Kindness Goes Unpunished

I've been a fan of mysteries for years, and when I was a kid I was a big fan of the TV show McCloud. You remember, Dennis Weaver riding a horse down Broadway chasing the bad guys, blazing away with his .45? Tipping his hat to the ladies, calling them Ma'am, and snapping off country witticisms every 10 minutes or so. Yeah, that McCloud. Well, this time around, author Craig Johnson has redone the classic fish-out-of-water tale, and used his main character, Sheriff Walt Longmire, as the main character in a new version. Walt's in Philadelphia, city of Brotherly Love, visiting his daughter. She's a lawyer in town, but of course she's been hit over the head and is in a coma, and Walt suspects her slimy boyfriend, another lawyer. Before Walt can do much more than talk to the boyfriend, someone throws the chief suspect off of a bridge, and Walt begins to receive cryptic messages threatening him if he doesn't leave well enough alone and go back to Wyoming. This is a very good, well-written book. I'd never heard of author Johnson before: I'll be looking for his other books.

I'm really depressed. First, I just finished Craig Johnson's newest book, KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED. Now I have to wait at least a year for another book in this wonderful series. Second, I found the writing in this book so great that I despair being able to write anything half so good. I loved THE COLD DISH and DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY, but I took all the Wyoming atmosphere for granted. I've never been there, so I just assumed Johnson got it right. But I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and went to college in the city, so I can tell you that the Philly locations and characters in KINDNESS are perfectly observed. It's impressive that an author can describe two such different places so superbly. Most of the characters I've loved in the first two books are back in the second-- Henry Standing Bear, deputy Victoria Moretti, daughter Cady and even the faithful Dog. But they are joined by a host of Philadelphia folks, including Vic's family. The plot is moving and ultimately satisfying, as Walt, in his ever-present cowboy hat, dispense some western-style justice. If you haven't discovered Johnson's books yet, you're in for a real treat. If you enjoyed the first two books, I'm sure you'll find this new one equal or better.

First Sentence: "I didn't wear my gun." Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire joins his friend Henry Standing Bear on a trip to Philadelphia for Henry's photographic exhibit at the museum and for Walt to visit his daughter, Cady, and meet her boyfriend. Cady is attacked and near death and the boyfriend's wealthy parents are giving him an alibi. Cady's boyfriend is tossed off a bridge in what can't possibly be a suicide and Walt is going to find out what is going on. Okay, so it starts with one very big coincidence, but who cares. There are wonderful characters; Walt, Henry, Myra the dispatcher, Dog the...dog, and the entire Moretti family; great dialogue; excellent sense of place both Wyoming and the fun of experiencing Philadelphia with Walt and Henry. Add in some flirtation, a dash of sex, the emotion of Walt fearing for his daughter's survival, some Indian mysticism, and the action of tracking down the bad guys and there is one really good book. This is a great series. If you've not tried it yet, start at the beginning and enjoy.

Having 'signed on' at the beginning of this wild adventure, with "The Cold Dish", and then hitching a ride on "Death Without Company", I can honestly say that I thought this 3rd installment in the Walt Longmire series was the BEST yet! Even though the story takes place in Philly, rather than Johnson's usual setting of Absaroka County, Wyoming, I did not feel that his fine cast of characters lost anything due to the transition ~ if anything, I felt that the change of venue lent an added sense of strength to the characters, without the breath-taking scenery or small-town politics stealing any of their thunder. The fact that Sheriff Longmire and his deputy, Victoria, finally took a big 'first step' in their long-running but seemingly nonexistent relationship was a big plus for me, since I had been "rooting" for them since the beginning! I liked the way that Walt was kind of attracted to Lena (Vic's mother)also, and how he could look at the mother and see the daughter, and vice versa. This development added an extra dimension to the story; an extra 'layer to the fabric' of the tale being woven. I can't wait for the next installment in this excellent series to become available ~ superb craftsmanship by a great new author!!

This is another excellent story by Craig Johnston, this time set in Philadelphia instead of Northern Wyoming. His main characters, Sheriff Longmire, Henry "Indian Nation" Standing Bear, Cady, Longmire's daughter and Vic the "Holy Terror" are all there, as is the wry, tongue in cheek humor. It's an excellent story that tugged at my heart, what with the Sheriff's daughter in the hospital in a coma due to a head injury, mainly because I could relate to his pain having a daughter of that age myself. But, this is an excellent story with the action paced events, the plot twists, the piecing together of what is really happening, and the exciting finish. It is all there just like Craig's past stories. One thing that I would recommend, for those readers new to Craig Johnson's books, read his other books first. Otherwise you may get lost at the beginning, and get turned off. I can't wait for Craig's next book.