An Obvious Fact: A Longmire Mystery Paperback – September 5, 2017

I like all the Longmire books. Walt Longmire is a great character and embodies virtues to which we all can aspire, as does Henry and most of the other folks in his circle. The stories are witty, well written (though in some dialogue back-and-forths, I've always thought the author could do a better job of identifying who is speaking. Sometimes I get lost).This one takes place in and around the Sturgis motorcycle rally. The namesake of Henry's convertible, Lola, is finally met in the flesh (or on the page) and she plays a key part in this mystery. With Sturgis as a background, there are plenty of outrageous characters. Another enjoyable Longmire romp.

Sheriff Walt Longmire is in the small Wyoming town of Hulett to help the local authorities with an accident investigation. There’s a huge motorcycle rally underway and Walt’s buddy, Henry Standing Bear, is along for the ride. A challenging motorcycle ride, that is. It’s an annual event and involves climbing an impossible hill on the bike in the fastest way possible without killing yourself or destroying the bike.Walt’s undersheriff, Victoria “Vic” Moretti, is coming back to Wyoming from a family tragedy in Philadelphia and joins Walt and Henry for the festivities. Several pages are devoted to Henry’s motorcycle climb as well as Vic’s rally role, competing in a skeet shooting event with other first class women shooters.The accident being investigated involves a young man riding a motorcycle who was forced into a ditch by a hit-and-run driver, the victim being evacuated to a nearby hospital. Turns out the victim’s mother is Lola with a very long last name and the former sweetheart of Henry Standing Bear. Lola also happens to the the inspiration for Henry’s car’s name and the naming of Walt’s only granddaughter.All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the book’s plot is concerned. Suffice it to say that there is an undercover ATF agent lurking amongst the biker population, a suspicious radio personality, and a very rich man who has a bunker complex near a local golf course with his own private airstrip.Walt is not a “driven” lawman like Michael Connelly’s LAPD Detective Harry Bosch but he gets the job done, thanks to help from Henry, Vic, and even his canine pal having the simple name of Dog. It’s an enjoyable read, in particular the snappy and clever dialogue between Walt, Vic and Henry.

Characters and dialog are exquisite. This world is always interestingly presented. Start with the first book, you won't stop after that.

Ok read,not one of my favorites. A lot about bikers and rallies in Stugis. Kind of depressing .bout we finally got to meet Lola! She's a piece of work!

My first test for fiction is page-turnability. A bad book is one I want to put down. A good book is one I keep turning the pages of. Based on that test, 'An Obvious Fact' by Craig Johnson is a good book. The Kindle version released yesterday morning. I finished it last night.My second test is plausibility. Does the story cohere? Make sense? Of course, for fiction to work, one must willingly suspend disbelief. But in some cases, it becomes hard if not impossible to continue willing suspension. There were moments in previous Walt Longmire stories where Craig Johnson pushed my willing suspension to its limits. If you've read his other books, you know what I'm talking about...the Native American mysticism that moves from a motif to a central conceit in some of the plots. That mysticism is absent from this book. (It's very present in 'The Highwayman,' however, which is a Longmire short Johnson published a few months back.) So, two tests, two passes.The third test is specific to mystery novels. Call it perplexity. Does the story keep me guessing? Again, this book passes that test.So, what is 'An Obvious Fact' about? Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear travel to South Dakota for vacation, only to be pulled into the investigation of a crash scene that may be an attempted murder. But why? And by whom? You'll have to read the book to found out. Two things to look for: Sherlock Holmes quotations used to hilarious fact and "the" Lola...not the car, not Walt's granddaughter, but the women they're both named for.

If you haven't read Longmire before this isn't the one I would start with. Although, it does stand alone well enough. It just suffers some from all the books that are outside Absaroka County. Somehow Longmire just reads better on his home turf. But, as a mystery novel or a fun beach read or a simple little distraction it's a good read. I interspersed this with the Audible version. I would read some and then listen to Audible during my walks and chores. George Guidall is Longmire and does a passable Vic for a male. But, the read itself is fast and doesn't have any really slow parts. Craig Johnson in my opinion took a risk in letting Vic and Walt have a intimate relationship. It could have caused the whole series to jump the shark. But, so far it works. Although it's the weakest link in the character relationships for me personally. Still, if you are looking for a good story this is another good one from the Longmire series.

I liked this novel better than the previous two because it was more realistic with less time in the dream world. There were several plot was solid and the new characters were interesting.

Story kept you interested, good action. Very descriptive, you can picture the story/sceen in your head. Hard book to put down