Sat 20 Aug 2011
A Review by Stan Burns: CRAIG JOHNSON – Kindness Goes Unpunished.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[6] Comments
CRAIG JOHNSON – Kindness Goes Unpunished. Viking, hardcover, March 2007. Penguin, softcover, February, 2008.
This is the third Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire novel. He and his friend Henry Standing Bear are on a trip to Philadelphia. Henry is going because he has been invited to put on an exhibition of family Indian reservation photos at a museum, while Walt is going to visit his daughter Cady, who lives there.
His daughter thinks she has met “the one” and wants to introduce him to her father. But Walt never gets to see her; he finds that she is hovering in a coma near death in the hospital after being attacked by an unknown male assailant outside the same museum that will host Henry’s photos.
With the help of Henry, Walt sets out to find the person responsible. He discovers that the boyfriend is more than likely the guilty party; that he was a gambler and drug addict. But the boyfriend is thrown off a bridge to his death before Walt can question him, causing him to wonder if his daughter had discovered something about the boyfriend that would cause him to attack her.
Walt continues to investigate trying to discover what is really behind the boyfriend’s death. Not as good as the first novel, but the Philadelphia locations feel very real and the writing keeps you turning pages.
Rating: B.
The Sheriff Walt Longmire Mysteries —
1. The Cold Dish (2004)
2. Death Without Company (2006)
3. Kindness Goes Unpunished (2007)
4. Another Man’s Moccasins (2008)
5. The Dark Horse (2009)
6. Junkyard Dogs (2010)
7. Hell Is Empty (2011)
August 20th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Another series I’ve always meant to start reading, and I never have.
I suppose I should start at the beginning, but I’m tempted to try this one first. I’ve always been fond of country sheriffs coming into the big city, ever since Sam McCloud, but I don’t imagine he was the first.
August 20th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Nor was he. McCLOUD, the TV series, began in 1970. COOGAN’S BLUFF, the movie with Clint Eastwood, came out in 1968.
August 21st, 2011 at 9:23 am
I liked this one – heck, I’ve liked them all – as much for the “fish out of water” elements as the rest.
For those who watch EUREKA, I always picture Vic in this series as the twin sister of Jo in EUREKA. Only Vic is allowed to be more foul-mouthed in print than Jo is on television.
August 21st, 2011 at 11:49 am
Vic, for those who don’t know, is Longmire’s foul-mouthed deputy sheriff, Victoria Moretti.
And here’s some news that perhaps some of you didn’t know, either, including me. I’ve just discovered that currently in production for the A&E cable channel is a full-length film called LONGMIRE. It’s also the pilot for a possible new series.
In the cast are Katee Sackhoff as Vic, Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry, and Robert Taylor as Longmire.
(Not THAT Robert Taylor, but looking through his credits, I don’t think I’ve seen anything this Robert Taylor has been in. No, I’ve never seen THE MATRIX.)
For the full cast, check out this page on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836037/
August 22nd, 2011 at 6:31 am
Lou Diamond Phillips?
Isn’t he about a foot too short? Robert Taylor is – apparently – an Aussie action star. Like Steve, I’ve never heard of him.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
A&E has announced they have picked up LONGMIRE as a series, ordering 10 episodes for the first season. No announced air date yet, but my guess is early 2012.