Rating: 4 out of 5
The second book in the Longmire series did not capture me as much as the first one had though I laughed my way through the entire book. This doesn’t happen often, but something about Mr Johnson’s vivacious style makes his characters so true to life that they are impossible to not enjoy.
The story this time round features Lucian and his history as well as how methane enriches parts of Wyoming. The arc itself was a touch too violent for me: nearly half of the bodies Walt’s seen in his career piled up during this story. Yet, in the hunt for revenge and money some characters are willing to go quite far.
The pensive contemplation of the first book was replaced, throughout much of the story, by relentless action. This didn’t suit these guys as much as the solid detective work that they could have undertaken, though to be fair Walt gets Vic, and the new guy, Sancho, to do most of it. Fellows like Double Tough add the extra bit of colour: decent honest men for whom life’s been tough, but they’d like to stay on the right side of the law.
The book definitely had a lot of oomph. I really enjoyed it throughout, but it’s not quite at the same level as the first one was—but I’m only looking forward to the third installment of this series!
