“I pulled my hat down straight and told Ruby that if anybody else called about dead bodies, we had already filled the quota for a Friday and they should call back next week.”

Sherriff Walter Longmire watches over Absaroka County, Wyoming, with the help of his secretary, deputies, his best friend – Henry Standing Bear, and the previous Sherriff Lucian. They make a motley crew as they work to discover who murdered a boy convicted of participating in the rape of a disabled girl two years ago. Time is not on their side as they race to save the lives of the other three young men.

I have been watching the show Longmire on Netflix with my husband and we both really like the show. The characters are interesting and the plot lines keep you guessing, although it’s hard to believe a small, Wyoming county has that many murders. I saw the show was based on a book series and put them on my to-read list. I got the first book for my birthday – The Cold Dish.

The title refers to the saying, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” The story is about revenge. The motive for the murder, then murders, of the young men convicted of rape must be to avenge the girl who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. A third boy goes missing and the fourth one is kept in the county jail for his own protection. The trail has Longmire look at every possible suspect – from the girl’s father to his own deputy – and even his own best friend. The actual murderer’s motive actually runs much deeper than even Longmire can guess.

I enjoyed reading this book. It’s a murder mystery with Wyoming life thrown in. The characters are each vivid and I had a hard time guessing the suspect (it ended differently than the TV episode based on this plot). The book is for high school ages or older since there is adult language. If you like mysteries and cowboy hats, you would like the Walt Longmire series.

Buy the book here (affiliate link).