I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: NetGalley
Christmas in Absaroka County
by
Craig Johnson
It is part of the Walt Longmire #0.5, , , Walt Longmire #7.2 series and is a mystery that was published by Penguin on December 4, 2012 and has 82 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Cold Dish, Death Without Company, Kindness Goes Unpunished, Another Man's Moccasins, Dark Horse, Junkyard Dogs, Hell is Empty, As the Crow Flies, Spirit of Steamboat, A Serpent's Tooth, Any Other Name, Wait For Signs, Dry Bones, The Highwayman, "Eleven/Twenty-Nine", An Obvious Fact, The Western Star, Depth of Winter, Land of Wolves, "Land of the Blind", The Percentages"
An anthology of four short and sad stories revolving around the Walt Longmire series (he refers to them as the Walt Longmire Christmas Stories); they range from shortly after Martha’s death to after Cady’s recovery. All four stories can also be found in Wait For Signs. If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Walt Longmire books on my website.
I received this story ARC from NetGalley and Penguin.
Series:
“Ministerial Aid”, #0.5 (a few months after Martha died)
“Slick-Tongued Devil”, #1.5?? (6 years after Martha died)
“Toys for Tots”, #7.2
“Unbalanced”, #0.75
(Cady is working in Philadelphia)
The series is also a television series on A&E, Longmire.
My Take
Sad with a homey touch and revolving around memories of Martha’s death or Cady being home for Christmas. Snapshots really that showcase Walt and his downhome approach.
The Stories
“Ministerial Aid” takes place on January 1, 2000 as the new millennium is dawning in the early morning. Happenstance finds Walt in Powder Junction giving the county commissioners what for. Fate finds him delivering hope as Jesus H. Christ.
Oh man, this is such a combination of emotions from sadness to LMAO when Walt encounters the hapless Esther Decker waiting on the Lord.
I think this story alone is worth the price!
“Slick-Tongued Devil” is sad and pathetic. It’s been six years since Martha passed on that sunny afternoon, and an accident found her obituary published a few weeks ago. Enough to expose a nasty little scam.
I really don’t understand why Walt follows through on this…? Unless it’s guilt?
“Toys for Tots” finds Cady home from Philadelphia for Christmas. Her last Christmas home, most like, and Walt is feeling pretty miserable. At least until he makes one Marine’s Christmas a heck of a lot better. Cady ain’t no slouch either…
Sad and cute at the same time, a reflection of the real world.
“Unbalanced” is a late-night and snowy ride with an unbalanced hitchhiker who loves her music and her DJ dad who taught her everything she knows about audio engineering as Walt heads to Billings to pick up his daughter for Christmas.
The Cover and Title
The cover is perfect. Just Walt’s cowboy hat lying in the snow.
The title simply rounds the stories up, for it’s Christmas in Absaroka County.
