The Longmire Defense - (Longmire Mystery) by Craig Johnson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Sheriff Walt Longmire uncovers a cold case that hits very close to home and forces him to put his life on the line with implications that some people would kill to keep buried forever

The hit drama Longmire is now streaming on Paramount+

Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog are called on a routine search and rescue to Wyoming's Big­horn Mountains, where Walt finds himself on a rock outcropping remembering when his father told him about the first time he saw a man die. In the late forties, Bill Sutherland was shot but the investigation was stymied because no mem­ber of the elk camp--where he was found--was carrying the caliber rifle that killed the state accountant. When Dog discovers the miss­ing weapon, the sheriff of Absaroka County is plunged headfirst into a cold case. His inves­tigation quickly finds ties to a hidden mineral fund that someone is willing to kill to keep secret. The embodiment of the fair-minded detective, Walt is pushed to his ethical bound­aries. In his relentless pursuit of the truth, he discovers the rifle in question belonged to none other than Walt's infamous and uncompromis­ing grandfather, Lloyd Longmire.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Longmire Defense

"[A] standout . . . The whodunit, which presents a dizzying number of red herrings, is one of Johnson's trickiest, keeping readers deliciously off-balance throughout. Series newcomers will have no problem jumping into the action, and longtime readers will relish the dive into Longmire's family history."
--Publishers Weekly

"Longmire lovers, rejoice! He's back with a deeply personal case that uncovers family secrets . . . Learning the history of a beloved protagonist raises an exciting mystery to a higher level."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for Craig Johnson and the Walt Longmire Mystery Series

"It's the scenery--and the big guy standing in front of the scenery--that keeps us coming back to Craig Johnson's lean and leathery mysteries." --The New York Times Book Review

"Johnson's hero only gets better--both at solving cases and at hooking readers--with age." --Publishers Weekly

"Like the greatest crime novelists, Johnson is a student of human nature. Walt Longmire is strong but fallible, a man whose devil-may-care stoicism masks a heightened sensitivity to the horrors he's witnessed." --Los Angeles Times

"Johnson's trademarks [are] great characters, witty banter, serious sleuthing, and a love of Wyoming bigger than a stack of derelict cars." --The Boston Globe

"The characters talk straight from the hip and the Wyoming landscape is its own kind of eloquence." --The New York Times

"[Walt Longmire] is an easy man to like. . . . Johnson evokes the rugged landscape with reverential prose, lending a heady atmosphere to his story." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Stepping into Walt's world is like slipping on a favorite pair of slippers, and it's where those slippers lead that provides a thrill. Johnson pens a series that should become a 'must' read, so curl up, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride." --The Denver Post

"Johnson's pacing is tight and his dialogue snaps." --Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction and the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's Reading the West Book Award for fiction. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.