Spirit of Steamboat: A Longmire Story

An Action-Packed Thriller and the Gift of Life

This Walt Longmire opus is positively riveting. Granted, it is a novella, but Craig packs it with thrills and chills to the very end. There is no let-up in the action. One expects a Christmas story to be filled with warm family reunions and remembrances, feasts, and presents. The Spirit of Steamboat, however, is filled with the gift of life and the lengths to which Walt, Lucien, and others go to protect it. A young woman seeks out Lucien, and Walt Longmire takes her to him. The story then flashes back to Christmas Eve 1988, when a child is critically burned and must be transported to Denver through the worst blizzard since 1949. The only aircraft available for a med-evac is a decrepit World War II B 25 with leaking hydraulics, uncertain gas gauges, and other malfunctioning equipment that a soused Lucien has to fly. Will its precious cargo make it to Denver? It is a different kind of Christmas story--one filled with fear and pathos. A little girl may not see Christmas Day, and the band of angels sent to her rescue may not, either. Craig's characters are three dimensional and complicated, taking on a life of their own. Even Lucien, the drunken old goat, losing his artificial leg after one drink too many, provides a needed tension level. The juxtaposition of the authorities who only know how to do things by the book with Lucien's "go Western" method of operating that gets things done keeps the band of rescuers at odds with the law. Going by the book, however, would have killed them all. I especially liked the CHP officer getting the load of snow dumped on him as the plane flew over and the hissy fit that the Denver airport officials threw when Lucien landed. Going "Western" worked. The story flashes forward to the present. I highly recommend this very seasonal novella--another Craig Johnson winner. It is possibly one of his best yet. Read more