My Goodreads review: Kindness Goes Unpunished

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


(Disclaimer: I am a Wyoming native with relatives in the vicinity of “Absaroka County.” Even though this particular Longmire novel is set elsewhere, I’m sure that being from Wyoming improves my taste for this excellent series. YMMV, though I doubt it will by much.)

This third installment of Craig Johnson’s Longmire mysteries finds Walt traveling far from Absaroka County – all the way to Philadelphia, with his friend Henry Standing Bear and Henry’s collection of valuable photographs for display at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He’s also hoping for a visit with lawyer daughter Cady. When Cady winds up in a coma after an “accident,” however, the plot expands to involve not only Walt and Henry – and Dog! -- but also Deputy Victoria Moretti’s incredibly extended family of (mostly) police officers.

Aside from the fun of watching Philly’s seamy side get a dose of Western justice, the mystery itself this time around didn’t interest me quite as much as the first two Longmires did. Stripping away the incidentals, this a story of corrupt officials, bent cops, and political cover-ups. It’s all well-crafted, but a little mundane. What makes this novel shine are the side stories and personal relationships, narrated with Johnson’s usual bone-dry Wyoming wit -- and a surprising but effective amount of sentiment.

If anything, Kindness Goes Unpunished is even more character-driven than the first two novels in this series, The Cold Dish and Death Without Company. Johnson makes some effort to get new readers up to speed, but I’d strongly advise taking these in order to avoid spoilers later.




View all my reviews