Book Review ~ The Cold Dish, by Craig Johnson

I went looking for Craig Johnson’s books about three years ago, and couldn’t find them in my local Hastings or Half Price Books. I became interested in his stories from the A&E series: Longmire. It’s always been my heart’s desire to write a western, since I fell in love with the genre at the age of two, my first memory of a John Wayne movie. So, I thought, why not a modern day one, like Longmire. I wanted to read a sample, to see what’s out there, to hear the rhythm, the language used in the west. But I also wanted to read for entertainment. I’ve attempted to read a lot of books lately, both western and other genres, but nothing has reeled me in, until now.

Although I love the mini-series Lonesome Dove (I’m a huge Robert Duvall fan), I didn’t like the style of the writing in the books. Don’t shoot me, please! Neither am I crazy about spare writing from the likes of Robert Parker, now deceased, who wrote my second favourite series of movies, the Jesse Stone films, or James Ellroy, who both have written in my particular genre of mystery. That said, I’m still a nut for a good western. Give me the films High Noon, or Tombstone, or The Searchers, and I’m in spur heaven. I’m your huckleberry. But I haven’t found an author of a book I truly like. (With the notable exception of  Charles Portis, author of True Grit). Not long ago, my local Hastings began to carry the Longmire series, and I bought The Cold Dish, by Craig Johnson. Seriously, because I liked the series, I thought I might like the books. I remember I stood in the store and read the first chapter and knew I had to take it home, that I would not only like the style of writing, but be able to fall in love with these characters in print.

I can’t say that Longmire is a typical western, but it is. It has tribal lore, horses, pick-up trucks, a sheriff, mysticism, wide open spaces, and the all important cowboy hat. Oh, and guns, yes, lot of guns. And yet, the heart of the western is there, that soft spot that makes you fall in love with a man who believes in western style justice, the cowboy code, John Wayne and Roy Rogers all rolled up into one. Westerns classically possess what the song says, “And the only law is right,” with the kind of lawman who doesn’t give up until they get their man, that justice runs in their blood and steels their bones. They persevere against terrible odds, and you find yourself cheering for him, desperately longing for that moment when he triumphs over evil. Walt Longmire, the hero of Mr. Johnson’s series, is that. He is a good man, just a reluctant one. Longmire cannot be anything but a Sheriff, and live in Wyoming. It’s what he’s meant to do, to be, and he’s too introverted to remake himself into something else.

His side-kick is his conscience, Henry Standing Bear, a Cheyenne man who straddles both worlds in an easy balance, filled with mystic wisdom, and abilities akin to the angels. He continually draws Longmire back to that center, and pushes the reclusive sheriff to re-enter the world of life after the death of his wife. The Bear is a man who has a stare that burns his prey, and a speech pattern that is more like a judge banging his gavel and pronouncing sentence than casual conversation. The next step is to get a piece of granite and get it engraved the way he said it so it could be hung on the outside of the Sheriff’s station. It is for that reason, that the Bear is a critical element in the story, the anchor, the one who takes his friend over the line of darkness to face the evil and vanquish it. He represents Longmire’s spiritual element, a mystic, who can see what the average person cannot, for he is both cerebral and yet has his eye on heaven, and still remains rooted in the earth. He’s the nexus for the past meeting the future, and easily sees the important connections. Both these characters are the kind of men I want to know, to live next door to, and make them my friend. I like that. I like that a lot. No anti-heroes here.

The Cold Dish is the opening gambit in the series, thoroughly immersing you in Walt Longmire’s world of Wyoming ranches and mountains, the differences within the representative tribes of the area, the warts, the good, and the crazies. Longmire is the Sheriff of Absaroka County, a huge sprawling amount of countryside to police, and begins to investigate a murder where the killer used a particular kind of limited edition rifle. A Sharpes. A gun that is legendary, historical, and a beautiful firearm. Guns, ammo, and tribal lore. Ahhh… Shades of Quigley Down Under (another of my favourite films of all time). I knew I was hooked when I laughed out loud while reading in the doctor’s office waiting room. The imagery is so delightful, that I was unashamed for feeling pure joy, and spontaneous affection for Mr. Johnson’s humour and his turn of phrase. I love it… I love it… I love it. You have a reader for life, Mr. Johnson. And I’m eagerly anticipating the next instalment of the adventures of Sheriff Longmire, and my love, Henry Standing Bear. Sigh. Although, I do find that big guy Walt quite appealing. Was that singing from The Bear or the Ghosts of the Cheyenne? You gotta read it to find out.

To buy The Cold Dish at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Dish-Longmire-Mystery/dp/0143123173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441085065&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cold+dish

Miss Vaus é’s books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local book store: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherivause

 

 

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