Tag: Longmire

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson (audiobook)

Cover of The Brothers McKay shows a man with a rifle standing on a mountain with a fire in the valley below, the sky a smoky red color.Narrated by George Guidall
Recorded Books
Released May 26, 2026
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing

The latest in the Walt Longmire series of mysteries set in Wyoming takes good advantage of Walt’s education as an English major as Walt and his team attempt to solve the murder of Pepper McKay, the universally disliked patriarch of a huge ranch family. As it riffs on Dostoevsky’s classic, The Brothers Karamazov, it deals with issues of faith, family, and fortune. It doesn’t hurt the underlying explanations that Walt is aided in the investigation, albeit reluctantly, by the Russian ex-spy who was his arch-enemy in the prior book in the series. Their relationship and trust develop over the course of this book, providing an opportunity for Johnson’s trademark good humor.

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The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

Cover of The Brothers McKay shows a man with a rifle standing on a mountain with a fire in the valley below, the sky a smoky red color.Viking
Published May 26, 2026
Reviewed by Julie Campbell

Pepper McKay was a horrible human being, so when he turns up dead, there is not only a plethora of suspects, but some of those suspects want to take credit for his death — at least until the real killer is caught. At the top of the list are his four sons, three legitimate and one born the “wrong side of the blanket” as they used to say.

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Return to Sender by Craig Johnson

Cover of Return to Sender shows the silhouette of man in cowboy hat against a rugged landscape.Narrated by George Guidall
Viking / Recorded Books
Published May 27, 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing

Craig Johnson has allowed Walt Longmire to age over the course of this series, and in Return to Sender (#21 in the Longmire series) age plays an important factor. Over the past few books, Longmire has been stepping away from his day-to-day job as Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, as his second-in-command, assumed successor, and romantic partner Victoria Moretti takes on more of that work. This has allowed him the time to conduct more personal investigative work.

This latest in the series finds Walt searching for a missing postal worker in the vast open spaces of the Red Desert in Wyoming. The investigation starts out as a personal favor for his deceased wife’s brother, the postal inspector for the area, and becomes even more personal as he gets to know the characters involved. The book is filled with bizarre and kooky characters, including a dangerous cult with a focus on UFOs, the ex-hippie postal worker, a frequently drunk and combative biker, a group of elderly followers of the cult, and many more. What it is not filled with are Walt’s usual supporting characters, his family and law enforcement team. This may be a disappointment for those who follow the series, but it does make the book very accessible for those who want to jump straight into this book. The narrator, George Guidall (one of my favorite readers), voices Walt and other characters extremely well. There is a cadence to Walt’s ruminations and conversations that is very unique and appropriate for a seventy-ish Western sheriff, and which brings his character to life.

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