I decided to get a copy of this one from the library after finishing the previous book in the series, ANY OTHER NAME, a couple of weeks ago. I have been reading the Longmire books kind of hit and miss for the past few years and always seem to enjoy them and want more. In this one, Walt and Vic are summoned to a pond filled with snapping turtles to identify a body floating there. Turns out that the corpse is an elderly Indian named Danny Lone Elk who is also the head of the family and owns a large ranch. Then close by a dinosaur fossil is discovered that is probably worth millions. The T. Rex is dubbed Jen after the woman who discovered it and the Lone Elk family consider it theirs. But the head of a local dino museum claims he made a deal with Danny so the possession of the dino is in dispute. Then the State of Wyoming feels it also has a claim to the dinosaur and of course Walt gets involved along with Standing Bear in the dispute. Meanwhile, Walt's daughter Cady and his granddaughter are visiting Wyoming from Philadelphia. Her husband, a cop in Philly meets up with tragedy during the visit that may be at the hand of an old nemesis. So who killed Danny and is his death related somehow to the dinosaur discovery? Walt goes through a series of dangerous incidents before all is made clear.
This one was compelling as usual and made me want to continue with the series as soon as possible. The book kind of left a cliff hanger ending with the question who was responsible for the attack on Cady's husband and will it be avenged? I'll be looking forward to reading on...
This one was compelling as usual and made me want to continue with the series as soon as possible. The book kind of left a cliff hanger ending with the question who was responsible for the attack on Cady's husband and will it be avenged? I'll be looking forward to reading on...
Very enjoyable, good writer.
Who owns the dinosaur? The Cheyanne tribe? The Federal Government? The Absaroka County-based High Plains Dinosaur Museum? Or was it Danny Lone Elk, the Native American rancher who owned the land where Jen was found â and who was just found floating in a pond, inadvertently providing a meal for the snapping turtles he was so fond of when alive?
âDry Bonesâ is a typical Walt Longmire mystery â and that is definitely a good thing. Well-developed characters, some of whom we've known for years and others just introduced to us in this novel. All with their own foibles and flaws, and a few with so many that one has to wonder if they even have a good side. Author Craig Johnson also continues a running theme of having lawman Walt Longmire deal with the prospect of the supernatural â DOES he have assistance from a dead tribal member, or is it his imagination?
This book also includes a staple which Mr. Johnson has been including in his books â our protagonists having to deal with natural threats. While this often means some sort of animal menace, âDry Bonesâ instead includes a weather / geography based threat â one which also ends up intersecting with the main plot rather than a momentary diversion.
âDry Bonesâ does divert from the typical Longmire novel in that it introduces a sidebar that is totally separate from the main plot of the book. (I cannot provide any details without introducing a spoiler into this review; the reader will certainly recognize it when it appears.)
Another winner from a talented author.
Rating: 5 stars.
âDry Bonesâ is a typical Walt Longmire mystery â and that is definitely a good thing. Well-developed characters, some of whom we've known for years and others just introduced to us in this novel. All with their own foibles and flaws, and a few with so many that one has to wonder if they even have a good side. Author Craig Johnson also continues a running theme of having lawman Walt Longmire deal with the prospect of the supernatural â DOES he have assistance from a dead tribal member, or is it his imagination?
This book also includes a staple which Mr. Johnson has been including in his books â our protagonists having to deal with natural threats. While this often means some sort of animal menace, âDry Bonesâ instead includes a weather / geography based threat â one which also ends up intersecting with the main plot rather than a momentary diversion.
âDry Bonesâ does divert from the typical Longmire novel in that it introduces a sidebar that is totally separate from the main plot of the book. (I cannot provide any details without introducing a spoiler into this review; the reader will certainly recognize it when it appears.)
Another winner from a talented author.
Rating: 5 stars.
