt there and demands it be investigated as a murder.  Walt is initially skeptical but does his friend a favor and he actually does find some foul play.  Together, along with some assists from Lucien himself and Walt's best friend Henry Standing Bear, everyone works to find out what is really going on.

I think the mystery aspect of Death Without Company was pretty intense at times and it was exciting watching all of the pieces fall in place.  I had suspicions at time regarding what was happening but never quite figured it out so the ending was a great conclusion for me.  In addition to that, this book enabled the reader to get a better feel on the characters.  I love Vic and her foul mouth more now than I ever did and a new hire, Santiago, is a wonderful addition to the cast.  I must say that I sometimes feel that the author is desperate to match Walt up with someone as once again we have a woman who he seems to be interested in.  It just felt forced to me and perhaps I'm a tad biased but he just needs ot get with Vic and be done with it.

I also have to mention Dog.  In the last book, Walt ended up with a canine companion, not so much by choice but by circumstance.  I'm proud to say Dog is very prevalent in this installment and even though I thought there was a point where he might not make it, that wasn't the case.  Dog is a great addition and I hope to see more of him in book three.

So overall, Death Without Company was a much better reading experience than the first book.  It flowed better and I actually flew through it.  I'm excited to see what the next book brings which is always helpful when making a decision to tackle a huge series.  

RATING: 4 PAWS