Deep Freeze

Starred review from July 24, 2017
Bestseller Johnson pays homage to Agatha Christie in his cleverly plotted 13th Walt Longmire novel (after 2016’s An Obvious Fact), which takes place in both the past and the present. In 1972, Walt, an Absaroka County deputy and newly returned Vietnam War vet, joins his boss, Sheriff Lucian Connelly, for the Wyoming Sheriffs’ Association annual excursion across the state aboard the steam train Western Star. In Walt’s pocket is a copy of Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. On the train, Walt attracts the attention of Kim LeClerc, the comely companion of Sheriff George McKay, who warns the deputy to stay away from her. Soon afterward, during a station stop, someone knocks Walt out just as he’s about to reboard the train. Walt hitches a ride to the next stop, where he learns that McKay has disappeared and another sheriff has been shot dead. In the present day, Walt is opposed to the release of a serial killer, who’s dying and has been imprisoned for decades, for a personal reason that will catch readers by surprise. Witty dialogue abounds; when Kim asks Walt if he killed many babies in Vietnam, he replies, “Hardly any, they’re small… Hard to hit.” And Johnson winds up the whodunit with a solution that Christie could never have imagined. 15-city author tour. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents.

Virgil Flowers goes to wintry Trippton, Minnesota, to investigate the death of the town's bank president, whose body was found in the icy river. Narrator Eric Conger reprises his portrayal of Flowers, who is somehow simultaneously irascible and mellow as he puzzles through the list of possible murderers. Conger's masculine voice is a satisfying choice for Flowers, especially the detective's dry humor surrounding the subplot of a secret ring with plans to manufacture X-rated Barbie dolls. Flowers is annoyed with the California lawyer brought in by Mattel, Inc., and her lack of appreciation for the state he reveres. Snappy conversations keep the story hopping, and Sandford's style of tagging the dialogue is key in helping listeners keep the characters straight. Conger delivers a straight, enjoyable narration. N.M.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine