The Highwayman

A novella in the Longmire series. Walt gets involved in a stake-out for a ghost when a friend from the Highway Patrol faces psychiatric evaluation after claiming she has heard the voice of a long-dead trooper multiple times on the radio in her cruiser. A pretty darn fine ghost story, if you care for that sort of thing, or just can't pass up an opportunity to hang out with our favorite Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. As usual, Johnson stretches our credibility with the physical challenges and accomplishments of his characters (except Henry---I believe Henry can do anything), but it's a minor quibble.

I'm such a Craig Johnson fan that I don't care if what he writes is short like this novella or a full-length book, as long as the man keeps writing. As popular as he's become, I have to wonder how on earth he finds the time to write because he always seems to be on tour.

Few people can write dialogue like Craig Johnson, and he proves it again here in The Highwayman. Walt and Henry talk to everyone they possibly can to figure out what's going on with Rosey. They uncover a mystery about a missing stash of 1888-O "Hot Lips" Morgan silver dollars. (No, I'm not going to tell you what that "Hot Lips" is all about!) And the deeper they dig, the more they learn about Bobby Womack, a dedicated patrolman who died in a fiery crash in the Wind show more River Canyon. Some of the things they learn just don't add up the way they should....

Have any of you read Johnson's last novella Spirit of Steamboat? I have, and I still remember those barn-burning action scenes that gave me paper cuts, I was turning the pages so fast. Well, you get more of that kind of action here in The Highwayman. The setting, the characters, the dialogue, the action, the story... you get everything that all we die-hard Craig Johnson fans have come to expect-- even a logical explanation for almost everything.

Trust me. If the only thing you know about Craig Johnson comes from watching the Longmire television series-- as excellent as that series is-- you really, really need to read the books. What better place to start than with The Highwayman? Once you've read this one, you're going to be going back for all the others. Craig Johnson is one of the very best writers in the business. show less

I love when a setting is a character in a story. The Wind River Canyon of Wyoming and its locale, accompanied by Native American folklore, add a distinct quality to this face-paced crime novel. Sheriff Walt Longmire, aided by his friend, Henry Standing Bear, tries to help a former work colleague, Rosey Wayman. Rosey's sanity has come into question because she alone is receiving mysterious near-midnight "officer needs assistance" radio calls while working her graveyard shift. There's a twenty-five-year old legend of a highwayman apparition linked to an Arapaho patrolman, Bobby Womack, who had met a fiery death in one of the series of tunnels in the Wind River Canyon. Sheriff Longmire hopes to clear the name of deceased patrolman Womack show more -- who'd allegedly pocketed stolen money before his demise -- while also helping Rosey Wayman strengthen her state of mind. With shades of the supernatural, intense action scenes, and shadows being brought to light, this is one very intriguing book. Magic Realism at its best. show less

"I'll be honest -- like most I love a good ghost story and every time I've driven through the Wind River Canyon I've felt as if there was one there just waiting to be put down on paper." (Craig Johnson, from the Acknowledgments, "The Highwayman")

Well, he seems to have captured a fine one in this short story/novella about a young highway patrol officer hearing mysterious radio calls in the night. Johnson credits Charles Dickens's classic ghost tale "The Signal-Man" as part of his inspiration; "The Highwayman" is an attempt to tell that sort of story in a modern setting.

Highway Patrol officer Rosey Wayman -- one of the best HP officers Walt has ever known -- has moved on from Absaroka County to patrol the Wind River Canyon. Thirty-five show more years earlier, another young highway patrol officer, Bobby Womack (yes, named for the singer), died in a fiery crash, trying to stop a runaway fuel tanker. He was reportedly the first Arapaho to serve in the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Legends of his ghost abound among the locals and especially the native Arapaho community, who call him Heeci'ecihit -- "The Highwayman."

Now Rosey is hearing mysterious radio calls in Womack's voice -- and she is the only one hearing them. They are for a code 10-78 -- officer needs assistance.

Walt and his best friend Henry Standing Bear are soon caught up in determining whether Rosey is experiencing a prankster cutting into the radio frequency, a psychiactric problem, or something other-worldly. Walt is determined for it to NOT be something supernatural.

Adding into the mix are rare coins mysteriously appearing, seeming to be from a heist that happened near the time of Womack's death. I won't give a spoiler as to how this is tied to the dead man, but Walt is increasingly curious about all that went down 35 years before.

This is quite a yarn, spun out well. Johnson captures the unique geography and atmosphere of the Wind River Canyon and its tunnels very effectively. This story was well worth staying up late to finish. show less

Modern legend Sheriff Walt Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear confront a legend who haunts the Wind River Canyon in this novella. Rosey Wayman of the Wyoming Highway Patrol has recently transferred to the Canyon. Rosey has been hearing officer needs assistance calls from Bobby Womack, a Native American highway patrolman who was killed in the canyon 30 years ago. Rosey's boss hasn't been able to find any evidence to corroborate Rosey's story, so he turns to Walt Longmire for assistance. Walt has had his share of supernatural experiences, so he is sympathetic to Rosey's plight. Walt is convinced that there is a rational explanation for the things that have been happening to Rosey. He and Henry just have to find it.

The strong show more sense of place and the well-rounded secondary characters both contribute to the success of this novella. This would work as a good introduction to the Walt Longmire series since it will work as a standalone, unlike the regular novels in the series that build upon prior installments. There are a few references that will communicate more to readers who are familiar with the series, but these are kept to a minimum. This may be my favorite among all of the short stories and novellas in this series. show less

The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
Longmire #11.5

Just what I needed to read this afternoon! I was in the mood for something different and this book provided me with a visit to Wyoming, a mystery to solve in the present with roots in the past, some bizarre occurrences that may or may not have been due to the spirit world and a visit with old friends Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear. Throw in a bit of regional and American history with delightful writing and I had a novella that kept me entertained from beginning to end. As with most good friends, it is nice to catch up and keep in touch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

The Highwayman is book 11.5 in the Walt Longmire Series. Well, it's not a book it's a novella, but it's 190 pages long so it feels almost like a "real book"...

I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book and in anticipation of An Obvious Fact (book twelve in the series that comes this fall) was this book a pleasant appetizer.

I found the story interesting with an Arapaho patrolman supposedly haunting the Wind River Canyon. Is highway patrolman Rosey Wayman mad or is she really hearing Bobby Womack calling for assistance? Either way, it's a wonderfully written story. Craig Johnson has a way of writing a book that makes me slow down the reading to really appreciate each and every word. John Connolly is another writer that just can show more put words together and create such fine magic that every page is a pure joy to read. You know the kind of books that perhaps takes a long way to building up the story before everything explodes, but you don't care and don't feel bored because you enjoy the slow, but steady pace.

Craig Johnson also has some pretty fine characters that carry the story. Walt Longmire is such a stable and strong characters, and I love it when Henry Standing Bear his pal since childhood shows up and assist him in various cases. And, of course, I love their banter. Then, we have Vic, Walt's fierce deputy who he is having a kind of relationship with. She was unfortunately not in this book. But, I do hope she will show up in An Obvious Fact.

A solid and interesting story with some action and even some funny moments. This book was a great read and I recommend this series warmly! show less