Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Dry Bones by Craig Johnson

Walt and Undersheriff Victoria Morretti don’t know what to make of it when they find Danny Lone Elk, a Cheyenne rancher, dead and floating in a turtle pond—until they learn that “Jen”, a T. rex skeleton named for the paleontologist who discovered her, has been unearthed on his land. Walt soon finds himself in the middle of an ownership dispute between the deceased man’s family, a local natural history museum, and the Cheyenne tribe, as well as a political charade involving Wyoming’s ambitious acting Deputy U.S. Attorney.

With the case growing more complex by the day, Walt is blindsided by a shocking tragedy that leaves his daughter heartbroken. Meanwhile, residents of Absaroka County are determined to “save Jen” from those who would claim her for the federal government and remove the dinosaur from her Wyoming home. It’s up to Sheriff Longmire to get the bottom of Danny Lone Elk’s death, determine where rightful ownership lies, and, hopefully, win the dinosaur for Wyoming. Toxic Cheyenne artifacts, illegal prescription drugs, missing film footage and missing persons all come into play as Walt and Vic try their best to “save Jen.”

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About the Author:

Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mystery series. Johnson’s series is the basis for Longmire, the hit TV original drama that has been picked up by Netflix for its fourth season. He is the recipient of the Wyoming Historical Award for fiction, the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for fiction, the Rocky Award from Left Coast Crime, the Nouvel Observateur Prix du Roman Noir, and the Prix 813. His novella, Spirit of Steamboat, was selected by the Wyoming Library Association as the One-Book-Wyoming, the inaugural state read. Find Craig’s events at www.craigallenjohnson.com (Tour of Duty tab). He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population twenty-five (still).

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Jennifer’s Review of Dry Bones

Review (4.5 Stars): Craig Johnson is one of the many authors that made me fall in love with mysteries. In his 13th installment of his entertaining Longmire series, Walt discovers the body of local rancher, Danny Lone Elk floating in a turtle pond and finds that Danny was involved in a ownership tug of war because T-Rex remains were discovered on his property.  Whoever gets the property rights for these remains are bound to make a financial killing and will make national headlines because of this amazing discovery. Now it is up to Walt and Vic to sort through the clues to help solve Danny’s murder and hopefully keep these remains in Wyoming where they belong.

I love the Longmire series and I always feel as though I’m spending time with old friends every time I read a new mystery.  Dry Bones was a complex, entertaining and thought-provoking mystery that will delight long time fans.  I enjoyed reading the history of these remains and what it meant to have these remains stay in the community.  Such a fascinating mystery that readers are sure to devour and keep coming back for more.  If you are new to series, I would recommend starting with the first book, The Cold Dish, so you can know the history of these characters and it will make everything a lot easier to understand about Absaroka County.

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