Review of "The Longmire Defense: A Sheriff Walt Longmire Mystery" by Craig Johnson

In this 19th book in the 'Walt Longmire' series, the sheriff looks into a very cold case. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the novels is a bonus.

*****

When Walt Longmire - the Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming - hears that a traveler called Trisha Knox buried her car in a mountain snowdrift and got lost, he and his dog (named Dog) set out to find the woman.





As Walt and Dog are searching for Trisha, Walt remembers a story his father told him decades ago. Walt's father and grandfather, Lloyd Longmire, were on this mountain in the late 1940s, hunting elk with several Wyoming government employees.



One of the hunters, Bill Sutherland - the state accountant - was shot and subsequently died. A .300 H&H Magnum shell was found. However, none of the men in the hunting party was carrying that rifle, and the killer was never identified.



After Walt finds Trisha Knox, Dog starts scratching at some rocks and pulls out a leather strap. Walt reaches between the stones and finds a rifle - a custom .300 H&H Magnum, circa late 1940s. It's the murder weapon that killed Bill Sutherland!



When Walt gets the rifle identified, he learns it belonged to his grandfather Lloyd, who's long deceased. Walt never got along with his grandfather, but the sheriff doesn't want to believe his grandfather was a murderer.



Still, Walt is a lawman to his very core, and he'll go wherever the cold case investigation takes him.



It seems, though, that other people DON'T want Walt to investigate Bill Sutherland's murder. The man who was sheriff in the late 1940s, Lucian Connally, discourages Walt's inquiries;



and when Walt asks grave digger Jules Belden to exhume Sutherland's body, someone takes shots at Jules.



When Walt and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear, look into Jules' shooting, an expensive state-of-the-art drone follows them.





Afterwards, Walt is threatened by a government honcho called Tom Rondelle, who wants Walt to hold off his investigation into Sutherland's death. Walt threatens to throw Rondelle out a window. 🙂



It's clear people are trying to prevent something from coming to light, and Walt is determined to learn what it is.

As all this going on, Walter spontaneously asks his undersheriff, Victoria Moretti, to marry him....in the parking lot of an assisted living facility. Vic finds the ambiance lacking, doesn't say yes, and proceeds to call in sick over the following days.



As the story unfolds, Walt visits with his daughter Cady and granddaughter Lola;



comes across an Indian girl he played with as a child, Ruth One Heart, who's now in law enforcement;



gives assignments to his deputy, Santiago "Sancho" Saizarbitoria;



has flashbacks to playing chess with his grandfather; meets several people involved with Wyoming finances; and more.

Of course, all this leads to a climactic action-packed finale. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Rating: 4 stars