Put the American West in Your TBR Pile: An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson and Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

I'm behind on reading Craig Johnson's mystery series featuring Walt Longmire. I recently finished An Obvious Fact featuring the Wyoming sheriff and his good friend Henry Standing Bear. It was an entertaining story with the wit and action we expect in this series. But still out there to be read are The Western Star (2017), Depth of Winter (2018), Land of Wolves (2019). Boy-howdy! Some good options ahead for books.

Another interesting series set in the west came to my attention recently when I read Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. This time the action is set during the California gold rush. I have no idea how this YA book ended up in my to-be-read pile, but I'm so glad it did; it was very engaging.

The protagonist in Walk on Earth a Stranger is a young woman, Leah, who can sense where gold is located - whether it is in someone's pocket or a nugget in a stream. This is a useful, and dangerous, talent. After a horrible disaster hits her family, she disguises herself as a young man and joins a wagon train traveling to California. There are lots of adventures - most of them dangerous - along the way. How Leah manages to survive is exciting to read. This is the first book in a series and I am looking forward to reading more of the Gold Seer Trilogy, including Like a River Glorious and Into the Bright Unknown.

There is a lot of reading pleasure in a good series of books. If you've taken a flyer on something off the latest bestseller list and find that it just isn't clicking, turning to an enjoyable series is a great option. And there is lots of entertainment in the Craig Johnson series, or with Rae Carson if you are interested in YA reads. Read on!

An Arizona sunset to inspire your reading.

Recommended Reading: "As the Crow Flies" by Craig Johnson.

I'm a big fan of Craig Johnson's mystery books featuring Sheriff Walt Longmire. As the Crow Flies is another great addition to the series.  As with the previous Longmire stories, As the Crow Flies hits that sweet spot, the correct mix of 1) a good story with the right level of suspense, 2) characters that are engaging, and 3) an interesting location and ambiance.

In this, the eighth book of the series, Longmire and his friend Henry Standing Bear are on the Cheyenne Reservation.  While looking for a good location to hold Longmire's daughter's wedding ceremony, they witness a young Crow woman fall off a cliff to her death.  Both men get involved with assisting the tribal police in investigating the tragedy:  is it suicide or murder?

As the Crow Flies is a very nice mystery which struck hard on one of the key elements that, for me, marks a good book: I was sorry when it was over.




Photo:  Sunset in Arizona, near the Mexican border.