The Cold Dish

A Walt Longmire Mystery

By: Craig Johnson

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Introducing Wyoming's Sheriff Walt Longmire in this riveting novel from the New York Times best-selling author of Dry Bones, the first in the Longmire series, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire.

Fans of Ace Atkins, Nevada Barr, and Robert B. Parker will love this outstanding first novel, in which New York Times best-selling author Craig Johnson introduces Sheriff Walt Longmire of Wyoming's Absaroka County. Johnson draws on his deep attachment to the American West to produce a literary mystery of stunning authenticity, full of memorable characters. After 25 years as sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire's hopes of finishing out his tenure in peace are dashed when Cody Pritchard is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two years earlier, Cody has been one of four high school boys given suspended sentences for raping a local Cheyenne girl. Somebody, it would seem, is seeking vengeance, and Longmire might be the only thing standing between the three remaining boys and a Sharps .45-70 rifle.

With lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, Deputy Victoria Moretti, and a cast of characters both tragic and humorous enough to fill in the vast emptiness of the high plains, Walt Longmire attempts to see that revenge, a dish best served cold, is never served at all.

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

©2004 Craig Johnson (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"A strong sense of place, a credible plot, and deft dialogue lift Johnson's good-humored debut novel." (Publishers Weekly)
"Johnson, who lives in Ucross, Wyoming, knows the Western landscape well, and creates stunning and violent scenes of the Rocky Mountains." (Bookmarks)
"We in the West have a major new talent on our hands." (The Denver Post)

A great addition western mystery genre ...

  I started the Audio version of this book with some trepidation. I have watched and loved the entire television series, so I was more than a little bit worried that the books impact would somehow be lessened, or that I'd suddenly realize how screwed up the TV series was... and right off the bat of course, the first obstacle was simply the fact that the narrator ( George Guidall ) did not sound like Robert Taylor... LOL... Amazingly, my disappointment didn't even last 2 minutes! I embraced the narration as he became Walt Longmire in my head!  Was the TV series different from book? of course it was, but the really amazing thing is, based on this story,  I believe it caught all the flavors and nuances that Craig Johnson envisioned! Just think of it as an alternate universe and you'll be fine... If only other TV and movie adaptations were done so well. Heck... if only every author was as good as Craig Johnson!*


*Lots of 'em are, but sadly, many are not...  
  8'(

Story and reader are perfect together

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The characters have life histories that make them unique and their stories keep revealing themselves so that the ending is not apparent as the book is read. I enjoyed the native American spirituality that ties into the whole environment.

What other book might you compare The Cold Dish to and why?

Alice Hoffman and James Lee Burke are writers that I love and also incorporate an interesting spirituality in their stories.

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

The flavor of the West would have been missed.

Any additional comments?

This is the first of the series to which I have listened and I will continue with the series. I especially like to follow the main character through a series of stories when I like both the writer and the reader.

An Audible.com must

What did you love best about The Cold Dish?

I have listened to Audible books for years due to a long commute. This is the first review I've written despite having enjoyed many of the books to which I've listened. The Walt Longmire series as read by George Guidall is simply terrific. Mr. Guidall brings the characters to life: perfect inflection, never overly dramatic as is often the case with recorded books. His narration reflects the wry, self-deprecating humor and sweetness of Walt, the salty vulnerability of Vic and the unwavering imperturbability of Henry. Mr. Johnson's stories take us to the harsh but beautiful Montana mountains - makes me want to visit (in the summer) - to experience the good and bad of small-town life. Oh, and the mystery stories are good, too. I dare you to try to stop at listening to just one of these books!

Great book!

I really enjoyed this book. My first Walt Longmire book, but not the last! Good plot and story.

"Yes, it is so."

Over the last several months I have read a few dozen books. all have been acceptably good - otherwise I just toss them in the donation box or erase them. with this one, when I hit the last sentence on the last page, I was tempted to turn back to the first and start over.
A rural county sheriff in Wyoming deals with the mundane and monstrous problems that exist for all lawmen everywhere. But he manages to find his way through, shielding the weak, bracing the evil and finding solace for everyone but himself.

