21 st in the series of books Craig Johnson has written for Viking, this will not fail to satisfy veteran readers or those new to this author’s work. With trademark humor, literary and cultural erudition and some of the best dialogue to be found anywhere, there is much here to savor. I urge lovers of mystery and/or western fiction to read these, starting with the first (Cold Dish) or beginning anywhere in the stream, but astute readers will soon see that character development is a primary factor in understanding and appreciating the skill evident in these books.

One of the most looked-for aspects of Johnson’s books is the wonderful cast of characters who populate them. Everyone, and I mean everyone loves Henry Standing Bear, Victoria Moretti, Cesar Saizarbitoria, Ruby, Cady Longmire and last but far from being least, Dog. In fact, Dog is a principal player in this one, and his personality emerges from the page to become as important as any of his human compatriots. Walt is as he always is, loyal, honorable to a fault, dedicated to justice, strong physically and morally and doggedly tethered to doing the “right thing”, but here we find Dog shows all of these traits in a way that surely engenders affection from the fictional denizens of Johnson’s universe as well as readers and devotees of his novels.

As previously mentioned, stunningly real dialogue constitutes a large part of the pleasure taken from reading Johnson’s fiction. It is easy to imagine one’s own acquaintances speaking the lines we hear from Walt and company, with the exception that they are elevated by the canny deployment of cerebral smart-assery. The cultural and literary references contained in these books are nearly uncountable and the by-the-way science and history tidbits enliven the plot and provide another compelling reason to devour this notable string of mysteries. Honestly, you really must read this author’s stuff. It’s great.

I’ll mention the action only quickly, since the experience of reading this book should not be diminished by any foreknowledge – let it spool out the way it’s meant to. Walt is asked to help find a rural post office delivery person who serves the longest route in the nation (307 miles, we are reminded several times) who has disappeared into the Red Desert, her absence rendered sinister by the presence of a pseudo-religious cult that reminds us of similar groups that have a history of murderous behavior. Walt is asked to do nearly superhuman things to solve this one, and he does them as he always does. What a guy.