From Publishers WeeklyBestseller Johnson (A Serpent's Tooth) delivers a nail-biter with this seasonal Walt Longmire novella. On a snowy Christmas Eve, while reading A Christmas Carol, the Wyoming sheriff receives an unexpected visitor: a part-Japanese young woman who says she needs to see Walt's predecessor as sheriff, Lucian Connally, a WWII vet who flew in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942 and is now in a rest home. Flashback to December 24, 1988. A girl seriously injured in a traffic accident has to get to Denver fast for treatment, but a blizzard makes flying her there hazardous. Furthermore, the only plane available is an antique B-25, named Steamboat after the bucking bronco on Wyoming's license plate, and the only pilot who can fly Steamboat is Lucian. Soon, the two lawmen, their team, and the patient are aloft, fighting the weather and a host of mechanical problems. While the outcome is never in doubt, the woman's meeting with Lucian in the present day holds more than one surprise. 5-city author tour. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt Hochman Literary Agents. (Oct.)From BooklistSet on Christmas Evea strong clue that it started life as one of the authors annual holiday short storiesthis entertaining novella offers the earliest glimpse yet of Walt Longmires tenure as sheriff of Wyomings Absaroka County. Longmire is reading Dickens in his office when an unexpected visitor arrives bearing a mysterious gift, triggering memories of an eventful night long past . . . when, with a huge storm blowing in and the highways closed, the only way to transport a burn victim to the hospital in Denver was via a WWII bomber gathering dust in the hangar of Durants tiny airport. The only person who could fly it? Lucian Connally, Longmires crusty predecessor. Johnson is a born storyteller, and he spins this old-fashioned adventure tale deftly: everything that can go wrong does, and problems are solved by men who set their jaws and do what needs to be done. As always with these detours, its fun to see the characters histories come to life. An extremely pleasant present for fans of this popular series. --Keir Graff Praise forSpirit of SteamboatA nail-biter.Publishers WeeklyJohnson is a born storyteller, and he spins this old-fashioned adventure tale deftly.An extremely pleasant present for fans of this popular series.BooklistA suspenseful adventure story.Series fans along with adventure and Western readers will raptly devour the details.Library JournalLike flint to stone, the sparks fly and the humour is brilliant and barbed. . .FreshFictionPraise for Craig Johnson and the Longmire Series:Like the greatest crime novelists, Johnson is a student of human nature. Walt Longmire is strong but fallible, a man whose devil-may-care stoicism masks a heightened sensitivity to the horrors hes witnessed. Unlike traditional genre novelists who obsess mainly over every hairpin plot turn, Johnsons books are also preoccupied with the mystery of his characters psyches.Los Angeles TimesJohnson knows the territory, both fictive and geographical, and tells us about it in prose that crackles.Robert B. ParkerThe characters talk straight from the hip and the Wyoming landscape is its own kind of eloquence.The New York Times [Walt Longmire] is an easy man to likeJohnson evokes the rugged landscape with reverential prose, lending a heady atmosphere to his story.The Philadelphia InquirerStepping into Walts world is like slipping on a favorite pair of slippers, and its where those slippers lead that provides a thrill. Johnson pens a series that should become a must read, so curl up, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride.The Denver Post A winning piece of workTheres a convincing feel to the whole package: a sense that youre viewing this territory through the eyes of someone who knows it as adoring lover and skeptical onlooker at the same time.The Washington Post Johnsons pacing is tight and his dialogue snaps.Entertainment WeeklyTruly great. Reading Craig Johnson is a treat[He] tells great stories, casts wonderful characters and writes in a style that compels the reader forward.Wyoming Tribune Eagle how can i get cheap college books Spirit of Steamboat: A Longmire Story (A Longmire Mystery)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I love the Longmire booksBy Elizabeth H. CottrellWhat can I say? I love the Longmire books, their compelling stories, and their well-wrought characters, and now that I've followed them through so many adventures, we've bonded strongly.This is actually a novella that the author says began as a short story. Walt Longmire and his former boss Lucian Connally take the lead role in this hair-raising adventure that involves a terrible accident with a young girl burned so badly she needs medical help from a far-away burn center. A dangerous winter storm is barreling in as Walt assesses the situation. As both time and options are running out, he's left with a WWII vintage airplane and only one person who knows how to fly it: the hard-drinking, irascible Lucian.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Every Airplane Driver's DreamBy CowboyThis is a great yarn, just like Craig Johnson's other Longmire books, but for anyone with a pilot's license in their hip pocket, it's a dream fulfilled.This is a tale of a long-retired sheriff (Walt's predecessor in Absorka county) who also happened to be one of the heroic pilots on and a survivor of the Doolittle Raid. He's pressed into service to fly a decrepit B-25, which has long been retired as a forest fire bomber, on a lifesaving mission for a badly burned little girl and in a raging Front Range blizzard. Johnson just may be a pilot himself because he "gets it" when it comes to airplanes. This book has none of that "pilot to tower" garbage. The pilots and controllers talk pretty much the way they really do - or at least did before 9-11 - and airplanes fly pretty much the way they really do, with just a touch of over-cooking in the name of drama and poetic license.And it brings to life a fantasy of just about everyone who holds a "airplane single engine land" ticket. All of a sudden, events conspire to put you at the controls of an airplane you're pretty sure you could fly if you had to...and in this instance, Lucian (the retired sheriff, pulled out of the assisted living facility for this mission) has to.The result is a page-turner, not just for those of us who have slipped the surly bonds of earth, but for anyone looking for an exciting, engaging cliff-hanger.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Another treasure to enjoy!By Flying Lady 76There is no one I would rather spend an afternoon with than Walt Longmire. Every single one of Craig's books bring a new creative look at history and even in this short tale, we learn the back story of the Wyoming bucking horse...Steamboat. All of Craig's books are written with compassion and respect for history, culture and spirituality.Periodically we get to see more of certain characters; this special look at Lucian Connally was poignant. Lucian is a man who lived his younger years in interesting and dangerous times and it shaped who he became later in life. Craig often describes Lucian as having the looks of a matinee idol. In this short story you see he is much more than that.Picture yourself on Christmas Eve. How much would you be willing to sacrifice to save the life of a little girl? Well, in this story four people were willing to gamble it all on a wing and a prayer. A Mitchell B-25 Bomber ready to be scrapped, four people with more will than common sense, a little girl with her life on the line and rapidly running out of time; what could possible go wrong? Well, you will have to read it to find out. But, don't forget the Kleenex because it is a bumpy ride.I put this book right up there with The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth as far as a great Christmas story. I have spent many hours flying in private/corporate aircraft. My late husband had his ATP and was a flight instructor with 13,000 hours of flight time. We owned an FBO in Laramie, Wyoming in the late 80s. One of our closest friends was Skip Glomb. Skip was the artist commissioned by the state of Wyoming to create a bronze of the Wyoming Bucking Horse for their Centennial. He died with that bronze in his yellow Stagger Wing with - yes that very image on his plane's tail - on Memorial Day weekend the same year this story takes place. Skip was inducted into the Cowboy Artist's Hall of Fame. He not only worked in bronze, but was an accomplished painter as well. I am the proud owner of a charcoal he did on a napkin while we were drinking coffee at the FBO and watching the snow fall at the airport in Laramie.I am going to be buying copies of this book for some of my pilot friends for Christmas and maybe for a few friends who just admire the magnificent men in their flying machines. As I said in my title - this is a treasure.