Steph Reviews Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson

Publisher: Penguin Books
Series: Walt Longmire 
Source: publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

Ten years ago, Craig Johnson wrote his first short story, the Hillerman Award–winning “Old Indian Trick.” This was one of the earliest appearances of the sheriff who would go on to star in Johnson’s bestselling, award-winning novels and the hit television series Longmire, now streaming on NetFlix. Each Christmas Eve thereafter, fans rejoiced when Johnson sent out a new short story featuring an episode in Walt’s life that doesn’t appear in the novels; over the years, many have asked why they can’t buy the stories in book form.

Wait for Signs gives Longmire fans a chance to own these beloved stories—and one that was published for the first time in the Viking edition—in a single volume. With glimpses of Walt’s past from the incident in “Ministerial Aide,” when the sheriff is mistaken for a deity, to the hilarious “Messenger,” where the majority of the action takes place in a Porta-Potty, Wait for Signs is a necessary addition to any Longmire fan’s shelf and a wonderful way to introduce new readers to the fictional world of Absaroka County, Wyoming

Steph's Thoughts:

Bea didn’t even have to ask me if I wanted to review this book, she just forwarded me the email where she said yes. (Am I predictable?) {LOL, yes ~ Bea} Anyone who follows me on Twitter or Facebook knows how much of a fan I am of the Longmire TV show but I also love the books that the show is based on.

"Wait For Signs" is a collection of twelve Longmire short stories. I learned from reading the forward and acknowledgements that these started as a special holiday gift for the newsletter subscribers. Craig Johnson didn’t realize what he was starting when he wrote the first one. I will admit that I do not usually read these parts of a book but I did this time and they are pretty special. Don’t skip them!

These twelve stories are not all mysteries. A few have a small mystery in them but many are just little glimpses into the life and personality of Walt Longmire. Walt is very James Bond-like in the fact that he keeps a lot of his personal life to himself. These stories let you peek into some parts of his life that you do not get to see in the full length books. You see how he takes time to drive a friend to a doctor’s appointment several hours away. You see how he helps a woman in need. You see how he takes care to drive a paycheck out to a deputy so he doesn’t have to wait for it to arrive in the mail.

I enjoyed all these stories. Some are longer than others but all are great. My favorite was the first story (which also happens to be the first short Craig Johnson wrote for his newsletter) “Old Indian Trick”. It has a small mystery in it and the ending made me chuckle. I love the humor that Mr. Johnson puts into his writing.

I highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys the Longmire books and members of the Posse that are experiencing withdrawals while waiting for season 5 to hit NetFlix.