Characters that breathe.


There's been a lot of hum in the mystery community over the coming Longmire series on A& E. Craig Johnson is one of my favorite contemporary writers of mystery. Now, his wonderful characters will be on the small screen in an earlier time that his novels.

Why am I so excited? I was trying to explain it to my husband the other day. First, it's the dry wit of Walt Longmire as Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. I enjoy his many literary references—obviously a well-educated or well-read lawman. How did he get to be that way? When I compare him to Michael Connelly's LAPD detective, Harry Bosch, two things stand out. While both are Viet Nam vets, they had different military experiences. Bosch was tunnel rat, a miserable and hopeless job. Longmire was a military policeman/investigator. Bosch had a less-than-hopeful upbringing, losing his mother at age 11. Longmire grew up on a Wyoming ranch, with both mother and father. Another place they overlap is that they both are indigenous to their milieu.
Each locale has it's effect on each of these reluctant heroes. Los Angeles is a crowded, roiling social melting pot. It hones Bosch to a sharp edginess. Wyoming is the least populated state, and the stark northern county gives Longmire a closer relationship with it's challenge.

What Longmire has that Bosch does not have is a recurring cast of characters that are also tied to the landscape. The women are strong. Longmire also feels he doesn't quiet live up to their expectations of him. His good friend, Henry Standing Bear, is another moral compass, also helping him negotiate the world of the Rez.

Read Craig Johnson's books. You'll be glad you did. And you'll get a great example of great characters.

1. The Cold Dish 2004 Wyoming
2. Death Without Company 2006 Wyoming
3. Kindness Goes Unpunished 2007 Wyoming and Philadelphia
4. Another Man’s Moccasins 2008 Wyoming
5. The Dark Horse 2009 Wyoming
6. Junkyard Dogs 2010 Wyoming
7. Hell is Empty 2011 Wyoming

Speaking of the Rez, here is another point of success in Johnson's book, but that's a subject for another day.
(And check out the series, Longmire.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting My protagonist out of the hospital

Recently, I traveled down the coast to Eureka. I had some banking business to take care of and I decided to do a little research for Smoked. In one scene, the protagonist and friends meet at a Crescent City, CA Starbucks. It has been a long time since I'd been there, I couldn't remember a lot of the details, so I took notes. It gave me a surge of energy to be doing something proactive in getting the fine points right. However, since this is my first draft, I know I'll have a lot of fine points to rewrite. But, that's what writing a book is all about. On the trip, I found out that I had gotten some geographical locations in the wrong county, so I definitely will have to redo those. As Bill and I were traveling along the North Coast, I imagined my characters negotiating the terrain. Most importantly, how will Mary get back to Six Rivers County (SRC) from her hospital stay in Del Norte County? What would be going through her head as she is driven through the tunnels of r...
Read more

Brewing Storm

Suspense is one thing in a mystery novel, but a writer can't forget the “pay-off.” A month or more ago, I led our founding father of Six Rivers County, Stanislaus Rittenhaur, and his new bride, Ellen, to the hinterlands of the rainy north coast of California. They left San Francisco behind. Unbeknownst to the happy couple, one disgruntled ex-beau, Randy Galvan, followed them. He had escaped, running from the law. That's where I left it. Suspenseful, and I'm sure you'd like the long awaited pay-off. Mr. and Mrs. Rittenhaur settled into their new home, built on the edge of a vast forest. The winter months were spent planning landscaping: a kitchen garden with herbs as well as park-like landscaping.They rattled around in the huge house, dreaming of little Rittenhaurs to fill it. And, yes, the fair Ellen was with child, glowing with happiness. Supplies were ordered, most coming by way of the merchant who prospered with all the commerce bound for the mansion in the wilderne...
Read more

Tight rope writing

Where do you find that place between cliché and innovation? In genre fiction, especially mysteries, there is a certain expectation on the part of the reader for elements specific to that genre. I finished writing the 43 rd chapter of Smoked yesterday. In it, I have used a cliché and then dismissed it. The following is a scene in the interrogation room, Sam Terwillager trying to get information out of the prime suspect, Otis Carter. “You don’t have to answer that,” said Harlow, his voice raspy and his eyes never leaving the table top. Carter waved the cliché away. “Jimmy walked ten miles to call Didi to tell her someone took the truck.” One of my critique readers registered her approval. “Use a cliché and then dismiss it for what it is.” (Or something to that effect.)   I hadn’t given it a thought, but I took in what she said. It made me think about writing detective fiction and how to be realistic as well as inventive. But, when a lawyer is advising his client i...
Read more