hgranger's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t even like westerns but how can you not love tough but kind sheriff Longmire and his cast of characters both human and other. I got sucked in through the TV series but I like Walt in the book even more; he still struggles with many things but he’s more understanding and less rigid than the TV character.
This installment has a good mystery and some interesting new characters. Solid read!
This installment has a good mystery and some interesting new characters. Solid read!
kurtwombat's review against another edition
5.0
Walt Longmire, the main character of Craig Johnson's THE DARK HORSE, is very much a native of the Wyoming environs where he serves as a county Sheriff but at the same time, it is gradually revealed at a Wyoming pace that he is emerging from a place of pain and isolation. Also emerging is that the sources of his strength are also the fountainheads of his pain--family, the land and his job. The book creates a beautiful sense of place..even now a couple weeks after finishing the book I can still see the mesas and valleys and the dusty timeworn trails that join them to a degree that I can feel the grit of the land on my teeth. While the land is permanent it is not unchanging and that applies to his family as well. His parents are gone, as is his wife and soon his daughter is getting married. He is powerless against those changes so he runs to his job that with age has it's own uncertainties. The mystery at the center of this book would be entertaining in it's own right without all the marvelous textures applied throughout. The story revolves around the wife of a murdered rancher who admits that she killed her husband--Longmire thinks she is innocent and they might both be right. The term "dark horse" is described in the book as an outside or at least an unknown character that comes on as a surprise. This applies to Walt who is kind of lazily undercover throughout the book, but also many other characters who are not what they seem including some horses that are depicted vividly without making them cute or almost human. The real "dark horse" though is likely death, which hovers over the characters often in the form of loss. Eventually we lose everything and the trick is finding out what we need most and how to hold onto it as long as we can. That search pervades the book as well for many of the characters but especially for Longmire. Among the well drawn characters, the most fun is Longmire's Deputy Victoria...but don't call her that. She is also one of the highlights of the A&E TV series LONGMIRE based on this and other books in Johnson's series. Quite well done, the show created my interest in the books. Both are definitely worth a look.
cathyrodgers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
lorimichelekelley's review against another edition
3.0
Audible version: This was okay. There isn't as much character development as I would like in this series. There was very little about Walt's daughter and not much with the Cheyenne Nation either. But there was dog and the horse. I still don't get the relationship between Walt and Vic, so I don't care a fig for her. Seems that's just written in there to fulfill the author's fantasy of how a woman would act around him. There's absolutely no chemistry between them. This author just doesn't show those sweet moments between people in or developing a relationship like Louise Penny does in the Gamache books. But, it's George Guidall narrating, and there's enough to entertain while doing dishes and stretches, so I'll keep going.
redbeard92's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One of my favorite Longmire books! Good story telling, fun reading, and a great ending with suspense, action, and tying everything together.
bookhawk's review against another edition
4.0
The Dark Horse is a solid 4 star book. Craig Johnson created a fantastic set of characters in this series yet his intelligent, witty writing makes it so unique and outstanding. Recommended if you like action packed mysteries with smart dialogue between interesting characters.
lisaeirene's review against another edition
4.0
Another good book from the series. The main story was done in the TV series, so if you've seen the show you know the ending. Despite that, it was still a good story and it WAS a little different than the tv episode.
wetdryvac's review against another edition
4.0
Gods, how I hate back-and-forth in time, and bits of this felt like, "HERE IS YOUR PATH, READER," All caps an everything - but the writing has moments nearly as solid as the first book. A favorite character, new in this book, probably never to be seen again: Worth it.