Superior performance, outstanding story

Longmire and friends come vividly alive in this entertaining and superior performance of Johnson’s first installment of his Wyoming-based mysteries. Guidall transports the listener straight into the action, at once making you feel the full effects of the adventure that is perfectly laced with emotion, drama and scenery.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The Cold Dish is the first book in the Walter Longmire mysteries, and I am on my fourth book in this series. I'm only pausing in my listening to that one to write this review because I feel guilty getting so much pleasure without giving back in return.

If you like your detectives to be hard boiled, cynical and loners, if you like characters like Micheal Connelly's Harry Bosch and Ian Rankin's Rebus who get little respect from their colleagues no matter how many cases they solve, have enough emotional baggage to fill an airliner, have no luck in the love department, have family problems, drinking problems, car trouble, money trouble or just trouble in any form, you will NOT like sheriff Walt Longmire.

He is very good at what he does - being a sheriff. He is thoughtful - not quick to make a judgment, he has the respect of his peers, the town judge, the Indians on the Northern Cheyenne reservation, the people of his town, he has confidence in himself and his best lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, and he has pretty good luck in the love department. I am referring to these qualities not just in The Cold Dish, I am confident that he will still be a character I want to be reading about for the whole series. I am so glad to come across a protagonist that I really like, that I respect, that I don't have to feel sorry for or worry about. It's a bit of a relief and a great joy.

As for Craig Johnson's writing style I could not be more effusive in my praise - he writes as if he made a private back-story for each and every minor or major character in his books. Consequently they are all different, and though he might describe their physical attributes so we have a mental picture of them, it is their personalities that lead us to feel we know how they are going to act. It is the most real writing I have ever experienced without being bogged down with details. For example, the sheriff might reach into his pocket for his phone but guess what? The battery is dead. And this will have nothing to do with the trajectory of the plot. It's just real, we have all had that happen. Everything you read is NOT foreshadowing. That allows one to read for enjoyment: one does not have to hang on or remember every detail. There won't be a clever single clue that give the mystery away. You and Walter are in this together and you and he will come to the same conclusions at the same time.

Not just with The Cold Dish but with all three of the books I have listened to so far, when the perpetrator of the crime or crimes is found out we realize who it is only a sentence or two before Walt voices it in his own head. I do not like a mystery where everything comes together in the end - tied with a bow of coincidence and unknown events so you feel there was no way you could have ever figured it out because you didn't have all of the facts. He thinks and re-thinks events trying to find out just what is bothering him about something, why it doesn't sit right in his head. He puzzles out the information he is seeking and you can just see his eyes narrowing in your own head as he does so.

And now a few words of appreciation of the narrator George Guidall who brings Walter and Bear, Vic, Ruby and others to life. His expressive and resonate voices for each person are perfect. I can't imagine that Craig Johnson is not honored and thrilled to have his work read by such an accomplished and professional reader. I quite enjoy the voice he uses for Henry Stand Bear, also known as "the Cheyenne Nation", Henry never uses contractions when he speaks and his voice is quite distinct from Walt's. Mr Guidall is a joy to listen to while I am driving, working around the house or falling asleep. I often set a bookmark and then set my phone for the sleep timer for 45 minutes and then in the morning just go back to that bookmark.

great story!

loved every minute of it! it is absolutely worth the time. even laughed out load several times!

An incredible start to a series.

I read one of the later books first and became an instant fan. Then I decided to start from the beginning and wow, this is the first series in a long time where the first book is an instant five stars. This book reads with all the confidence and solidity of setting and characters as a book later in the series, once an author really gets to grips with their world.

Strong, believable characters, great setting – the Native American setting is fantastic, and treated with both respect and realism, and a complicated story you can dig your teeth into. I’ll admit, there’s a lot of characters and I did get confused several times about who everyone was, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment at all.

The reader is superb, capturing Walt perfectly and bringing him effortlessly to life. What an absolute joy to listen to!

I am thrilled that my second outing with this author is even better than my first, and with so many books in the series and converted to audio books, I will have so many books to listen to. Delightful!

I very much enjoyed this!! i love the narrator's s

I very much enjoyed this! story, loved the soothing voice of the narrator, I'll be listening to more!!