Monday, December 7, 2020

Next to Last Stand

Title: Next to Last Stand
Author: Craig Johnson
Published: September 22nd 2020 by Viking
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Fiction
Series: Walt Longmire #16

Reading the reviews, I see that people disliked this book for the same reason that I enjoyed it. I appreciated the bit of history, the amalgamation of the past with the present, and how people, as odd as they are, have different reasons for accomplishing the same goal.

Things go from curious to downright dangerous when Walt Longmire receives a call after a resident of the local Veterans’ home died, and a shoebox containing $1 million found. The residents claim there had been clandestine meetings with Russians, but with this group of off-center cronies, Walt has no idea what to believe. Yet, with the discovery of a portion of an old painting and Walt doing his usual deep dive, the fragment is analyzed, and with it, a fascinating art history lesson imparted to the reader involving myth and the reshaping of the old west.

In places, the history lesson and the narrative seem to become a bit long-winded but hang in there, everything, including the long list of characters, will soon meld, and the full story revealed. For me, the only thing that was missing in this book was the usual wit. That is what I enjoy most from Craig Johnson, the deadpan deliveries and the over the top situations that can only be dealt with by a good dose of questionable humor; usually delivered by Victoria, on occasion by Walt, but always by Henry.

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