Customer Reviews

Death Without Company

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
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Every once in a while you pick up a book by a new author, not knowing what to expect, and are completely blown away. This happened last year, when I read Craig Johnson's The Cold Dish. Wow! So I was really excited when I saw that his second book, Death Without Company, was out. And frankly, book number two is every bit as good as the first one.

Sheriff Longmire of Wyoming is back with his long-time friend, the intriguing Henry Standing Bear, crusty former Sheriff Lucian Connally, and Deputy Vic Moretti, a transplant from the big city whose bold attitude and colorful language spice up the book. I will warn you, though, this book takes place just a few weeks after the first one and the events of that book are discussed and the ending revealed. If you think you might like these books, read The Cold Dish first.

So what makes these books so good? Just the basics - good writing, setting, plot, characters that are really interesting, and a little humor thrown in. This book flows seamlessly and sucks you into the story of a modern murder and how it might be related to past events - and there are enough suspects populating this book that you have lots of people to audition for the role of bad guy.

This book is not going to be appropriate for cozy-only readers. It's not a hack and slash, but it does have some grit to it. This book reminds me of the early Robert B. Parker Spenser books, and if you enjoyed those, you will find this right up your alley. If you are looking to try something a little outside of your comfort zone, the quality of the writing and the approachable style make this a perfect choice.

Did I guess it? Only parts. Will I read another? Just as soon as it is available!

Craig Johnson grows on one. I was intrigued into reading his first novel, THE COLD DISH, by a review on DorothyL. I wasn't sure what to think of it, for in many ways it turned the rules of mystery writing, if not on their side, at least at a severe angle. Who ever heard of a rural sheriff with a degree in English Literature and who quotes Shakespeare with great regularity? There have been Native American sidekicks before, but rarely one who speaks English with high grammar and never uses a contraction. Said sidekick has a degree in classical literature, but runs a rural bar and is conversant in the languages of four different tribes. And then there is the female deputy-female, mind you, whose favorite word is a four-letter word (or one of its variants) that begins with the letter "f." And the former Sheriff, who still struggles with the fact that the style of law enforcement of the old west is no longer accepted in modern jurisprudence.

However, I was intrigued enough to read Johnson's second book, DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY. I'm glad I did. The same characters are back, as they look into whether the death of an elderly woman in a rest home was a death by natural causes or a murder. In so doing, they look back at the history of Basque sheepherders who settled in Wyoming, after the Second World War, and how their culture and that of the Anglo culture interacted while never mixing.

Sheriff Walt Longmire, a Vietnam War veteran who got his degree in English Literature before being drafted, is the Sheriff of the least-populated county in Wyoming, one that covers about the same number of acres as the State of Vermont. He is sensitive, grieving from the deaths of both his wife, five years earlier, and a woman with whom he was falling in love, in the first novel. His sidekicks are highly educated Cherokee Henry Standing Bear and Deputy Sheriff Victoria "Vic" Moretti, newly separated from her husband and a refugee from the Philadelphia, PA Police Department. Oh yes, she also has a Master's Degree in Law Enforcement. This novel also introduces a new character, Santiago "Sancho" Saizarbitoria, a young, just-out-of-police-academy, educated and married new deputy, who also happens to be of Basque heritage and is a skilled linguist.

Never has rural law enforcement had such a collection of officers-and their education causes them to look at ways of enforcing the law and finding the villains that one would not expect law enforcement to take.

The book is utterly fascinating, and is, in my opinion, better than the first. This one is worth buying AND reading.

This book has a little something for everyone. It's a crime story, a western and a love story, all connected, all liberally sauced with Indian mysticism, and beautifully written to boot.

Throw in Wyoming during a blizzard and you've got so much geography and weather that DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY will blow your hat off.

In one scene Sheriff Walt Longmire and his pick-up posse go to the Busy Bee looking for a killer: "The place was packed as we flooded in, all the patrons freezing at the sight of an armed sheriff, two deputies, an Indian, and a construction worker; we probably looked like the Village People."

And a pop-rock group is about all that's missing here. A brief summary: Sheriff Walt is caught in the snare of two murders that occurred 50 years apart. He has a couple of very close calls but survives with the help of friends and deputies, while the Old Cheyenne pound drums for him in the Camp of the Dead. When he stumbles across the secret that is key to the murders he is stunned to learn how many local folks knew it and never talked about it.

At times I wasn't sure whether Walt is dreaming or hallucinating, but in any event those sequences are beautifully wrought. One of the most interesting characters, and one who keeps showing up in Walt's dreams, is an old Basque woman named Mari.

The catalyst for the story is Mari's death at the Home for Assisted Living. It may not have been as natural as her family would have the sheriff believe. As Walt untangles the threads of Mari's past she always appears in his dreams as the young and beautiful woman she once was.

Henry Standing Bear, the wise and funny old Cheyenne, is a great character, as is Lucian, the retired sheriff, and Sancho, the new deputy.

This is one of the best books I've read this year. If it hasn't won an award or two, there's no justice.

Yes, this is another excellent story by Craig Johnson. I recommend it fully. It is a mystery set in the Big Horn mountain area of Wyoming and although the town and county don't exist, you can decipher where it is based upon the locales. The story starts out slow to build the characters and the plot, but then takes off and the book is hard to put down. Because the time was spent to build the characters, you are with them throughout the ending, pulling for them. I can't wait for another book by this author. The story lines, the characters, the area, they all come together to make for a great story. Keep up the good work!

