You don’t have to enjoy westerns --- contemporary westerns, to be exact --- to like Walt Longmire. Many first became aware of Craig Johnson’s iconic Wyoming sheriff through the very fine television series, but as good as it is, it simply can’t beat the novels. Given that Johnson has built each volume upon what has gone before, the books are fairly far ahead of what you are seeing on Netflix these days, but that shouldn’t stop you from catching up on the novels if you are new to the literary end of Longmire. Johnson is happy to help you do that with THE HIGHWAYMAN, a new installment in the Longmire canon. At just under 200 pages, it’s one of the best offerings he has published to date.

"As always, Johnson exquisitely meshes elements of the western and mystery genres, but the true charm of this story is the Wyoming backdrop, as beautiful and dangerous as one can imagine."

THE HIGHWAYMAN focuses primarily on Longmire and Henry Standing Bear, aka the Cheyenne Nation, Longmire’s oldest and best friend. The two come to the aid of Wyoming highway patrolman Rosey Wayman, who became acquainted with and respected by Longmire when she was assigned to his jurisdiction. As the book opens, Rosey recently has been transferred to the Wind River Canyon area, a beautiful if desolate landscape where, even in this modern world, radio communication is all but non-existent. That doesn’t prevent her, though, from intermittently receiving a cryptic “officer needs assistance” request from beyond the grave.

The transmissions appear to be coming from a highway patrolman named Bobby Womack, who died decades before in a fiery traffic accident while his career was under a cloud of suspicion. It is thought that Rosey may be hallucinating, but when a dramatic incident unfolds, it becomes clear that something is occurring that may be beyond rational explanation. The answer --- to the extent that one may be given --- lies in the past, not only for Bobby but also for Rosey, who may have a mysterious tie to the long-deceased patrolman that has remained hidden for years. Longmire, with a bit of investigative work, is able to come up with an answer. It may not be a complete one, though, and the path toward it is fraught with danger.

As always, Johnson exquisitely meshes elements of the western and mystery genres, but the true charm of this story is the Wyoming backdrop, as beautiful and dangerous as one can imagine. Elements of the Arapaho culture play an important part as well, and the Acknowledgements are every bit as enjoyable as the story itself. Johnson appears to be eschewing, at least for the moment, longer annual works in favor of two (or more) shorter ones, but longtime readers of the series will have no reason to feel cheated on length, given the quality of what lies within each volume. Newcomers, meanwhile, will find their introduction to Longmire’s world more accessible. Start with THE HIGHWAYMAN and then check out the backlist.