Hell is empty

As entertaining as most Longmire novels are, this one is even more intriguing, mystical, adventurous and mysterious. The normal sarcasm and humor is available, albeit in smaller doses; but, the mystical aspects of Longmire's psyche and his mental 'toughness' abound. Simply outstanding...

I was greatly taken with the first Longmire book, and enjoyed the subsequent volumes. This one, however, didn't sit well with me. I don't have a problem with the supernatural elements; my concern is with the Sheriff's decision-making.

"Do not put members of the force at risk" includes your own life. Once the remaining hostage had been found, there was no rationale for the show-down on the roof of the world. Earlier in the narrative, the decision to press on alone when backup was thirty minutes away also showed a lack of both professionalism and common sense. And this from a man portrayed in every previous book as having a good head on his shoulders.

I'm hoping the next volume in this series will take away some of the bad taste left by "Hell is Empty".

Holy giant piles of censored, this is like the stories I grew up with around the fire come to life, and in the best way possible. Writing's on point throughout, and the wee wobbles weren't - and if this is the direction these novels are headed in, go go go.

This series gets better with each book.

This time around, Walt is assisting with a prisoner transfer and investigation with several agencies, including the FBI. Yes, there is cold, ice, and the typical Wyoming winter you have come to expect. Is it ever summer, or even spring, in Absaroka county? Or are all of the criminals so excited to have some warmth that they take some time off from breaking the law so we don't get mysteries set in summer? But I digress.

Walt, protector of everyone, is on the hunt when the prisoner transfer goes south in the middle of a blizzard. He's my favorite version of an everyman hero, and I love the partners he takes in this one to save the day.

If you aren't already reading this series, you should be. But don't start with this one--start at the beginning and enjoy the ride.