The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery (Walt Longmire Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

I don't normally write reviews but feel I should in this instance. I gave this book 5 stars but feel the need to qualify that rating. This is not the fast pace of a Dan Brown thriller. But it is very well written, with a good plot, great characters, and an unexpected twist at the end. If you have not seen the Netflix Longmire series based on these books then I suggest you watch at least one or two if possible before reading this book. My wife and I have been watching Longmire for a long time before reading this book and that is why I felt the need to give it 5 stars. Not only did I already have a connection to many of the characters I especially felt a connection to Henry Standing Bear played by Lou Diamond Phillips. Every time I read one of his lines in the book I could not help but hear Lou Diamond Phillips and also visualize his interaction with the Longmire character. My wife and I are both from the mid-west and have lived in several mid-western states including Colorado. So we have spent some time in Wyoming as well, the setting for these books. Craig Johnson's colorful descriptions make it easy for us to envision just what his characters are seeing. I think you will find this book an enjoyable read...

THE COLD DISH is the first in the LONGMIRE series. It's quite a bit different than the TV series.First off, Walt is kind of a goofball, and Vic tolerates him more than respects him. That's probably not the case, but she calls him names like fat****. That would ordinarily get you fired in most sheriff's offices.Henry is also bigger and seems to be a very good shot with a Sharp's rifle, the murder weapon in Walt's most recent case. Somebody is shooting four boys who were tried for raping Henry's niece, Melissa Little Bird. They were found guilty, but the judge gave them limited sentences in juvenile facilities.Whoever is killing the boys is shooting them at a very long distance, 500 yards. Walt could make that shot, as could Henry, and Melissa's father. Lonnie, who's missing his legs, and Omar, a Buffalo Bill like character who's an expert on the Sharp's rifle.In the middle of the book there's a kind of surprise. Walt is reflecting on his life—he's met a woman, Vonnie, who seems very interested in a relationship. Then there's the surprise. Martha, Walt's deceased wife, didn't really love him. Walt stuck it out because of his daughter, who is now a lawyer who doesn't call her father often enough. I don't remember hearing that in the TV series. Vic is also enduring an unhappy marriage, and she cares about Walt more than she lets on.There are some interesting minor characters: Lucian, the old sheriff, is living in a senior citizen's home. Walt plays chess with him once a week. In this book, Walt hires Lucian as a dispatcher for two days a week. He's an old-time western sheriff who sort of made his own rules as a case progressed, but Walt respects him and leans on him for advice. Turk is Lucian's nephew, an announced candidate for sheriff after Walt retires. Walt wants Vic to take his place.THE COLD DISH is just another instance of the book being better than the TV show. Walt has a sense of humor in the book. He also has a great deal of respect for Native American spirituality. There's a scene where Henry is wounded and Walt has to carry him back to safety in the middle of a blizzard. He almost freezes to death. He hears bells and sees ghostlike Cheyenne Indians who lead him out of danger, left with frost bitten ears and hands. You might want to read this section twice. I had no idea what was going on. Somewhere in there Vic was also coming to his aid.You won't be able to guess who killed those boys. But I'll give you a hint: remember the old adage, “It's always the one you least expect.”

I admit that this series probably never would have made it on my reading radar if I hadn’t first watched the series on TV. I also have to admit that I never would have considered watching the series if a group of people I follow on line hadn’t talked about NF picking up the series after A&E network dropped it. The fact that I immediately searched out the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson after I ran out of episodes to watch should tell you something. ;) I’m going to mention the similarities and differences between the two later in the review, don’t worry.Walt Longmire is not your average literary hero… well, actually, he is average. He’s handsome in a rugged way. He’s over 50 and he’s described more than once as being out of shape. He’s been mourning the loss of his wife long enough in his friends’ opinion, which reinforces the fact that he’s surrounded by people who care about him as much as he cares about them. He’s honest, loyal, well educated, has a strong sense of honor… basically he’s one of the most ‘real’ characters I’ve read in a long time. One of my favorite parts of reading this book was his inner dialogue. I loved it. His thoughts are easy and honest and yes, he tends to ramble, but that keeps it entertaining.The Cold Dish takes Walt back to a case that has haunted him for a couple of years. Sometimes justice isn’t exactly fair and the punishment comes no where near fitting the crime. That was how most people felt about the boys involved in the rape case. That fact made finding a likely suspect in the death of one of the defendants almost impossible to narrow down. There were a lot of people who could have decided to become a vigilante and not blink an eye. That also meant that Walt probably knew the killer, which made his job even harder.With the help of his best friend Henry and his staff he goes about the task of finding the killer before the next boy is killed. The story has lots of twists and turns and seems to take them a couple of steps back with every new clue they find. I can honestly say that I had no clue who the killer was until it was revealed. It might have been because I was so caught up in the story, but I think it had more to do with the writing being so good.Beyond the good story there was a lot of witty dialogue. There are a lot of conversations between Henry and Walt. Some serious, some comical. This one was one of my favorites… I looked past Henry in disbelief as he turned to hand me the rifle. “If you do not shoot him, I will.” “We don’t have any bullets, or I would seriously consider it.” He laughed and pulled a gleaming .45-70 from his shirt pocket and held it up. “Where did you get that?” “Off your desk, where do you think?” I pulled the handle and opened my door. “We’re trying to keep somebody from shooting him.” He stated out the other side. “I am beginning to question the logic in that.”Which brings me to my comparison between the books and the TV series. Honestly, I love them both. There are characters that are in both. Some are similar and some have been changed slightly to fit the TV series. The descriptions of the characters aren't quite the same in some instances, but that didn't bother me at all. I will admit that even though I liked Craig Johnson's descriptions, I found myself picturing the TV characters in my head as I read the book. What can I say, I was introduced to them first. :) One thing that bothers me in reading written dialogue on a regular basis is the lack of contractions. It just seems so formal in normal conversation to not use them. In a strange way Henry's lack of contraction use made me smile. Not only did Walt mention the fact but that's exactly how the character on the TV series talks as well. There's also a strong spiritual aspect that I enjoy in both the book and the TV series. Sometimes familiarity is a good thing. As far as the story line goes, at least for the first book, you may think you know how the story's going to pan out if you've watched the series, but the book takes a totally different slant, which I enjoyed. It kept me on my toes and it allows me to watch and read and not have either outcome spoiled. It's the little things really. ;)So, my obvious advice to those of you who have either watched or read about Walt Longmire, treat yourself to both. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I find a show I like, I have no problem telling people about it. Reading the book is a no brainer. I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the series.

