by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

After the events depicted in Hell and Back, Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire is recovering at the home of “The Greatest Legal Mind” of our time, aka his daughter Cady. His enjoyment of also getting to hang out with his new granddaughter is cut short when he is called back to work to investigate a missing motorist who unfortunately trusted a little too much the accuracy of Google Maps.

While Walt and his faithful canine Dog do successfully find the brittle and sharp-tongued Trisha Knox, he also finds the custom 1940s weapon used in a fatal hunting accident decades past. Walt knows this because of stories from his father, who told of witnessing his own father return from the shooting death of the victim Bill Sutherland. To say that Walt’s relationship with his grandfather Lloyd Longmire was complicated is more than an understatement, which is why Walt doesn’t hesitate to suspect the man’s involvement in the death. When the state accountant was shot to death on a hunting trip with the state treasurer, the Treasury office’s chief clerk, and the man who was essentially the bank president, any reasonable investigator should have suspected something shifty. Already willing to believe the worst about his disapproving late grandfather, the normally fair-minded Walt is ready to believe the worst.

The one person who could most successfully sway Walt is unfortunately M.I.A., as Walt rather impulsively proposed to his undersheriff Victoria Moretti. The proposal was as unexpected to Walt as it was to Vic, and considering that she immediately takes personal leave from her job it isn’t a good sign. Perhaps that’s why he makes a connection with the distrustful Trisha Knox, who is holed up in a motel and on the run but not about to say why. Walt’s former boss Lucien invites himself along for the investigation, somewhat helpful since the ethically flexible ex-lawman is as familiar with past politics as he is with the present. An upcoming sheriff’s election and possible rival candidate being one of Walt’s own deputies unsurprisingly contemplating retirement yet again, especially if he can go out solving a crime involving his own grandfather. Lloyd Longmire may have taught Walt the chess move he called the Longmire Defense, but Walt is determined to make the final move to prove himself to the man who never let him win.

This 19th in the series continues to focus on Walt Longmire as he circles what could be the end of his career, despite having lost none of his canny intelligence or ability to close cases. While readers may miss the presence of Vic and Henry Standing Bear, Walt is still surrounded by his seen-it-all Montana neighbors and business owners. The dialogues between Walt and his friends are always elevated by his dry humor and wit, not to mention his wry observations over town politics. This is still one of the best mystery series being written today, and fans and new readers will love diving into this latest installment featuring this vulnerable, beloved character.

To enter to win a copy of The Longmire Defense, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Longmire” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 14, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.