The Dark Horse

A Walt Longmire Mystery

By: Craig Johnson

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The Denver Post hails Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mystery series as a must-read. Joining the four previous novels - all of which have been Book Sense picks - The Dark Horse puts a unique Wyoming twist on the classic British village mystery.

Sheriff Longmire investigates when his instincts tell him something isn't right about a prisoner accused of killing her husband. Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past, locked his wife's horses in their barn and burned the animals alive. In return, Mary shot Wade in the head six times - or so the story goes. Walt doesn't believe Mary's confession, and he's determined to dig deeper. Posing as an insurance claims investigator, Walt soon discovers other people who might have wanted Wade dead, including a beautiful Guatemalan bartender and a rancher with a taste for liquor, but not for honesty.

The Dark Horse is sure to build on the success of Another Man's Moccasins as Sheriff Longmire unpins his star and ventures into a town without pity to save a woman without hope.

Listen to all of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mysteries.

©2009 Craig Johnson (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Not the Best Longmire Mystery

I really enjoy the Longmire series, and this book isn't bad, but it is far from the best. It has - IMHO - three main flaws:
1) Too much Walt. He's well written but so are the rest of the recurring characters who were mostly absent from this book.
2) Too much Chase. Much of the last half of this this book was one long drawn out and hard to follow chase. The whole thing was overdone and needlessly complicated.
3) Too much Time Shifting. The book employed a back and forth in time technique that only covered a few days but was distracting while not adding anything to the plot.

Another good one

Excellent book, excellent narrator. Slower paced than most mysteries, but if you've made it to book four you already know that.

Dark Horse Indeed!

What did you love best about The Dark Horse?

The subtle humor of the main character and quaint mannerisms of rural west

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dark Horse?

The background characters that played a significant role in the latter part of the story

Which scene was your favorite?

Dialog between main character and the FBI agent when wounded and while releasing the horse to ride to the rescue

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No because I enjoy breaking them out over a period of time.

Any additional comments?

I purchased this on a whim because it was a featured book at a discounted price. I enjoyed it and the narrator so much, I've since purchased the first 2 of the series. It was a such a pleasant surprise of a book-so engaging and a real treat to listen to. I'm sure the read is just as good but honestly, the narrator is so enticing to listen to, I'd be hard pressed to actually read the book itself.

Great listen

I really enjoyed the story and the characters, and the narrator brought them to life. The voices of the different people were different and individual without being cartoonish, if that's a word.

Horsin Around

What did you like best about this story?

This story had a lot more interaction with horses then the other books in the series and that was fun to listen to. The love hate relationship that old cowboys have with their mounts is a tough one to capture with words but Craig Johnson hit the nail on the head.

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

Love him as the voice of Walt Longmire, I can't imagine anyone elses voice for the narration.

Longmire never fails!

I enjoy all of the Longmeier series of books. This one however I found difficult to track the sequence of events. The author jumps back-and-forth and a timeline that made it a challenge to follow.

great story

as always excellent narration. Mr Guidall keeps the authors intriguing, complicated story on point. you feel like you know Walt, ,or someone like him, but then that's true of all their Longmire joint colaborations.

Another Great Longmire Mystery

Would you listen to The Dark Horse again? Why?

At my age, I forget endings so might listen again in a few years!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Craig Johnson's plots are always good and I can trust him to give me an entertaining
time. The Characters are all interesting and compliment one another and the setting
takes me to a different place, a place I have visited and can visualize though his words.

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

You have so many good performers, George Guidall is fabulous and always makes
the stories come alive. The TV series is good also and we actually signed up for
Netflix because they optioned the series.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Almost, but I listen at night so fall asleep and have to back peddle!

Let The Dark Horse Ride Alongside You

A good Longmire mystery with a set of fresh characters, carefully sculpted to create the the clearest mental image. With accompanying humor and vocabulary perfectly matching the characters' images, Craig Johnson once again weaves a winning combination. George Guidall's narration is flawless and delivers the characters into the passenger seat of your car.

Never disappoints

Would you listen to The Dark Horse again? Why?

Not until I finish the series. I liked the story and of course Walt, Vic, Bear, and Dog.

What did you like best about this story?

The farce of being undercover for Walt.

Which scene was your favorite?

Fight scene when Walt stands in for Bear.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Deputizing Benjamin and getting to know Mary's horse.

Any additional comments?

Loved the interview at the end with the author. So true to his writing.