Next to Last Stand - Craig Johnson

The good news about Craig Johnson’s sixteenth Walt Longmire novel, Next to Last Stand, is that it entirely takes place on Longmire’s Wyoming turf. But the best thing, really, about this new one is that Johnson makes almost all of the series secondary characters integral parts of his story. As good as the last two books in the series have been, both books (for longtime series fans) suffered from the near-disappearance of characters such as Longmire’s best friend Henry Standing Bear; his daughter, Cady; his undersheriff and love interest, Vic Moretti; his dispatcher and organizer, Ruby; and former sheriff Lucian Connally. The bad news is that the Longmire is still on the outs with Cady, meaning that her only appearance in Next to Last Stand comes via conversational third-party references. 

Of course, the “last stand” referenced in the title of Next to Last Stand refers to George Armstrong Custer’s fiasco at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, a fight during which he and almost his entire army were slaughtered by an overwhelming number of American Indian soldiers. Twelve years later, in 1888, an otherwise unexceptional painter called Cassily Adams produced a large painting of Custer’s portion of the battlefield. The painting was sold to a St. Louis bartender who hung it over his bar but lost it (along with his bar) four years later as payout on a $35,000 debt to Adolphus Busch. The painting, which was destroyed in a 1946 fire, is still famous today because Budweiser made it a prominent part of its advertising for decades by producing over one million copies of the painting. 

But what if the painting really survived the fire? What would it be worth today, and what would an unscrupulous collector be willing to pay for it? (The real painting actually was destroyed.) 

When Charlie Lee Stillwater dies from an apparent heart attack at the Veterans’ Home of Wyoming, Walt Longmire is saddened by the man’s sudden, but not all that unexpected, death. It is only when looking around the old black man’s room at the home that Walt learns how knowledgeable Charlie was about art and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Then, when Walt discovers an old boot-box stuffed with a million dollars in unmarked $100-dollar bills, along with a partial painting that reminds him of Custer’s big mistake, all the alarm bells in his mind start ringing at the same time. Just who was his old friend Charlie Lee Stillwater and what was he up to before he died? Walt is going to figure it out – and try to survive the process of doing it. 

Craig Johnson

I should note that in Next to Last Stand readers will continue to watch Walt suffer from the aftermath of what happened to him in Mexico two books earlier in Depth of Winter. Walt is really feeling his age and the way it slows him down, but he keeps throwing his body into the chase as if he were a man ten or fifteen years younger than he is. And he’s finding out the hard way how bad an idea that is. As a reader, I’m starting to worry a bit that Johnson is hinting that Walt is about to retire as sheriff of Absaroka County, realizing all the while that that would not necessarily mark the end of the series. Many a series has continued after the retirement of its main character – think, John Rebus or Harry Bosch – so Longmire’s retirement could just mark a shift in his perspective. The book does end on a rather ominous note, however, when the sheriff finally contacts his “estranged” daughter Cady by phones and begins the conversation with the words, “Hey, Punk, I’ve got some sad news.” Those are, in fact, the very last words of Next to Last Stand. 

Bottom Line: Next to Last Stand is particular fun for readers who grew up hearing stories about General George Armstrong Custer and the way he managed to so abruptly end his military career. The portion of the book during which Henry Standing Bear, Walt, and Vic visit the battleground is a particular joy to read. Too, readers who have visited the Buffalo Bill Cody museum in Cody, Wyoming, will enjoy the segment of the book that takes place there because of the insights into what goes on behind the scenes of that wonderful museum. This is a memorable addition to the Walt Longmire series.