The Cold Dish (#1), by Craig Johnson (2005)
This is the first book in the Longmire mystery series. We are introduced to the characters ~ Sheriff Walt Longmire; Deputy Victoria “Vic” Moretti; Deputy Jim “Ferg” Ferguson; Henry Standing Bear, Walt’s close friend; and Cady Longmire, Longmire’s daughter.
Several years before the novel began, a young Cheyenne girl named Melissa Little Bird was brutally raped by four white boys. Melissa Little Bird had fetal alcohol syndrome and was unable to provide a lot of help in the prosecution of her attackers. Although the boys were found guilty, they got off lightly for the crime with suspended sentences. Now a few years later, one of the rapists, Cody Prichard was found shot dead in a sheep field.
Prichard’s death was initially believed to be a hunting accident, however, the evidence begins to point to foul play. As the evidence mounts, it seems that Prichard’s death was related to Melissa Little Bird’s rape. Longmire must protect the other three boys from also being killed.
Longmire, a widower, also begins a relationship with Vonnie Hayes, a woman he has known since they were school children, although he knows little of her life.
As Longmire investigates the murder, tensions mount between the Native American and white communities. The author mixes in bits of history of the between the two communities, which adds to the narrative.
I enjoyed this novel, although at times I got lost in the prose and had to go back an re-read portions.
Read: July 26, 2018
3 stars
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