FIRST FROST - Craig Johnson

It's time for another Longmire book, but where do you go when Longmire has taken on (and taken down) every petty criminal, every crooked politician, and every drug lord in the state of Wyoming and even a few in Mexico? You look back at Walt's early days - before he ever became a sheriff. Some people attract trouble wherever they go, whether they are looking for it or not, and Walt Longmire is one of those people.

In the present day, Walt is being grilled by attorneys regarding the deaths of some prominent citizens (in the previous book) and he's not taking it as seriously as he should. Nor is his undersheriff (and fiancé) Victoria Moretti who finds herself in contempt of court.

When not in front of lawyers and judges, Walt relays an early adventure when he and best friend Henry Standing Bear enlisted (in different branches of service) and decided to take a last road trip before their service was to begin. On the road trip, their car breaks down at the edge of a dangerous little village. They are immediately encouraged to get out of town and they'd be happy to do so, but they need their car fixed.

The town is located on the edge of where there had been a Japanese internment camp during WWII and the head of the town seems to have a strong bias against Japanese ... despite having a granddaughter of Japanese ancestry. But there's more going on in town beside racism and bias and Walt and Henry will have to watch their backs and figure it all out before they can be on their way.

I do enjoy these Longmire books. The grizzled, old, reluctant hero has seen more than his fair share of death and danger and he hardly even blinks at it. His attitude toward  - well, everything - is fun to catch, especially when it's countered by the vigilant and unfiltered lens of Vic. They are a great duo and it's nice that author Craig Johnson has managed to get Vic into at least some of this story since the main mystery takes place well before Vic was likely even born.

The flashback scenes (the early mystery) isn't the strongest of Longmire stories but how can you keep topping the earth-shattering death and destruction that follows (and often leads) Longmire? You can't. But you can build on the character and here Johnson shows us that Walt and Henry were already pretty well defined at a young age.  It wasn't their service to the country that shaped them - they were clearly men of integrity and resources well before Uncle Sam got ahold of them. They also had more youthful enthusiasm to go after what they knew to be right. Seeing this youthful bravado alongside the more tempered and gruff man of experience is delightful.

I wouldn't say this is my favorite book, and I wouldn't recommend any newcomers to Absaroka County begin here, but it fits into the Longmire history quite well and should be enjoyed by Longmire (and Henry) fans.

Looking for a good book? First Frost is the latest book in the long-running Walt Longmire series. It's a great addition of an early Walt and Henry adventure, but not a good place for new readers to start.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

First Frost

author: Craig Johnson

series: Walt Longmire

publisher: Viking

ISBN: 9780593830673 

hardcover, 336 pages