Book Review: First Frost

It’s the summer of 1964, and recent college graduates Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear read the writing on the wall and enlist to serve in the Vietnam War. As they catch a few final waves in California before reporting for duty, a sudden storm assaults the shores and capsizes a nearby cargo boat. Walt and Henry jump to action, but it’s soon revealed by the police who greet them ashore that the sunken boat carried valuable contraband from underground sources.

The boys, in their early twenties and in the peak of their physical prowess from playing college football for the last four years, head out on Route 66. The question, of course, is how far they will get before the consequences of their actions catch up to them—the answer being, not very.

Back in the present day, Walt is forced to speak before a Judge following the fatal events of The Longmire Defense. With powerful enemies lurking behind the scenes, the sheriff of Absaroka County must consider his options if he wishes to finish the fight he started.

First Frost, the latest book in Craig Johnson's Longmire mystery series, will be published May 20, 2024. Penguin Group Viking provided an early galley for review.

Johnson was another of the authors I heard talk about his upcoming release at a Mystery Writers Panel at PLA2024. Although this is the twentieth book in the series, it sounded like it might be a good place to jump in - what with being a flashback to the main character's youth and all. What can I say? I like a good pitch from someone who is passionate about their work.

The author's comfort level with these characters he has been writing for the past two decades shows through. The dialogue and the interplay come across as effortless; this is a world he knows well with characters that are fully fleshed out. Anyone who has been reading the series all along will feel like they are in comfortable surroundings.

Now that I've had a taste of the adventures of Walt Longmire, I just might have to go back and read more of the series (when time allows).