By Dennis Fischman

Sheriff Walt Longmire of Absaroka County, Wyoming, is a melancholy man, despite flashes of humor that illuminate him and his best friend, Henry Standing Bear, at intervals like desert lightning. It’s not clear to me why every woman he meets either wants to be his lover or his mother – but I frequently question fictional women’s taste in men, especially in mysteries.

This mystery kept me guessing until the last chapter, and the resolution made sense but also made me sad.

A young man is found dead, with what looks like an eagle feather lying by his body. A few years ago, he and three other high school students were convicted of the brutal rape of a mentally challenged Cheyenne woman.

The Cold Dish
by Craig Johnson
Viking, 2005

Is the murderer trying to take revenge for that crime? It would seem so, from the title. “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” as the saying goes. But who is seeking retribution? Is it Henry who is related to the young woman? Is it someone else in her family, or tribe? Is it the father of one of the other convicts? Or someone else?

Whoever it is, there’s an unusual gun involved, and if you are interested in learning about historical weapons, you’re in luck. If not, you may enjoy the banter between Longmire and his deputy, Victoria Moretti, and some of the other cops and townies who will surely be recurring characters in the series.

I wonder why all the characters seem to recognize literary references except for the few who are certifiably stupid.  As for me, I don’t recognize the names and capacities of the many guns and vehicles that play as big a part in the book as many of the characters!

Why is there a trope in mystery fiction about policemen who are widowers? There’s and DI Jimmy Perez in the Shetland series, also on TV, and I’m sure there are more.

My guess is that if you want to have a heterosexual man who’s been around and seen a few things, and yet not currently married, you have to show that he was attractive enough to have been married before. Having the first wife die is a convenient way for the author to make him dark, moody, and full of hidden depths, AND available. I still dislike it, though. Sacrificing a woman for a male character, once again!