Return to Sender is the twenty-first book in Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series, and I’ve read every single one of them. I’ve also watched the entire Longmire television series, so you can definitely consider me a fan of Craig Johnson’s work, someone quite familiar with Walt and his surrounding cast of characters. But as much as I still look forward to the next Walt Longmire mystery, there’s one thing I learned about the stories a long time ago: they are strongest and the most fun when Walt doesn't go all solo on us. Walt is just a better sheriff, man, and fictional character when he has Henry Standing Bear, Vic Moretti, Lucian Connally, Ruby, and Cady Longmire around to shake up his personal life a bit. Johnson always produces a good, solid mystery thriller for his readers to enjoy, but what makes them special for longtime fans are Walt’s interactions with all the other series regulars.
Unfortunately, Walt’s gone and done it again in Return to Sender. This time he’s off on his own working undercover as a mailman in a remote county of Wyoming as he tries to find a mail lady who disappeared while driving her regular 307-mile route. Walt is not very good at undercover work, as he himself readily admits, so he’s outed fairly quickly by the locals even though for a little while he thinks he’s fooling them. His search soon leads him to a weird UFO cult in the middle of the Red Desert called The Order of the Red Gate that the mail lady seems to be connected with somehow. But, while looking for her, Walt learns disturbing details about the cult and its leaders that will make it near impossible for him to rescue everyone there who needs immediate rescuing. And he’s on his own because even the county cops are not able to offer him a whole lot of timely help way out in the middle of the desert. It’s pretty much up to Walt and Dog, his loyal canine, if this one is going to end well.
Thankfully, there are a few pages near the middle of the book where Walt joins Vic, Henry, Cady, Ruby, and Lucien in Cheyenne for a black-tie reception. It’s only an overnighter, but it is a welcomed break in what is otherwise merely a solid mystery thriller that could easily be read as a standalone novel instead of as the most recent book in a popular two-decade-old series. Johnson seems to be going that direction more and more - and that’s kind of a shame.
I want to try one of these books, but it's so intimidating to jump into such a long-series. Twenty-one books? That's pretty amazing. But what a commitment if I end up loving the first one...which I probably would. ;D
ReplyDeleteThey do add up to a solid number of books, but I’ve been reading and enjoying them for a long time now. A few of them work OK as standalones, but it’s the interactions between the recurring characters that kept me coming back all these years. That’s why this one irks me a little.
DeleteI love the characters in his books and for many years I read every one of them as they came out. I'm a bit behind on the series now but maybe I'll get back to it later this year. And, yes, I enjoyed the TV series as well.
ReplyDeleteThey are such great characters, Dorothy. And I really appreciate the deep friendship that Henry and Walt have. I love the relationship between Walt and his daughter, and I’m really pleased that he and Vic have such a great relationship.
DeleteI hate to admit this, but I haven't really enjoyed the last few books in this series. It seems that, when Walt started contemplating his mortality, retirement, and such, that a lot of the "spark" I've loved so much has gone out of it. I still like the books, but my enthusiasm has waned.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a lot of retirement talk in this one, too, Cathy. I wonder if Johnson is hinting that the series is going to end or take a whole different turn pretty soon. I’m really getting tired of all the standalones in which Walt is on his own for most of the book. I think that’s a waste of some great character relationships.
DeleteI think I agree with both you and Cathy about this series. I haven't read every book, but I think that keeping the whole 'cast' involved is helpful and I miss them if they aren't there. Maybe I need to just go back to the beginning and read the first ones again. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think the “middle” books work best for me. Walt and Henry were younger and everyone was involved in the stories, for the most part. I’m thinking about reading an early one or two of them to see how they hold up.
DeleteI have only read the first three books in this series, and I have the next two to read. I remember enjoying the ones I read. If I can ever get back into the series I think I would enjoy them again. I will check the book sale and see if I can add some more books in this series.
ReplyDeleteThere are some great books in the series. I thought the first two or three were good…they kept me coming back…but for me, they really picked up a little later in the series. I hope you find something because I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the older ones.
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