Longmire Book Club: Another Man's Moccasins
This is the fourth Walt Longmire novel.
SYNOPSIS
When the body of a young Vietnamese woman is found alongside the interstate in Absaroka County, Sheriff Walt Longmire is determined to discover the identity of the victim and is forced to confront the horrible similarities of this murder to that of his first homicide case as a Marine investigator in Vietnam.
To complicate matters, Virgil White Buffalo, a Crow Indian, is found living in a nearby culvert and in possession of the young woman's purse. There are only two problems with what appears to be an open-and-shut case. One, the sheriff doesn't think Virgil White Buffalo-a Vietnam vet with a troubling past-is a murderer. And two, the photo that is found in the woman's purse looks hauntingly familiar to Walt.
In the fourth book in Craig Johnson's award-winning Walt Longmire series, the man with a star on his chest and a heart underneath is back, along with good friend Henry Standing Bear and Deputy Victoria Moretti, as they try to solve two murders tied in blood but separated by nearly forty years.
Discussion Questions
Other talking points:
I'm pretty impressed with Johnson's willingness to change things up with every book of the series. There's only been four, but he's already taken his characters out of their home base with KINDNESS, and now he's using a new structure for telling the story, alternating between his Vietnam flashbacks and the present-day mystery. Often mystery series writers pen the same book over and over, afraid of deviating from a successful formula. But Johnson takes some real chances and I really appreciate that.
Walt's desire to rescue damsels in distress is pretty darn high, eh? How much do you think the personal link of seeing himself in the photograph mattered? Would he have done things the same or differently if he wasn't so intricately tied in?
Cady is slowly (or quickly?) recovering from the attack in book 3. And she's on Walt's mind a lot. He seems to fear letting her go, worrying that he's being supplanted in his relationship with her by Henry at first and then by Michael. What do you think changes for him by the end of the book w/r/t his fears? Is he able to let go a little easier?
Michael and Cady seem to have moved into a real relationship fairly quickly. Any thoughts? On the other hand, Vic and Walt seem to be playing a bit of a cat and mouse game, with Walt shying from Vic's advances. What do you think his fears are about THAT relationship?
Virgil White Buffalo is quite the character, eh?
The mystery was again a bit too convoluted/boring for me personally. I did like seeing Walt as a younger, slightly more uptight soldier. And Henry too! Some interesting shades to their characters were revealed.
As always feel free to discuss any and all things related to the series, this book, the new trailer, etc. in the comments! And I've got a few new icons I've made from the new trailer--will post those soon!
SYNOPSIS
When the body of a young Vietnamese woman is found alongside the interstate in Absaroka County, Sheriff Walt Longmire is determined to discover the identity of the victim and is forced to confront the horrible similarities of this murder to that of his first homicide case as a Marine investigator in Vietnam.
To complicate matters, Virgil White Buffalo, a Crow Indian, is found living in a nearby culvert and in possession of the young woman's purse. There are only two problems with what appears to be an open-and-shut case. One, the sheriff doesn't think Virgil White Buffalo-a Vietnam vet with a troubling past-is a murderer. And two, the photo that is found in the woman's purse looks hauntingly familiar to Walt.
In the fourth book in Craig Johnson's award-winning Walt Longmire series, the man with a star on his chest and a heart underneath is back, along with good friend Henry Standing Bear and Deputy Victoria Moretti, as they try to solve two murders tied in blood but separated by nearly forty years.
Discussion Questions
Why has Craig Johnson chosen to title the novel Another Man's Moccasins? In what ways does Walt Longmire show himself to be an empathetic person in the novel? At what moments is he able to feel, and to fully imagine, the pain of others?
When he first questions Tuyen, Walt wonders if he is guilty of racial profiling, and at various points he asks his fellow officers if they think he is in any way racist. What are Walt's racial attitudes? Does he let himself be guided, or misguided, by racial stereotypes as he attempts to solve the murders in Another Man's Moccasins?
The novel moves back and forth in time between Walt's drug and homicide investigations in Vietnam and the current case in Wyoming. What does the story of Vietnam add to the novel? In what ways do the plots of each story intertwine and overlap throughout the novel?
How have Walt's experiences in Vietnam prepared him for his job as sheriff in Absaroka County, Wyoming? In what ways has he changed since Vietnam?
Ruby tells Walt: "You do have one prejudice. . . . You don't care about the living as much as you do the dead" (p. 149). Why does she think that? To what degree, and in what way, might it be true? How do the dead influence the action of the novel?
As Walt picks up Virgil White Buffalo's file, he thinks "about the author of The Aeneid and Dante's supposed guide through hell. I studied the folder and hoped his travels had been more pleasant. They hadn't" (p. 131). What does placing Virgil White Buffalo's life in this broader historical and literary context reveal about the way Walt's mind works? In what ways are Walt and Virgil White Buffalo alike?
How is Walt able to solve the murders presented in the novel? What combination of intuition, experience, deductive reasoning, knowledge of human nature, and old-fashioned detective work enables him find his way to the truth?
Troubling social issues are typically at the heart of Craig Johnson's novels-in this case, human trafficking and prostitution. What more positive traits balance out the human propensity toward deceit, violence, and greed in the novel? Is Another Man's Moccasins ultimately an affirming, optimistic book, despite its tale of murder, war, and human exploitation?
Other talking points:
I'm pretty impressed with Johnson's willingness to change things up with every book of the series. There's only been four, but he's already taken his characters out of their home base with KINDNESS, and now he's using a new structure for telling the story, alternating between his Vietnam flashbacks and the present-day mystery. Often mystery series writers pen the same book over and over, afraid of deviating from a successful formula. But Johnson takes some real chances and I really appreciate that.
Walt's desire to rescue damsels in distress is pretty darn high, eh? How much do you think the personal link of seeing himself in the photograph mattered? Would he have done things the same or differently if he wasn't so intricately tied in?
Cady is slowly (or quickly?) recovering from the attack in book 3. And she's on Walt's mind a lot. He seems to fear letting her go, worrying that he's being supplanted in his relationship with her by Henry at first and then by Michael. What do you think changes for him by the end of the book w/r/t his fears? Is he able to let go a little easier?
Michael and Cady seem to have moved into a real relationship fairly quickly. Any thoughts? On the other hand, Vic and Walt seem to be playing a bit of a cat and mouse game, with Walt shying from Vic's advances. What do you think his fears are about THAT relationship?
Virgil White Buffalo is quite the character, eh?
The mystery was again a bit too convoluted/boring for me personally. I did like seeing Walt as a younger, slightly more uptight soldier. And Henry too! Some interesting shades to their characters were revealed.
As always feel free to discuss any and all things related to the series, this book, the new trailer, etc. in the comments! And I've got a few new icons I've made from the new trailer--will post those soon!