The Dark Horse: A Longmire Mystery (Walt Longmire Mysteries Book 5)

LONGMIRE ,a new A&E drama series The Dark Horse is the fifth installment in New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mystery series. Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past and a gift for making enemies, burned his wife Mary's horses in their barn; in retribution, she shot him in the head six times. But Sheriff Walt Longmire of Wyoming's Absaroka County doesn't believe Mary's confession. Leaving behind the demands of his upcoming re-election campaign, Walt unpins his star to go undercover and discovers that everyone-including a beautiful Guatemalan bartender and a rancher with a taste for liquor-had a reason for wanting Wade dead. Read Craig Johnson's posts on the Penguin Blog. "It's the scenery-and the big guy standing in front of the scenery- that keeps us coming back to Craig Johnson's lean and leathery mysteries." -Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. In Johnson's superb fifth contemporary mystery to feature Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire (after 2008's Another Man's Moccasins ), Walt has his doubts about Mary Barsad's guilt when she confesses to shooting her husband, Wade, after Wade allegedly burned down their barn with all Mary's horses inside. Even though the crime is out of his jurisdiction in a neighboring county, Walt can't shake the feeling that there's more to Mary's story. Posing as an insurance agent, Walt starts poking around the tiny town of Absalom, whose main attraction are the fights at the local bar. He meets an illegal immigrant bartender with a knack for crime solving, the Barsads' loyal cowhand and some ranchers who may have had their own reasons for wanting Wade dead. Walt digs deep into the dilapidated town's history, unearthing secrets that might be better left buried. Series fans will delight in seeing Walt return to his cowboy roots as he mounts a horse and navigates the sparsely populated state. 8-city author tour. (June) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Bookmarks Magazine In The Dark Horse , Craig Johnson continues to develop Sheriff Walt Longmire's personality -- he's got a wicked sense of humor that can land him on the wrong side of things -- and to introduce interesting new elements and characters into each installment. Johnson's regional focus -- particularly his ability to evoke the austere, mysterious landscapes of Wyoming -- and a noirish attitude toward crime recalls writer James Lee Burke and the long-running Dave Robicheaux series. With a new deal from Viking following early independent success, Johnson, too, seems poised for a long career atop the genre. Walt Longmire goes undercover to save a woman in an unfriendly placeInterweaving classic noir sensibilities and humor with contemporary themes of social justice, Craig Johnson’s popular Walt Longmire mysteries transport readers to the sparse and rugged landscape of Wyoming. In The Dark Horse, the sheriff investigates when his instincts tell him something isn’t right about a prisoner accused of killing her husband.Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past, locked his wife’s horses in their barn and burned the animals alive. In return, Mary shot Wade in the head six times—or so the story goes. Walt doesn’t believe Mary’s confession, and he’s determined to dig deeper. Posing as an insurance claims investigator, Walt soon discovers other people who might have wanted Wade dead, including a beautiful Guatemalan bartender and a rancher with a taste for liquor, but not for honesty.The Dark Horse is sure to build on the success of Another Man’s Moccasins as Sheriff Longmire unpins his star and ventures into a town without pity to save a woman without hope. Walt doubts a confession of murder in this novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Western Star Fans of Ace Atkins, Nevada Barr and Robert B. Parker will love The Dark Horse is the fifth installment in New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson's Longmire Mystery Series, the basis for LONGMIRE , the hit Netflix original drama series. Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past and a gift for making enemies, burned his wife Mary's horses in their barn; in retribution, she shot him in the head six times, or so the story goes. But Sheriff Walt Longmire doesn't believe Mary's confession and is determined to dig deeper. Unpinning his star to pose as an insurance investigator, Walt visits the Barsad ranch and discovers that everyone in town—including a beautiful Guetemalan bartender and a rancher with a taste for liquor—had a reason for wanting Wade dead. Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past, locked his wife Mary's horses in their barn and then burned it down. In return she shot him in the head six times - or so the story goes. Sheriff Walt Longmire doesn't believe that Mary's confession is the truth, and he's determined to dig deeper. Posing as an insurance claim investigator, Walt goes undercover and soon discovers that the population of an entire town might have wanted Wade dead