_Death Without Company_ proves that Craig Johnson is no one-hit wonder. This second Walt Longmire mystery is a langorous, rather slow-moving story, but one filled with Johnson's vivid descriptions of the Wyoming countryside and the elements (several fight and chase scenes take place in the midst of howling snowstorms). When the violence does hit, it hits hard and it isn't pretty, and its effects are keenly felt.

Longmire is one of the more three-dimensional characters I've come across in mysteries in the past few years and his supporting cast, including best friend Henry Standing Bear, a Cheyenne Indian, deputy Victoria Moretti, and the former sheriff, Lucian Connally, are all vividly realized as well. The novel introduces us to a new deputy, Santiago "Sancho" Saizarbitoria, a young man whose Basque heritage helps considerably in the investigation into the possible murder of an old woman at the local old folks home. Lucian insists that what appears to be death by natural causes is actually a murder and Walt is drawn into a plot which has its roots many years in the past.

This was a truly memorable novel and just getting to spend some time with this cast of characters is a treat, like spending time with old friends. The mystery itself is perhaps a bit of a let-down and there are times when the story seems to be just marking time unnecessarily, but all-in-all, this was a great second book in what promises to be an outstanding series.

As another review indicated, this is a "literary" mystery, not just another typical novel. I read it twice, not something I usually do; once for plot and then again, for a greater appreciation of the atmosphere, symbolism and character development.

It's multi-layered, benefitting from a more leisurely reading pace than my norm for mystery novels! Sure it's fine as a quick read too, but there's so much beneath the surface. Death Without Company should certainly satisfy anyone who has gotten bored with the "same old" from the usual famous authors. Some of them could take a lesson from Craig Johnson on how to captivate the reader and on character development.

In spite of the folksy cover, this is a sophisticated novel.

Peter Burian

Death Without Company, Craig Johnson's sequel to his highly acclaimed debut novel, The Cold Dish, is a masterpiece combining great literature and a murder mystery. Retaining the regular characters that made The Cold Dish so special -- Sheriff Walt Longmire, his best friend Henry Standing Bear, his foul-mouthed deputy Victoria (Vic) Moretti, Ruby, and Dorothy -- Johnson creates a new story in Absaroka County involving the life and death of the beautiful Basque woman, Mari Baroja. Former Sheriff Lucian Connally insists she was murdered, but Lucian has been acting strange lately. As Walt investigates, he uncovers another fifty year old mystery involving brutality, lots of deception, and memories both good and bad.
As with The Cold Dish, all of Johnson's characters come alive as either friends or foes. And though the plot of Death Without Company is dark and sad, there is so much brilliant humor present that one of often torn between laughter and tears. Johnson's writing is simply awesome, and his deeper themes of friendship, love, greed, our treatment of the elderly, and cultural differences show his remarkable skill and intelligence in weaving all of these elements into a beautiful, complex, seamless garment.
Having already received starred reviews from Kirkus and ALA's Booklist, Death Without Company is the book to read for 2006. Readers of The Cold Dish will be delighted to encounter their old friends again (and make a few new ones), and new readers will have the thrill of discovering a masterful book written by one of our best contemporary novelists. Craig Johnson and his books are unique in so many ways that, like most truly great works, they defy classification. Funny and heartbreaking; beautiful and very ugly; Western yet universal; intelligent and philosophical but never pedantic -- Johnson has it all and gives it to his readers with his own great love that seems to eminate right from the written page. Like I said, Death Without Company is a genuine masterpiece, and no one today is writing better fiction than Craig Johnson.

If you like Tony Hillerman, you'll enjoy this book. It reads on Indian time. Absaroka County is definitely backwater territory and Sheriff Longmire's manner of investigating crime slows life down so that we can savor the story. Craig Johnson is meticulous in developing his supporting characters, some are recognizable by their dialogue alone. The banter between Longmire and Henry Standing Bear is full of dry humor and down right funny at times.

This book is written true to life as very little happens the way Hollywood would cast it. I found myself drawn into the story because the characters remind me of people I know and the sequence of events is that which is common to the average man. Allow time to finish this book when you start because it's hard to put down.

Craig Johnson writes in the style of the master story tellers, weaving plots and drama out of reality and dreams, involving us in the subline, the ridiculous, and the dramatic lives of his characters. Whether we are young, old, or middle-aged, Craig Johnson's mysteries give us characters to enjoy. You don't have to be born in Wyoming to know them.

Who can't feel the frustrations of his old sheriff, who has seen it all and didn't like most of what he saw? And, his young deputy from PA ... is she or is she not the universal seeking female?

What I enjoy most, though, is his sensitive rendering of the impact of native American culture on those who were born into it or dwell close to it. His characters know and experience cultural diversity on a daily basis.

Have you noticed the "legendary" sidekick is not the Lone Ranger's Tonto? He is a fully formed, real 21st century man who brings his own baggage to the table.

So far, Craig Johnson has come up with two excellent books, both of which effortlessly twist together two classic genres, the western and the mystery. Personally, I'm hooked and am looking forward to his next book.

The Margin
I prefer hard-nose police procedurals and spy stories, but I've become a fan of Craig Johnson's writing. The plot in DEATH WITHOUT COMPANY is complicated, just the way I like it. The characters well developed. A touch of humor and a literary skill absent from most mysteries.
It begins with the death of woman living out her remaining years in an assisted living center. Here is where it gets complicated and mysterious. Clues point to Sheriff Longmire's friend and mentor, a former sheriff himself.
Johnson's knowledge of Native American customs and lore add depth and a richness to the novel as Longmire and his foul mouthed deputy work through one lead after another.

Marvin Wiebener, author of The Margin