The Longmire Defense - (Longmire Mystery) by Craig Johnson

About the Book

"Walt Longmire faces one of his most challenging crime scenes as he tries to reckon with the revelations of his last case where he confronted the ghosts of his past and questioned the very nature of justice and mercy in the hard country of the West. Deepin the heart of the Wyoming countryside, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire, is called to a crime scene like few others that he has seen. This crime brings up issues that go back to Walt's grandfather's time in Wyoming, as the revelations he learnsabout his grandfather come back to offer clues and motives for Walt's investigation. Filled with back-country action, and with the great cast of characters that readers have come to love with the Longmire series, this new book will be sure to satisfy both long-time readers and those new to the series"--

Book Synopsis

Sheriff Walt Longmire uncovers a cold case that hits very close to home and forces him to put his life on the line with implications that some people would kill to keep buried forever

Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog are called on a routine search and rescue to Wyoming's Big­horn Mountains, where Walt finds himself on a rock outcropping remembering when his father told him about the first time he saw a man die. In the late forties, Bill Sutherland was shot but the investigation was stymied because no mem­ber of the elk camp--where he was found--was carrying the caliber rifle that killed the state accountant. When Dog discovers the miss­ing weapon, the sheriff of Absaroka County is plunged headfirst into a cold case. His inves­tigation quickly finds ties to a hidden mineral fund that someone is willing to kill to keep secret. The embodiment of the fair-minded detective, Walt is pushed to his ethical bound­aries. In his relentless pursuit of the truth, he discovers the rifle in question belonged to none other than Walt's infamous and uncompromis­ing grandfather, Lloyd Longmire.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Longmire Defense

"[A] standout . . . The whodunit, which presents a dizzying number of red herrings, is one of Johnson's trickiest, keeping readers deliciously off-balance throughout. Series newcomers will have no problem jumping into the action, and longtime readers will relish the dive into Longmire's family history."
--Publishers Weekly

"Longmire lovers, rejoice! He's back with a deeply personal case that uncovers family secrets . . . Learning the history of a beloved protagonist raises an exciting mystery to a higher level."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Author

Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction and the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's Reading the West Book Award for fiction. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.