David Schwinghammer's Blog - Posts Tagged "craig-johnson"
Depth of Winter
I've always preferred Craig Johnson's novels to his TV show because there's more humor in the novels.
For instance, in this one, one of Walt's cohorts convinces a group of hostile Mexicans that Walt is Bob Lilly, the former great Dallas Cowboy defensive tackle. Walt, who once player offensive tackle in high school, fits the part and is willing to let them think what they want to think if it'll help find his daughter who's been kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord.
Walt quickly tracks her and the drug lord, an old nemesis called Bidarte, to a dilapidated monastery. A minor villain in the plot is Bidarte's lieutenant, Culpepper, who seems to be an American. They develop a sort of rapport, so much so that Walt keeps letting him go when he has the upper hand and Culpepper keeps turning up again under bad circumstances. Culpepper isn't the only one. Walt prevents one of his helpers from killing a fifteen year old member of a patrol they managed to subdue, providing he promises to stay away from Bidarte's hideout. You guessed it; he turns up again like a bad penny.
In another scene, Walt has a surprising conversation with Bidarte himself, where the drug lord tells him how much he respects him. The reader has to remind himself/herself this guy is holding Walt's daughter and has previously killed his son-in-law.
The book is liberally sprinkled with interesting characters from the blind Seer who is also missing his legs but is a good source of advice to a dead shot Apache assigned to help Walt find his daughter to the sexy Bianca a sister to a doctor who has formed a home defense unit against the drug lord's pack of wolves.
Bidarte has Walt in a bad predicament often during the story, but he doesn't seem to want him dead. So then, the reader should always be asking, “Why not?' I'd throw in a vulgarity in that question but I'd like my review posted.
For instance, in this one, one of Walt's cohorts convinces a group of hostile Mexicans that Walt is Bob Lilly, the former great Dallas Cowboy defensive tackle. Walt, who once player offensive tackle in high school, fits the part and is willing to let them think what they want to think if it'll help find his daughter who's been kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord.
Walt quickly tracks her and the drug lord, an old nemesis called Bidarte, to a dilapidated monastery. A minor villain in the plot is Bidarte's lieutenant, Culpepper, who seems to be an American. They develop a sort of rapport, so much so that Walt keeps letting him go when he has the upper hand and Culpepper keeps turning up again under bad circumstances. Culpepper isn't the only one. Walt prevents one of his helpers from killing a fifteen year old member of a patrol they managed to subdue, providing he promises to stay away from Bidarte's hideout. You guessed it; he turns up again like a bad penny.
In another scene, Walt has a surprising conversation with Bidarte himself, where the drug lord tells him how much he respects him. The reader has to remind himself/herself this guy is holding Walt's daughter and has previously killed his son-in-law.
The book is liberally sprinkled with interesting characters from the blind Seer who is also missing his legs but is a good source of advice to a dead shot Apache assigned to help Walt find his daughter to the sexy Bianca a sister to a doctor who has formed a home defense unit against the drug lord's pack of wolves.
Bidarte has Walt in a bad predicament often during the story, but he doesn't seem to want him dead. So then, the reader should always be asking, “Why not?' I'd throw in a vulgarity in that question but I'd like my review posted.
Land of Wolves
Walt is back from Mexico where he took quite a beating and doesn't feel all that well. But he doesn't let that stop him from doing his job when a Chilean sheep herder either commits suicide or is murdered.
It becomes a murder case when donkey hair is discovered on the inside of Miguel Hernandez's pant legs. When Walt had arrived at the murder scene the donkey was tied up.
The sheep herders work for Abe Extepare who owns the sheep ranch. The old Basque supposedly mistreats his sheep herders. Walt also has a deputy who speaks the language and has been approached to run for sheriff if Walt decides to retire. Then there's Vic, his female deputy who's always had a thing for Walt; he keeps warding her off, but she's quite a handful as is his office manager, Ruby, without whom he'd be lost. She's trying to teach him how to use a computer.
As Walt investigates he keeps seeing this wolf nobody else seems to see. He has a gray snout and seems to have been kicked out of a Yellowstone pack by a younger male. Walt's native American friend, Henry, thinks the wolf might be a spirit guide. Another woman Keasik Cheechoo belongs to some kind of animal protection organization, wolves in this case. The townspeople want the wolf killed and are worried about an influx. Some dead sheep have been found. Cheechoo also seems to have eyes for Walt.
A man named Donald Lott is a principal suspect; his son Liam is Abe's grandson and Abe doesn't want Lott anywhere near him. Hernandez was quite a loner, but there is a rumor that he was in a fight at a bar in town.
The ending is predictable except for the part where Walt tries to save the life of Hernandez's murderer.
It becomes a murder case when donkey hair is discovered on the inside of Miguel Hernandez's pant legs. When Walt had arrived at the murder scene the donkey was tied up.
The sheep herders work for Abe Extepare who owns the sheep ranch. The old Basque supposedly mistreats his sheep herders. Walt also has a deputy who speaks the language and has been approached to run for sheriff if Walt decides to retire. Then there's Vic, his female deputy who's always had a thing for Walt; he keeps warding her off, but she's quite a handful as is his office manager, Ruby, without whom he'd be lost. She's trying to teach him how to use a computer.
As Walt investigates he keeps seeing this wolf nobody else seems to see. He has a gray snout and seems to have been kicked out of a Yellowstone pack by a younger male. Walt's native American friend, Henry, thinks the wolf might be a spirit guide. Another woman Keasik Cheechoo belongs to some kind of animal protection organization, wolves in this case. The townspeople want the wolf killed and are worried about an influx. Some dead sheep have been found. Cheechoo also seems to have eyes for Walt.
A man named Donald Lott is a principal suspect; his son Liam is Abe's grandson and Abe doesn't want Lott anywhere near him. Hernandez was quite a loner, but there is a rumor that he was in a fight at a bar in town.
The ending is predictable except for the part where Walt tries to save the life of Hernandez's murderer.
