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At one time, Lucian Connally was sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. His type of black-and-white justice is now part of the past. Having lost a leg along the way, he's now a resident of an assisted living community. When one of the other residents, Mari Baroja, is murdered, the current sheriff, Walt Longmire, uncovers a surprising link between the two. Mari was a member of the Basque community. When she wed Lucian over 50 years earlier, her family had the marriage annulled within three hours. Eventually she ended up with another Basque man, Charlie Nurburn, who abused her terribly. The flames never died down between Mari and Lucian; even now, he's ready to strap on his prosthesis and engage in battle at the local equivalent of the OK Corral. All at once there's a crime wave in the community. Another woman is killed and several other people attacked. In addition to the investigation of Mari's murder and these other crimes, the sheriff's department has the everyday business of the community to take care of. Each member of the group is a wonderful character. There's Deputy Victoria Moretti who has a potty mouth and attitude to spare; Ruby, the dispatcher, who patiently teaches Walt to communicate professionally over the air, and a new guy who has joined the department on a trial basis. Santaigo 'Sancho' Saizabitoria contributes to the team immediately. He's got the kind of personality that makes people like him; he speaks several languages, which proves invaluable, and he's willing to work his butt off. In addition to this stellar group, there's Walt's best friend Henry Standing Bear, and his visiting daughter Cady, who is a force in her own right. I really loved this book. Johnson's basic writing style is spare, but at times, particularly when describing the setting or the Native American traditions and legends, he waxes poetic. Throughout the book, there's an undercurrent of humor, the kind that is woven in naturally and makes you smile rather than laugh out loud. On the other hand, he can write an action scene that has you gasping for breath. The plot was nicely complex and fairly resolved. As you can tell from the previous paragraph, the characters are a wonderful bunch, each with their own quirks and positive qualities. I am thrilled to have found a new-to-me author with such obvious talent. I can't wait to read THE COLD DISH, the first in the series, and then KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, May 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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