2. - 412.) Death Without Company by Craig Johnson – The title comes from a Basque proverb – “A life without friends means ....”. Former sheriff, Lucian Connally, shakes Walt Longmire to his core when he claims fellow resident of the assisted living home, Mari Barojas, was murdered and follows up that she was his wife. It turns out they had briefly married before her father and brothers forcefully broke up the union. Her granddaughter, Lana Barojas, has opened a bakery in Durant. While skeptical Walt finds a way to order an autopsy. To his surprise she was poisoned. About the same time an effort is made to kill Dr. Issac Bloomfield by damaging his brake lines. Suddenly others are attacked. Motivation becomes clear when Walt learns of the millions in revenue coming from methane gas extraction on the Barojas property. A new deputy, Santiago Saizarbitoria, helps with translating the Basque language of the Barojas clan. It turns out the solution goes back 5 decades to the man Mari was married to after Lucian. Henry Standing Bear is a stalwart friend. The action flows swiftly. It is a vivid story that utilizes Wyoming geography and weather. Fierce winter Christmas storms are woven into the story. Walt is very believable. The solution could be determined by the bodies left standing. Excellent. Hardcover. (Jan. 7/08)
Johnson, Craig – (2007) - The Cold Dish; (Best Fiction of 2007); (2008) - Death Without Company; (2008) - Kindness Goes Unpunished (Third Best Fiction of 2008); (2009) - Another Man’s Moccasins; (2011) - The Dark Horse; (2011) - Junkyard Dogs; (2012) - Hell is Empty; (2013) As the Crow Flies; (2013) - Longmire T.V. Series; (2014) - A Serpent's Tooth; (2015) - Radio in Indigenous Mystery Series; (2015) - Any Other Day; (2015) - Where is the Walt Longmire Series Headed; (2016) - Musings on the 5th Season of Longmire; (2017) - Dry Bones and Is the Largest T-Rex in Saskatchewan?; (2018) - An Obvious Fact; (2019) - The Western Star; (2021) - Depth of Winter
I liked this one very much, Bill. I liked learning about the Basque community in Wyoming (which I didn't know about before reading this), and I thought the link to Lucian Connally was well done. And of course, there are the great scenes among the people who work in the sheriff's office. I thought the mystery itself was interesting too, and tied in with the area's past nicely.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. It was interesting and including a community about which I equally had no knowledge. There are so many fascinating stories about the people around us.
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