It's interesting to go back to the beginning with Craig Johnson's excellent series of novels starring Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire. I'd heard of the books thanks to fellow reviewers who raved about the series, but my first taste of Longmire came in the screen form - I quickly became an ardent fan of the Netflix series.Having now read several of Johnson's books, I'm now a big fan of both, though like another book and TV show combo I love (Bosch, based on Michael Connelly's books), there are some stark differences between the two mediums; the screen adaptations deftly capture the spirit more than all specifics.The main plotline in this debut novel was actually used, in repurposed and differing form, in the TV show, so once I realised that early on, I was curious as to how that may effect my reading of COLD DISH. As it turned out, there was no negative impact. I loved this book. It underlines that right from the very beginning Johnson had an incredibly strong narrative voice, a deft touch for dialogue, and a wonderful way of bringing the Wyoming landscapes and the people who populate them to vivid life.For fans of the TV series, book Walt is a little funnier than screen Walt. And Henry Standing Bear is more imposing physically than the excellent Lou Diamond Phillips. Other characters, such as former sheriff Lucian Connally, and deputies 'the Ferg' and Connally come in different forms too. But that spirit rides strong through both books and screen. The frontier feel of a mystery series that's a modern western, timeless and yet still contemporary too. There are lots of interesting issues and interplay.Reading THE COLD DISH you can tell that Johnson created something really special. There's a verve to his storytelling, a great mix of grit and grins. The good news for us is that this was just the first of many: fifteen novels, a book of short stories, and three separate ebooks. So far.And that excellent TV show.I'm glad I went back to the beginning, and am looking forward to working my way through it all.

You may have caught TV's LONGMIRE on UK's Channel 5, but this is the first book in the ongoing series of books by Craig Johnson about Walt Longmire, the Sheriff of Absaroka County in Wyoming. I have read all of them so far (I hope there will be many more!) and have loved each and every one of them. The Cold Dish introduces Walt, his best and oldest friend Henry Standing Bear (I defy any female not to fall in love with him, just a little), and Vic Moretti, Walt's deputy sheriff, with a mouth on her like a dockworker. The story itself revolves around a possible revenge killing (the 'cold dish'), excellently told, but there's far more than that. Craig Johnson has a flair for making the reader see the scenery of Wyoming, smell the dust, and feel the snow on their faces. He also has a great sense of humour, and there are sections in all his books you just have to laugh out loud at, something which is sadly missing from the TV version.All in all, I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys proper characters with life under their belts, with the added bonus of great plots wonderfully told. Thank you, Mr Johnson!

Very enjoyable read, lots of detail, great characters, good dialogue. Not a book you would skim through, it demands to be read properly. A clever sense of humour comes through at times too.Set in Wyoming, Walt Longmire is a sheriff of 25 eyars service coming towards the end of a long career. These tales complement nicely C J Box's Joe Pickett novels. If you like these (i'm about half way through the back catralogue) then this is a great series to be read too

Five star excellence. A modern Western in superb scenery with a laconic sheriff and his wisecracking Indian sidekick solving a mystery and seeking justice for a heartbreaker victim. But forget the Lone Ranger and Tonto; these two buddies are equal in experience and intelligence. Cracking witty dialogue and modern dilemmas sensitively handled along with blood pumping violence and heroic endurance. I want to live in Longmire Land. But seriously one of the joys of this book is its depiction of someone slowly coming out of deep grief depression. The word is not used but you know. The stoic sheriff is a fine decent man you quickly care about. You could easily see him being the star of High Noon. A perfect modern Western. A series I came to from watching the TV series with some trepidation but, oh, the relief,the T V series is perfectly cast; that is the way they are depicted in the book. I have bought all the books but I am forcing my self to leave a gap between this one and the next. No gorging. Too exciting, too involving, too marvellous. Many thanks Craig Johnson. It was a pleasure to ride in your mind.

I first came across Longmire on the TV, whilst scrolling through the channels. The TV show I had me hooked. Very often we don't look at the credits but on one occasion I noticed that it was based on a series of books, which I found on Amazon Kindle. If you have seen the TV series & enjoyed it, please read the books, they are brilliant. You can't help really feeling for the characters & the descriptions of the countryside are amazing. You get a real feel for Wyoming, in all weathers. Very often I find that having watched something on TV first then reading the books I'm a little disappointed because the characters that I have seen on screen are not what I imagine when reading. I must praise the casting of the show as the main characters of Walt Longmire & Henry Standing Bear are perfect. so if you have watched the show please read the books, preferably in order. I have loved westerns since I was a child & I love crime books. Craig Johnson's books are a perfect blend of both.