Mon 12 Aug 2013
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: CRAIG JOHNSON – A Serpent’s Tooth.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[6] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
CRAIG JOHNSON – A Serpent’s Tooth. Viking, hardcover, June 2013.
Genre: Police procedural. Leading character: Walt Longmire, 9th in series. Setting: Wyoming.
First Sentence: I stared at the black-and-orange corsage on Barbara Thomas’s lapel so that I wouldn’t have to look at anything else.
Sheriff Walt Longmire and his deputy encounter a bare-assed young man and the, supposedly, 200-year-old-man watching over him. In looking for the young man’s mother, he finds himself tangling with a polygamous group buying up large areas of land in several states.
But where are the wives and children? While they are stockpiling weapons, they are also buying things that are less expected. Walt, and his team, becomes involved in a case that starts simple but ends up much bigger and more dangerous than he expected.
Although I’m less cranky about prologues than I used to be, it is delightful when an author takes you straight into the story from page one. Not only does Mr. Johnson take you there, but he keeps you there until you’ve finished, having a complete disregard for your desire to sleep.
There is no question that Johnson’s greatest strength is his characters. He balances their personalities off beautifully. Walt is well-read and has a strong belief in justice. Vic, his deputy and occasional lover, has all the sass and impatience of an East-Coast Italian.
It’s always nice to be reacquainted with the other recurring characters surrounding Walt, too. In this story young Cord and the older Orrin add both interest and humor and provide the bridge in the plot. Johnson develops the characters and brings them to life through excellent internal narrative and spoken dialogue. I did enjoy his nod to famous Wyoming defense attorney Gerry Spence.
There is room for criticism with this book. There seemed to be an assumption that readers had read the previous books. Even being a faithful fan, some of the nicknames for the recurring characters became confusing and wanting a cast of characters. There was a very minor story line that seemed superfluous and completely unnecessary as it was never developed.
Still, in all, I expect a lot from a Craig Johnson book, and I was not disappointed. A Serpent’s Tooth is a wonderful read that takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Don’t miss it.
Rating: VG Plus.
August 13th, 2013 at 7:59 am
I agree, LJ. And the best part is that there will be another Longmire book before the end of the year.
August 13th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
I’ve read only one in the series, HELL IS EMPTY. While I enjoyed it, I’m sure it wasn’t the best one to start with. Walt is pretty much alone in this one, a surreal adventure novel in which the sheriff doggedly tracks down an escaped convict on a rugged mountain in the middle of a snowstorm. All of the other cast members seem to be off-screen and in contact only by cellphone in this one.
August 13th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
As long as Johnson keeps writing them, I’ll keep reading them.
August 13th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
I read the first one when it came out about 10 years ago (I think that is the one with the snowstorm), enjoyed it, but never read any more. Had a chance to listen and meet him a couple of years ago, went back and reread the first one and something clicked this time. Am about five books in, and very much enjoying them. The characters just make the books.
David
August 13th, 2013 at 11:24 pm
Amazon.com has a box set of the first 4 Longmire novels with a nice discount. They also have the dvds of the first TV season heavily discounted for only $23.00.
I’ll order the dvd set and give it a try since the IMDB gives it a high rating of 7.7. I’ve heard that the show has been influenced by JUSTIFIED.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:04 am
While the show is worth watching, and Australian Robert Taylor does a wonderful job as Walt, they are still having trouble (IMHO) when they try to cram an entire novel into a one hour time slot with commercials. The original stories fare better. I also have a problem with some of the changes they’ve made with the characters and Lou Diamond Phillips will never fit my idea of Henry.
Still, it is definitely worth watching, but read the books.