Publisher's Weekly Review
A strong sense of place, a credible plot and deft dialogue lift Johnson's good-humored debut novel, the first of a new series, set in Bighorn Mountain country. Walt Longmire, the veteran sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyo., usually has little to do on his patrols. When Cody Pritchard is found shot to death near the Cheyenne reservation, everyone, including Deputy Victoria Moretti, a transplanted Philadelphian, believes he died in an accident. But two years earlier, Cody was one of four high schoolers convicted of raping a young Native American girl. All were given suspended sentences, and when another of the four turns up dead, it appears that someone is out for revenge. As fear mounts, Sheriff Longmire feels tension in the air between the white population and the Native American community, and he's not pleased to think that his lifelong friend, Henry Standing Bear, might be directly involved in the murders. While the prose could stand tautening at times simply to up the suspense, Johnson has made an assured start that should appeal to a wide range of mystery fans. Agent, Gail Hochman. (Jan. 3) Forecast: Advance praise from Robert B. Parker, Bob Shacochis and Buck Brannaman (aka "The Horse Whisperer") will ensure more than usual attention for this first novel, which should also cross over to readers of literary fiction set in the contemporary West. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Revenge killings disrupt the serenity of a small western community and greatly complicate life for a sheriff nearing retirement. Kent Haruf's readers will feel immediately comfortable in newcomer Johnson's Absaroka County. Everybody in the beautiful, isolated Wyoming area knows each other. Conversations are spare and, if not always irony-free, certainly lacking coastal self-pity, analysis, or politics. And the inhabitants are smart enough to handle their own business, even when that business is murder and the clues are few. Responsibility for solutions rests in the broad hands of Sheriff Walt Longmire, Vietnam Marine veteran and widower, overweight, and excessively fond of beer. The victims are two of the four local high-school boys who got off way too lightly for the rape of and assault on Melissa Little Bird, a mentally disabled Cheyenne girl. Longmire realizes after the first murder that if his plan to name his successor is to succeed--tricky enough even before the murders, since his fondest wish is to pass the badge to Deputy Victoria Moretti, a foul-mouthed but extremely capable Philadelphian--he's going to have to solve things before the state police muscle in. Considerable assistance with the police work comes to Walt from Cheyenne publican Henry Standing Bear, the sheriff's best friend and also a Vietnam vet. Henry is Walt's Virgil as the sheriff steps onto the local reservation. Melissa had many friends and a large family, and feelings ran high after the rape. Bullets at the crime scene seem to have come from an elegant 19th-century rifle like the one owned by Melissa's father. Moving carefully (the pace is exceptionally deliberate), Walt reconstructs crime scenes and picks through lab analyses, but the sparse clues are slow to yield their truths. Indian spirits step in to help, but they don't solve the puzzle. Walt does. The police work comes slow and the solution comes out of nowhere, but Johnson's gorgeous Wyoming and agreeable characters make the trip very, very pleasant. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The title, of course, refers to revenge, and the story begins with the discovery of the corpse of a much-disliked young man. Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire would rather drink beer than investigate, so he dispatches his deputy, Victoria Morretti, a fast-talking former Philadelphia cop who's craving some action. They soon discover that although the victim was killed with an unusual weapon a .45-70 buffalo rifle rural Absaroka County has a surprising number of people who own such a gun, can shoot it accurately, and have a motive for the killing. Worse, there are three more young men with targets on their backs. This series debut is high-caliber, too. Longmire, older, overweight, and depressed, isn't your usual loner cop: being an elected official, he still has to show up at the annual pancake breakfast, no matter how he feels inside. And while the brittle, profane Moretti is a valuable foil, the book's emotional center is shared by Longmire's longtime friend Henry Standing Bear, whose depth and resourcefulness threaten to reduce the sheriff to white sidekick status. First-novelist Johnson shows a deft hand with complex material, from unsympathetic victims and sympathetic suspects to the playful, race-charged banter of Longmire and Standing Bear. As Longmire plods doggedly after the killer, we get the feeling that he'll get to solve either the crime or his personal problems: solving both would be a long shot, indeed. A thoughtful page-turner, wry and sober in good measure, that proves there's more to Wyoming crime fiction than just C. J. Box.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2008 Booklist
