DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY (Longmire #2) (audiobook) by Craig Johnson

 

Originally published in 2006.

Published by Recorded Books in 2007.
Read by George Guidall.
Duration: 9 hours, 48 minutes.

Unabridged

Walt Longmire's mentor as the Sheriff of Absaroka County is Lucian, a long-retired and extra-cranky one-legged man. Lucian lives in an assisted living home and he calls in Walt when a resident passes away. Nursing home residents passing away isn't normally an event that draws a lot of suspicion, but Lucian insists it was murder. Longmire decides to listen to Lucian and soon enough Walt uncovers a lot more than anyone was expecting...

I am coming to the Longmire book series after seeing the entire Longmire TV series. This is technically my third book. I listened to number 3, the first book and now the second book. 

And...I am going to give this series a rest for a while. I liked the interesting characters, but the book has serious pacing issues. As I said, I watched the series. My least favorite part of the series was the sequences when Walt would get visions. This book had way too many visions - they slowed the book and did little for me.

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY (Longmire #2) (audiobook) by Craig Johnson.

THE COLD DISH (Longmire #1)(audiobook) by Craig Johnson

 

Originally published in 2004.
Published by Recorded Books in 2007.
Read by George Guidall.
Duration: 13 hours, 17 minutes.
Unabridged.

The Longmire book series is the definition of a successful franchise with 16 novels and a six season television series. I watched the series and I enjoyed it immensely, so I decided to give the books a go.

There are obvious differences in characters (The Ferg is a massive change, for example), but they are not deal-breakers. I prefer to look at them as another interpretation of the characters. 

The main mystery in The Cold Dish was highly adapted for the TV series, so much so that it was basically a whole new mystery.

A few years earlier 4 white high school boys sexually assaulted a fellow student. She was Native American who suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and didn't really understand what had happened. The trial that followed was rough on the local white and Native American communities and ended with minimal punishments for the boys. 

Now, the boys are being murdered one by one by a sniper using an 1874 Sharps Rifle (or a replica) and Longmire has no shortage of suspects...

So, what did I think?

The story drug from time to time, but the main characters are strong. I am not sure if that is because I know another version of them from the TV show or if they were strong in the novel. Either way, I am going to keep going.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: THE COLD DISH by Craig Johnson.

KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED (Longmire #3) (audiobook) by Craig Johnson

Published by Recorded Books in 2007.
Read by George Guidall
Duration: 8 hours, 42 minutes.
Unabridged.

Walt Longmire is the Sheriff of Absaroka County in Wyoming and in Kindness Goes Unpunished he is off to Philadelphia to visit his daughter Cady. This visit comes as part of a road trip with his friend Henry Standing Bear who is presenting some photos at a museum. To add some extra fun, Walt is going to meet up with his tough-talking deputy Vic's family, since she is also from Philadelphia. Turns out they are entrenched in the police department, from top to bottom.

But, before the visit really got started, Cady is pushed off of a balcony and suffers a head injury, leaving her in a coma. Walt and Henry start investigating and soon things start to get very complicated, very fast.

This is the third book in this series, but the first one that I have read or listened to. Normally, I don't join series midway, but I felt confident that I could start with this one because I had seen two season of the TV show based on the book series so at least I would know who the characters are. I wasn't lost, but I didn't particularly enjoy the Philadelphia-based "fish out of water" aspect of this book. It was okay, but not great.

The audiobook was read by George Guidall. He has long been recognized as one of the best in the audiobook business and he does a great job with this book. But, it was just a so-so book no matter who read it so I am going to have to rate it 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Kindness Goes Unpunished
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