#12 in the ongoing series featuring Absaroka County, Wyoming sheriff Walk Longmire. Full disclosure here: I'm an unapologetic fan of both the books and the TV series now entering its 5th season (premieres Sept 22 on NetFlix). Even going in cold, it's hard for me to think that this will be anything but dang near perfect.The world's biggest motorcycle rally is warming up in Sturgis, SD. The rally is so big that it spills over into the neighboring Wyoming counties. The sheriff of the border county has a staff of exactly 2 (including him) so he asks Walt to come over for the week to help out. The Cheyenne Nation (aka Henry Standing Bear) joins him not only because they are best friends, but because Henry is a biker of some note having won a hill climb years ago and returns each year to try to recapture his former glory.
For the long drive, they take Henry's Thunderbird convertible (and Walt's dog, sensibly named Dog, who has a pretty good role in this outing). Henry named his T-bird "Lola" (all of Henry's vehicles are named for former girlfriends). Walt's first assignment is to crawl around an accident scene that is in the shadow of Devils Tower (no apostrophe). Guy on a motorcycle was bumped off the road. In the ensuing tumble, the biker suffers a serious head injury and lies in a coma in the closet hospital in Rapid City, SD.
The 911 call came from the daughter of the local business magnate, Bob Nance. He works out of LA but loves the Black Hills where he built himself a massive log home and hosts the annual skeet shoot during the Rally. Politically connected, well liked. Even bought the local sheriff an MRAP (a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected armored personnel vehicle) because the DoD had a few that were unused and on the market.
The rider is part of the Tre Tre Nomads out of Phoenix. Goes by B-way Torres. The victim is in his late 20s and under investigation by a couple undercover ATF agents for running weapons across the border. Good looking young man, half Apache. Son of Lola Wojciechowski.
Yeah, that Lola.
It's been nearly 30 years since Henry and Lola have crossed paths. And she's in town for the Rally driving her red Cadillac convertible. Even in this mob of miscreants, she loans the car and most any possession to anyone in need. And the crushed bike has a red smear on it and the Caddy has fresh scratches on a fender.
Walt is only in town for the week of the Rally. His undersheriff, Vic, flies in as a surprise and stuns all when she enters and wins the skeet shoot, defeating Nance, who is none too happy with the outcome.
The Rally is filled with a number of colorful characters like Billy ThE Kiddo (a former reality show lead who customized bikes), Erik the Viking (biker who wears a Viking helmet), and the Nutter Butter (the local sheriff) all working to make sure that some downright amusing circumstances exercise the muscles that make you smile.
The foundation of the Longmire book series is Walt and it's Walt who has to sort through the various characters, government agents, body guards, bikers, hangers-on, local law enforcement, former girlfriends, and current girlfriend to determine who ran down B-way and why. In most other Longmire books, Walt has to deal with the harsh Wyoming environment and terrain plus the unique traits of the local Cheyenne population both on and off the reservation. This book is a bit of a departure. Johnson continues to reliably present Walt (and Henry and Vic) as characters with their own doubts, flaws, and confidences. In An Obvious Fact, Johnson shows that he is fully comfortable with the characters he has created and his ability to present a compelling mystery while also showing off his lighter side with countless amusing scenarios.
Bottom line: fans of Longmire have another winner on their hands. A winner on all fronts.
ECD
No comments:
Post a Comment