The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 02, 2013 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, western

It's a wonder that I read this book to begin with...I saw the first episode of the television series by the same name, and it left me cold. Then I saw the novel rated highly by someone whose opinion I respect, and that made me think I should give the book a chance. I'm glad I did.

I'm really not a big fiction fan, so I am very fussy about the bit of fiction I do undertake to read. I really enjoyed the old Travis McGee series, and since John D. MacDonald's death I have checked out the first issues It's a wonder that I read this book to begin with...I saw the first episode of the television series by the same name, and it left me cold. Then I saw the novel rated highly by someone whose opinion I respect, and that made me think I should give the book a chance. I'm glad I did.

I'm really not a big fiction fan, so I am very fussy about the bit of fiction I do undertake to read. I really enjoyed the old Travis McGee series, and since John D. MacDonald's death I have checked out the first issues of a number of series but found that none of the protagonists were up to scratch. I think Longmire (the printed series, not that TV blather) has a chance. Like me, Longmire was a Military Policeman, likes his literature, and has more than a passing interest in firearms. I've hunted in Wyoming as well, so I can relate to the geography. The story looked like a surefire winner.

And it was, mostly...a winner, that is. Aside from a couple of defects which I will get into later, Mr Johnson has penned an intriguing tale that kept me opening the book every chance I got. The main cast of characters is small and thoroughly developed, with Longmire being the Sheriff, head of a small detachment of law enforcement officers and their civilian employees. All characters are believable, the police work is perhaps shaky but probably in keeping with what one could expect from a small department. The story develops in traditional mystery fashion with a couple of plot twists and (at least for me) a surprise ending. He almost lost me there about three-quarters of the way through when he started into the intuitive Indian mysticism nonsense, but he got back on track and the story wasn't seriously damaged by it. If you are one of the people who believe that Native Americans are more in tune with the spirit world than anyone else, you'll love this one.

I have a couple of criticisms, nothing major. I don't know if Mr Johnson or the publisher is responsible for the malapropisms and typos, but I'll give you a couple as examples:

Page 26..."right of passage' instead of rite of passage; and

Page 75..."I cut the corner and headed into the final furlough". I'm willing to assume that Johnson knows the difference between a furlong and a furlough and further assume that the publisher is responsible for these.

Mr Johnson showed that he has done considerable research into the firearms used by the characters in his book, but he has erred on a couple of points. Firstly, on Page 62 he writes " The problem is the slug decreases the range of an already relatively short-range weapon". This is not the case. A rifled slug will travel farther than loose shot and have more effect when it gets there. Even an old apple knocker like me can hit a target at 75 yards with a slug , and with some of the fancy discarding sabot slugs and a scope, many shooters can hit targets at considerably greater distances. Also, on Page 161, in referring to the firearms used by the Native Americans in 1876 during Custer's last fight, he refers to "old fashioned Henry rifles". The Henry came out about 1860, and any Henry used in this fight would only have been 16 years old at most...just in its infancy!

All those minor flaws aside, Johnson is capable of some very witty writing, and he has some lines that really work for him. My favourite is this from Page 293: " He looked at me with hazel eyes not too disturbed by self-analysis...". Good stuff, that. All things considered, this was a very good mystery and I will definitely be going on to read the next book in the series some day soon. ...more

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May 28, 2015 Karen rated it really liked it

Walt Longmire is a sheriff in Wyoming, near Little Big Horn. Nothing much happens in this small town, until a body is founded surrounded by sheep, the body of a man that had been accused of rape. Now Walt is facing one of the biggest challenges of his tenure as sheriff, because almost anyone in the town has a motive to kill the deceased.

I loved this book, it was fast-paced and wonderfully written.

Some profanity, but not over the top.

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Oct 22, 2020 Julie Griffin rated it it was amazing

I picked up my first Walt Longmire book after enjoying the Netflix series and noticing a "Watch and View" Facebook group. I wish I had found these much earlier. Johnson is a writer who laconically follows in the footsteps of Walt Longmire, his fifty-ish Sheriff with one eye on his Wyoming community and one eye on retirement. Walt sees the world in a dry, witty voice and I loved the Walt on the page even more than the Walt on my tv screen. Walt is depressed and living in a shack overrun with mice ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Wes F rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My first full Craig Johnson novel--in the Longmire series. Recommended by a friend--thanks, Jason! I liked the fleshing out of the main characters, and the mystery involved in the crime that was highlighted. Liked the setting in Wyoming--rural, frontier, etc. Also liked having the context of The Rez and the Indian characters who regularly interact with Longmire. Think I'll have to watch the Netflix series at some point (actually watched a part of an episode in Season 4 on the plane just before f ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Windy rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this. Yes, there was a lot of wordy description and the novel could have been a lot shorter without it, but it never dragged. I liked the short inserts where the narrator put in background about his wartime experience and the details of the trial which was the catalyst for the crimes he is investigating.

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Mar 19, 2012 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, western

One of those mysteries that stands out due to the depth given to its characters and their relationships, which end up being (somewhat unusually) the driving engine for the plot as well. Johnson truly understands the Western landscape, both in a physical and a cultural sense. His prose can sometimes be a challenge to follow as he bounces around in time with little preamble, but still a solid kickoff to a promising series.

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Jun 30, 2012 Wanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Great dialogue between the main characters1

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Jan 25, 2011 Shannon Wallner marked it as to-read

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Jun 18, 2012 Deedee marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: j3, c2, mystery, usa-wyoming, year-2004, series-1st, srcs-fall-members-choices, author-name-presidents, title-cold-word, published-in-12december

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