Death Without Company

A Walt Longmire Mystery

By: Craig Johnson

Narrated by: George Guidall

When an elderly local woman is found poisoned, Sheriff Walt Longmire begins an investigation that soon has him ensnared in a deadly spider's web.

From Craig Johnson, author of the acclaimed novel The Cold Dish, comes this enthralling Sheriff Longmire mystery. With a distinctive literary flair, Johnson leads us into the wide open space of Absaroka County, Wyoming.

Listen to all of Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire mysteries.©2006 Craig Johnson (P)2007 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Johnson combines a vivid sense of the dailiness of life--and the way human relationships take root in that dailiness--with a sure--handed touch for jolting both his characters and his readers out of their comfort zones and deep into harm's way. It's hard to ask for more in a literary mystery." ( Booklist)

Memorable characters

“A life without friends means a death without company.” Basque proverb

Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire is back in action in this satisfying sequel to The Cold Dish. The tone of the book is similar to its predecessor, but the story is entirely different. This time Walt and company are attempting to discover the cause of death and later the causer of death of an elderly woman living in a nursing home.

The book opens and closes with a burial. Johnson did something similar in his first book, and in the second one he brackets the book with burials. At the beginning of the book he is in a cemetery talking to the man in charge of preparing graves. The reader learns a great deal about the history of burials, and I was beginning to think it wasn't going anywhere when Walt said, "Do you ever stop talking?" to the garrulous old man. This brings us back to the familiar, soft spoken man we knew in the first book. I really like Walt. It's no wonder there are bumper stickers for "Walt Longmire for Sheriff" in Absaroka County, Wyoming.

Johnson’s Walt Longmire books make me laugh and cry and think. He has a delightful way of phrasing sentences to create images in the mind of the reader. The occasional flashes of Native American (or as Walt would say, Indian) spirituality enhance the story.

I loved this book. I hope Johnson keeps creating memorable characters, and I hope George Guidall keeps narrating them.

who knew Wyoming could be so interesting

This is my 3rd Walt Longmire and I'm officially hooked now. This was the 2nd book in the series so I'll just continue working my way through the series from here on. It's hard to believe Wyoming could be so interesting with so much going on. One thing I've learned and always suspected is that the Wyoming weather must really suck. The state feels like it is one big rock. The people who stick out living there evidently love it in spite of it all. Still the author weaves a tale that keeps you guessing right until the end as to "whodunit". Walt himself is quite the character but all of the characters are vividly brought to life in an entertaining way. If anything it's confusing trying to keep all the twistst and turns of the story straight. But, I enjoyed this one and will look forward to the next one.

Second Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery

Sheriff Walt Longmire returns in his second mystery. The story begins with a Basque proverb that excellently fits this story--"A life without friends means death without company."

An old Basque woman is found dead in the assisted living center where Longmire's old boss, ex-Sheriff Lucian Connally is living. When Lucian announces that her death was not natural, no one really believes that the old woman was murdered, but of course she was. Longmire and his whole crew are instantly caught up in a very involved and intricate group of murders that eventually show their connection to the old woman and ex-Sheriff Connally.

Craig Johnson's descriptive writing builds characters and atmosphere excellently. Another winner in this Wyoming mystery series!

This series was made into a T.V. series on A&E

I watched a series on T.V. this past summer called Longmire and was surprised to find it taken from a book series. When I was listening to the superb performance by George Guidall I was picturing the characters on the T.V. series. This story covers several generation and I enjoyed the culture information about the Basque, Cheyenne and Crow. The book was better than the T.V. show but the book has more time to build the characters in the story. There is some humor, action, suspense and a who done it, so one can not get bored reading this story. I shall try more in this series.

Super \

Any additional comments?

Craig Johnson is an excellent author, George Guidall is a fantastic reader. Walt Longmire is an amazing character. This book starts with a grave and ends with a grave. In between there is a great deal of action beginning with a murder - maybe?. This book has some mysticism, as did the first book. There are exceptionally well drawn characters that you just cannot forget. An old love story is unfolded during the book. Murder. love, humor, mysticism, great plot and super characters - what is not to like. If you have not started the Walt Longmire series, I highly recommend it. To top it all off, the reader is perfect for the book. He is amazing!

Excellent Author

Great "who dunnit" book - not obvious like most.

The characters of this series are detailed and likable.

Cannot go wrong with George Guidall. He is by far my favorite narrator.

Another great story!

The story, the characters, and marvelous dry humor, combine to make this a wonderful addition to the series. Thank you Craig, Walt, and George.

Brilliant...

This second entry really begins to engage and entwine the stories of the wonderful characters of Absaroka County.

Loved it!!

Read all of Craig's books on paper, but I love listening to them too!

I wish I knew his books existed a long time ago.

The second book is as good as the first. I love all the characters and the narration is beyond perfect