The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery Paperback – May 30, 2012

After watching the Longmire TV series four times I thought I’d give the books a try. At once I realized the series is loosely based on the books, but once I stopped paying attention to the differences and got immersed in the story line, I found I am just as hooked - or maybe more hooked - with the books as I am with the series!

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.

This is the first Longmire book I have read. It is definitely different than other books. I was initially put off by the style of writing and the personality of Walt the sheriff. As I worked through the book all that grew on me and I enjoyed it eventually. To say Walt is a strange dude would be an understatement. It does kinda fit in the locale though. Being from west Texas I can relate. I do think there was a lot of cannon fodder in the book. Way too much verbiage about things that didn’t really matter to the story. Overall I’d recommend it to interested readers in search of special personalities in their lead characters.

I found this first book, in Craig Johnson's Longmire series,. to be similar to the Tony Hillerman stories (the personal side of rural law enforcement in the modern day western US, including details of the landscape and the interaction with Native American peoples, their cultures/traditions, and struggles). I found its conversational writing voice sometimes difficult to follow. I believe a little thoughtful editing and well placed punctuation would have helped greatly. Though, with that said, I did enjoy the book, and will certainly continue with the series.

Abuse triggersThis stand-alone is somewhat easy to follow but at times difficult to read due to emotions evoked. No editing errors, gratuitous violence or drag-you-down drama.Intriguing storyline with paranormal aspects. Descriptive writing that draws the reader into each scene both emotionally and physically. Plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. Flexible procedures, actions and reactions. Believable characters with distinct personalities. Thought provoking, realistic and memorable dialogue.I had enough unattended mental notes to fill up the Sears wish book.“I think there was an awful lot about him that I thought I knew, but the truth was I was just coloring in the missing parts with colors I liked.”Aristotle said that some minds are not vases to be filled, but fires to be lit.“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with shootin’ folks, long as the right ones get shot.”I will re-read this story and always look forward to works by this author.

CJ Box fan turned Craig Johnson fan. Author is hysterical and really brings his main character to life. Look forward to reading his books

I was an avid fan of the TV series Longmire and was very sad to hear they cancelled the show after six seasons. I wanted to keep my love of the characters and the tv show going by reading the first book in this series by Craig Johnson. Although I felt the book was a good read, the characters were different in many ways. Not sure if I will read another story at this point.

I'm a big fan of the Longmire series, the novels and the television iteration, and I've read over half the series of novels, but I still have not read the first several books in the series. I'm trying to work my up to where I began and started with the very first book and I absolutely loved it. Craig Johnson is such a brilliant writer and reading about his characters and their world is always a welcome occasion for me. A Cold Dish is beautiful work and a wonderful start to this great 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.

Absolutely brilliant book, I came to the books after watching and loving the tv show. This is probably the first time where I can truly say without a doubt the books are better than the show, however having seen the show I can see they managed to translate what Johnson done on page almost perfectly.Highly recommend reading this, now on to the next. Yes, it is so…

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!

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.