Hell Is Empty: A Longmire Mystery

The entire Walt Longmire series has been a pleasure to read. This one, however, is his classic! He perfectly blends mystery, excitement, excellent characters, action, suspense, and a wonderful mystic element into a late night page turner. This is a fine example of what a talented writer can accomplish when he blends all of the elements of excellence into a work. I've been a fan of Craig and his work for a long time, but never more so than now. I'd really like to see this as a feature film, if they could get the crew of "Justified" to do the production.

It's difficult to add to the accolades already written about this book. I would say, however, that outside of Annie Proulx, no one better describes the Wyoming landscape and its inhabitants than Craig Johnson. It's obvious that he has a great deal of reverence for the Native Americal culture, particularly its mystical/spiritual aspects. And his protagonist, Walt Logmire is the kind of guy with whom you would like share a beer.

Craig Johnson has created a modern day hero in Walt Longmire. Honest, courageous, intelligent and lovable, this character surpasses many and has become my modern day hero. All of the characters that Johnson creates are full of life. I have read all of his series and I am starting over because he is such a great, captivating author. Boy Howdy.

I love the Native American and Wyoming lore,and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. I found the plot line confusing, but some of that was intentional by the author.

Not the best Walt Longmire mystery, but still a good book from "the West 's" best mystery writer.

Pete Brown

Johnson writes about a man who battles overwhelming odds and danger with courage, a wide range of knowledge and humor, and still retains his humanity. ...He mixes reality with myth, mysticism, and it's hard to know at times which is which.

As with all Walt Longmire books, this one continues to build the characters, adding to thier personas. The story and mystery of the book is also well drawn out and easy to follow without giving away the ending. This one did seem to drag on a bit on the mountian compared to the others, but still a great book!

Craig Johnson has perfected his craft in this novel, giving it such depth and beauty, it's a joy to write this review. In Sheriff Walt Longmire he has created a hero who stands larger than life because of his soul stirring morality, compassion, and commitment. The mystic elements add flavor to an amazing gift for description and overall wordsmithing. I loved it.

As with all Walt Longmire books, this one continues to build the characters, adding to thier personas. The story and mystery of the book is also well drawn out and easy to follow without giving away the ending. This one did seem to drag on a bit on the mountian compared to the others, but still a great book!

Craig Johnson has perfected his craft in this novel, giving it such depth and beauty, it's a joy to write this review. In Sheriff Walt Longmire he has created a hero who stands larger than life because of his soul stirring morality, compassion, and commitment. The mystic elements add flavor to an amazing gift for description and overall wordsmithing. I loved it.

I picked up a book, and was immediately back where I grew up at: Wyoming. Mr. Johnson has it down. Lakes, Rivers, Counties, Highway Patrol, Cheyenne, Rawlins, abutting states, where everything is relative to each other in the state... And, it's a great Mystery / Detective Book at that.

If you could gather together the characterization of Charles Dickens with the humor of Will Rogers with the integrity of Raymond Chandler with the echo of William Shakespeare with the "terrible beauty" of Wyoming . . . you'd get close to describing the art of Craig Johnson. Walt and The Bear and Vic and Ruby and Sancho and Dog are wonderful company.

Craig Johnson has become one of my very favorite authors. I love the humor woven into suspense and intrigue; the vivid descriptive narrative of the settings, and insights into Native American culture and beliefs. I hope he keeps on writing.

Another great story in the Walt Longmire series. A thrilling story that is hard to put down. Keeps you on the edge of your seat and like all the Longmire series also keeps the suspense right up to the end of the story..A must read if you are a fan of WaLt Longmire.

This story strained credibility, but it keeps you engaged. I'm not exactly sure why he brought in the divine comedy, but it added an interesting touch to the story. You'll like it if you like the Longmire series.

I am presently reading another Longmire Mystery. Johnson has me trapped, I can't get enough! I am certain that every man who has read a Longmire Mystery wants a job like Walt has, a truck like the Bullet, a friend like Henry, a dog like Dog,.......and a woman like Vic!!!!!

Hell is Empty is one of the most exciting outdoor, highcountry, hunt em down, hardship, adapt and overcome, only-the-strong/smart-survive stories I have ever read - And I have read hundreds. Be ready for a "can't put it down" ride through "man vs man vs mountain" meets "spiritual mind over matter". Awesome book!!

I have loved each of the Longmire mysteries--until now. I have to agree with those who say this book was a miss. Although the premise of the story is the need to capture an escaped prisoner, it's really a man against nature plot as Walt fights his way through a blizzard and a forest fire in the Big Horn Mountains. There is also a thread of Indian spirituality and mysticism in the book. Both of these were done much better in A Cold Dish.
I grew tired of the repetitious and uninspired trudging through the cold, which only rarely bothered Walt Longmire. He should have died several times and I found it hard to believe in his miraculous survival.
I was shocked when I read a famous line from Arsenic and Old Lace in this book that was neither put in quotation marks nor attribution given to the original. It made me wonder how many other "original" phrasings weren't. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there were too many references to Dante's Inferno, particularly toward the end. I think Johnson was trying to echo themes from that work, but he wasn't successful as far as I was concerned.
I hope the next book in the series is better.

I love these books. The characters are so well defined and the humor is great. Also, the descriptions of the Bighorn Mountain area are so vivid. I hope he writes more full books, rather than short stories.

This is great reading for the fans of Louis LaMour. The good guy refuses to quit or even delay doing his task at hand. A very relaxing read that keeps the reader on edge with twists and turns in the story. This is another Walt Longmire tale and it does not disappoint the reader.

