Steph Reviews Dry Bones by Craig Johnson & A Giveaway

Publisher: Viking
Series: A Longmire Mystery #11
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: From the publisher for an honest review
Release Date: May 12,2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble |
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Blurb from goodreads:

Wyoming’s beloved lawman must solve his coldest case yet when a T. Rex skeleton surfaces—along with a dead rancher—in Absaroka County

Longmire, the TV adaptation of Craig Johnson’s New York Times bestselling Walt Longmire Mystery series, has ratcheted up demand for the Wyoming sheriff’s written adventures. Publishing on the heels of the Longmire boxed set, Dry Bones is certain to join Johnson’s four most recent Longmire novels when it moseys on up the New York Times bestseller list.

When the largest, most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex is discovered in Absaroka County, it would appear to have nothing to do with Walt. That is, until the Cheyenne rancher who finds her is found face down in a turtle pond. As a number of parties vie for ownership of the priceless remains, including rancher Danny Lone Elk’s family, the Cheyenne tribe, the Deputy Attorney General, and a cadre of FBI men, Walt must recruit undersheriff Victoria Moretti, Henry Standing Bear, and Dog to investigate a sixty-six million year-old cold case that’s starting to heat up fast.

Steph's Thoughts:

There are a few authors that I jump at when offered one of their books for review. I have read other Craig Johnson books in this series but this was the first time I ever had one of his books offered up for a review. I am a HUGE fan of the Longmire TV show, so when Bea’s email offering me Dry Bones came up, I had to stifle my fangirl squeal because I was at work. However, the squeal was not stifled when the book arrived in the mail. I immediately started reading and for the first time in a long time found myself lost in a book that I couldn’t put down. When I had to stop reading, I found myself longing to go back to Absaroka County.

I have not read all the Longmire books (they are sitting in my TBR pile) but I have enjoyed every one I have read. This one was no different. Dry Bones basically covers the investigation of the death of Danny Lone Elk and the T-rex skeleton found on his ranch.

These stories are told from Walt’s point of view and the insight into his mind is pretty funny at times. Walt is a no-nonsense kind of a guy but Vic, his undersheriff is a trip! I love her! (For those of you who have only watched the show and never read one of the books, Vic is watered down for TV. The “real” Vic could only be on HBO and then it wouldn’t be a family show.)

Double Tough, the other deputy, has just come back from medical leave. He lost an eye a couple of books back, now he has a fake eye to show off. Vic’s response to the eye…

“Go back and have them order up one that matches”. She glanced at us again. “I can’t believe you assholes were going to let him wander around here looking like a f**ked-up husky because you two were afraid of hurting his delicate feelings—shame on both of you”

Victoria Moretti tells it like it is and that is what makes me love her. One of my other favorite characters is Lucien, the previous sheriff. He is retired but still makes his presence known. This character made me laugh out loud several times.

They are discussing the disappearance of the woman who discovered the dinosaur bones.

“She took that vehicle of hers and has it parked in the middle of nowhere. Hell, she’s one of those archeology types, so she’s sittin’ out somewhere with a pith helmet, a piña colitis, and toilet paper.” He glanced up at Henry. “In my experience, a woman won’t go anywhere there isn’t toilet paper.”

Poor Lucien is in the hospital and wants out. Frankly, he is a royal pain in the butt but he is a lovable character, at least to the reader.

“Please get him out of here this afternoon—I’ve got two RNs in this wing who are threatening to put him out of their misery” He gestured toward the door. “If he stays any longer, I really can’t vouch for his safety”.

One thing that I love about Craig Johnson is his writing style. His books move fast. There isn’t a lot of clutter in his writing so the story is always moving forward. While the pace slows in a few places to give the reader time to wipe away some tears, it still moves forward at a decent pace. I always learn a little from these books. Somtimes it is just a little tidbit, for example did you know that bones do not burn easily even in crematoriums that use ovens that approach 2,000 degrees. The bones have to be ground up after the body is burned. Some things I have learned are much deeper as Craig Johnson is known for his accurate information on Native Americans. Fictional Absaroka County is home to a Cheyenne Reservation so the reader is given information on Native American culture in both the current form and the traditional form. It is one of the things that drew me to the TV show and to the books.

So yes, I LOVED this book. If you have not read any other books in this series, I suggest you start with book number one. You might find yourself a little lost if you start reading book 11 before any of the others. The author does not spend lots of time rehashing events of past books unless they pertain to the events in the current book. Personally, I like this as it makes the books move fast.

Thanks to Penguin Random I have one copy to give away to a US readers. Please read our Giveaway Policy. No purchase necessary. VOID where prohibited. Giveaway ends on June 9th at 11:59PM EDT.

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