An Obvious Fact

July 11, 2016
In Johnson’s thrilling 12th Walt Longmire mystery (after 2015’s Dry Bones), the Wyoming lawman and his longtime friend and sidekick, Henry Standing Bear, look into the circumstances that led 22-year-old Bodaway Torres, now in a coma, to run his motorcycle off the road during the country’s largest annual motorcycle rally, held in Sturgis, S.Dak. Much to Walt’s surprise, Bodaway’s mother turns out to be “the” Lola, namesake of not only Henry’s beloved car but also Walt’s infant granddaughter—and there’s a history between Henry and Lola that’s anything but pleasant. When it becomes clear that Bodaway’s crash was no accident and that ATF has its eye on the victim—was he running guns, or even drugs?—Walt is glad when his undersheriff, the always fiery Victoria Moretti, shows up, fresh off investigating her brother’s murder in Philadelphia. Whether he’s squaring off against biker gangs or teasing out long-simmering feuds involving his closest friends, Walt Longmire is always the man for the job. 15-city author tour. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents.

July 1, 2016
The collision of biker gangs, a millionaire, numerous belligerent drunks, and an aging biker chick stirs up one nasty mess.Sheriff Walt Longmire, his 250-pound dog, Dog, and his friend Henry Standing Bear drive Henry's '59 Thunderbird, Lola, to Hulett, Wyoming, towing Henry's motorcycle for another try at a race Henry won years ago. The town of 400 is hosting as many as 50,000 bikers policed only by Chief William Nutter and one deputy. Nutter's proud of his latest toy, a surplus Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle financed by millionaire businessman Bob Nance that Walt has to show him how to start. Next on Nutter's wish list is Walt's and Henry's help finding out what happened to Bodaway Torres, a young biker who lies in critical condition in nearby Rapid City, most likely having been run off the road. A member of a Southwest biker gang with a long string of priors, Torres turns out to be the son of Lola Wojciechowski, the namesake of Henry's car and Walt's granddaughter. Lola wants Henry to find out what happened to Torres, but Henry, convinced she's poison, won't help until Lola hints that Torres is his son. The accident was reported by the wealthy Nance's daughter, who has drug problems and claims not to know Torres, even though his cellphone shows numerous calls from her. After several informative conversations, some leading to fisticuffs, Walt and Henry meet Brady Post, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who's gone undercover with the bikers but won't reveal what he's investigating. Walt's undersheriff and lover, Victoria Moretti, flies in from Philadelphia, where she's been seeking the killer of her brother and Walt's son-in-law. Both her skills and Henry's are sorely needed when all hell breaks loose. Plenty of action, humor, and literary allusions drive the story to a bang-up conclusion. Johnson (Dry Bones, 2015, etc.) never disappoints.

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April 1, 2016
In the midst of the world's largest motorcycle rally, a young biker ends up in critical condition after being run off the road, and Sheriff Walt Longmire and good friend Henry Standing Bear are called in to investigate. Was it an accident? As the Bear says, ever quoting Arthur Conan Doyle, "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." Twelfth in the "New York Times" best-selling series.

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