Craig Johnson is a gifted writer, but it seems as if I am enjoying each installment of the Walt Longmire series a little less. Rather than fleshing out a plausible plot the author has the protagonist, more and more, endure appalling injuries as the focal point of the story. This proclivity to turn Walt into a burly version of the Energizer bunny definitely has detracted from my enjoyment of the later books in the series. While slogging through 'Hell Is Empty' I found myself skimming through many of the grisly details just to get closer to the end, which was disappointingly anti-climactic. The supernatural elements were prevalent here as well, with significant loose ends left unexplained. All in all, a major disappointment from Mr. Johnson.

Stumbled onto the Longmire TV series by accident, and now we are addicted. These books are good, quick reads. It is refreshing to see that the series, while changing the backstories of some of the characters, has remained true to the spirit of the books.

Longmire's dedication to the pursuit of the prisoners is the best part of his profession. Neither the weather or his injuries stop him from tracking the men. The revealing mystery of his visions is intriguing to try to discern what is reality or spirit world.

I complained about the previous two books in this series. I was worried this one would disappoint too but Johnson's back on track - I read this book in two sittings.

I've mentioned in previous reviews that the show is true to the books in the same way that Midsomer Murders was true to Caroline Graham's books: the show captures the essence of the characters but takes liberties with plots, which keeps both formats fresh for viewers. I've also noted that the deviations between the show and the series grow with each book.

This is one of the books that was turned into an episode. Up until this episode, the show only hints at Walt's spiritual nature so this episode was one that tried to touch base with the series. I appreciate that, I really do, but the show doesn't depict the depth of Walt's spiritual side as shown in the books. I don't know that the show can, it can't give us the inner workings of Walt's mind without changing format; we'd lose something of the supporting characters and they are big part of the books too. So it's one of those things that the show mediates. Shrug. I take that with a grain of salt. Some people will be annoyed by the deviation. The books make me think better of Walt on the television.

One of the strong draws of this book series is the romantic plot threads - I love how Johnson draws out these relationships over several books; there's no drowning in pages of characters staring into each other's eyes. When they talk to each other, it's real conversation, not endless dialogue promising sweet-nothings. I prefer romances written by men and targeted at men; they feel more real to me than bodice-ripper romances. This series, taken as a whole, is a superb example of how romances should be done.

A bit different from the other stories, in that this one is non-stop action from the first page to the last. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I could not put it down. I don't think it would be nearly as good stand-alone (i.e. not knowing the characters in the series, and the back-stories), but as part of this series it was excellent, and I can't wait to start the next book.

There is not much dialogue in this Walt Longmire mystery unless you count the brief exchanges between Walt and a huge Crow indian named Virgil White Buffalo. Deputy Vic Moretti and pal Henry Standing Bear are noticeably scarce but Deputy Saizarbitoria lends Walt his cell phone.
Walt is chasing a sociopath killer, Raynaud Shade, in the Bighorn Mountains while battling a fierce winter storm. Virgil joins Walt on his exhausting climb at high elevations but occasionally disappears for a short time and then comes back again. This prompts Walt to wonder if Virgil is real or whether he is suffering from hypothermia.
Toward the end of the book as Walt has almost reached his physical and mental limits, he muses on his death in the mountains and the prospects of searchers not finding his body for years. He confesses to himself that it was a pretty dumb thing for him to be doing and I agreed with him.

Craig Johnson transports you to the wild Wyoming alpine mountains via the otherworldly spirituality of Native American folklore lore in his latest Longmire novel. The story is as vivid as the frigid adventures of the main protagonist in his gripping quest of redemption and revenge for the death of a young boy. The novel ascends into a frosty final on the Alpine Wyoming rooftops which will grip you from a hundred or more pages back. Loved every gloriously crafted sentence and paragraph!

I'm still shivering from the overlong chase at the end of the book. Anti-climatic and the whole book was not why I love Longmier. A little too mystical. A long aria - but I like the duetw (with Henry and others).

"Hell Is Empty" is less realistic than pervious books by Craig Johnson. Part of the plot is nearly redundant to a previous novel with Sheriff Walt Longmire again struggling on foot in a Wyoming Mountain Blizzard. One wonders; in real life, how often would an intelligent adult sheriff, venture alone up a mountain in a freezing blizzard, driving himself into hallucinations, delusions and perhaps even death. More than once, was one too many. Johnson and his creation, Walt Longmire, are still amoung my favorites, however, even the best have dissappointing moments.

Usually I wait a while after finishing a book before writing the review. But, since there are almost no words to describe this book I figured, what the heck.

I've been a big Craig Johnson/Walt Longmire fan for several years now and have always considered his first, The Cold Dish, my favorite. Hell is Empty hasn't surpassed it but it is in a dead heat.

Walt and Sancho are delivering some prisoners to the FBI when things go bad. Many FBI are killed and the most dangerous of the criminals are on the run, with hostages. Walt makes Sancho stay with an injured officer and takes off after the prisoners. There is a running story line about Dante's Inferno and even if you've never read the entire piece it fits right into the storyline.

Other than the beginning and the end this book is about Walt, his beliefs, his determination, his amazing abilities to fight on under the most trying of circumstances. Virgil White Buffalo makes another appearance and is a wonderful traveling companion for Walt.

I'll be thinking about this one for a long time, and will probably listen to it soon just to get the wonderful George Guidall's voice back into my head for Walt, Henry, Virgil and the rest of the cast.

The only bad part? Having to wait another year for more new stories of Walt and the people of Absaroka County. Well, except for the new A&E series called Longmire -- can't wait to see that either.