Here are 39 books that Walt Longmire Mysteries fans have personally recommended once you finish the Walt Longmire Mysteries series.
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I’ve loved both history and fantasy since I was a child. The first book I can remember reading at all was The Hobbit. The first historical novel I fell in love with was The Killer Angels. I visited the battlefield of Gettysburg with my family, and currently teach the movie every year to my high school film class. (I’ve never visited Middle Earth, but plan to visit New Zealand as soon as possible). I’ve been reading both genres ever since—and quite by accident my first novel contains a mix of both genres.
It purports to be historical fiction set in the Old West, following one of the last great cattle drives. Yet within a few chapters, it begins to feel like a series of episodes from Grimm’s fairy tales.
I remember at UC Irvine, where I earned my Fiction MFA, several fellow writers were reading this novel alongside me. We kept stopping each other in the hall or at cocktail parties to relive this or that chapter, struggling to understand how it could be both so entertaining and so good.
The fact that it is long—a real doorstopper of a book—adds to its “too-big-for-one-genre” feel.
Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize winning novel is a powerful, triumphant portrayal of the American West as it really was. From Texas to Montana, it follows cowboys on a grueling cattle drive through the wilderness.
It begins in the office of The Hat Creek Cattle Company of the Rio Grande. It ends as a journey into the heart of every adventurer who ever lived . . .
More than a love story, more than an adventure, Lonesome Dove is an epic: a monumental novel which embraces the spirit of the last defiant wilderness of America.
When I was a boy, my father filled our house with books. From an early age, I immersed myself in whatever he was reading, especially spy thrillers (John LeCarre was his favorite) and crime fiction (the first I recall reading was Joseph Wambaugh’s The Onion Field). I loved those books. What captivated me most were stories that provided clues but made me piece them together to draw my own conclusions. I strive to deliver this same experience to the readers of my novels by providing entertaining tales with unexpected, yet plausible endings.
I enjoyed book one in Jeff Carson’s David Wolf series, but it wasn’t until the rural Colorado detective returned home from Italy in this book that I was hooked. Like Walt Longmire and Harry Bosch, Wolf is a man of few words who isn’t afraid to buck the system in the pursuit of justice.
Time and again, he finds himself pushed to the brink of disaster, only to outwit, outmuscle, or outlast his adversary. My wife and I make frequent drives from Austin, Texas, to Colorado. Listening to Wolf’s adventures speeds us through those long, boring landscapes of West Texas and East New Mexico.
Deputy Sergeant David Wolf has been waiting sixteen years for today's opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his late father and become Sheriff of the Sluice County SD, headquartered in the small ski resort town of Rocky Points, Colorado. What he's offered, however, isn't quite what he's expecting. And for Wolf, refusing turns out to be harder, and much deadlier, than he could have anticipated.When a rich and powerful enemy corrupts the SCSD from within, Wolf becomes hunted by his own department, along with a special forces killing machine whose psychotic lust for blood is never denied.In this action-packed,…
My favorite mode of transport is being on the back of a good horse. I have enjoyed horse treks in Ecuador on the Inca Trail, in the backcountry of British Columbia, the High Sierras, and on the Wild West coast of Ireland, as well as numerous stays at guest’s ranches in the U.S. My equestrian articles have appeared in Equus, Horse Illustrated, and California Riding Magazine, to name a few. A back injury forced me to give up my mare and the riding world I loved. Writing The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon was my way of letting go and moving forward in life.
I enjoyed this story, even though it was more about the rivalry between mother and daughter striving for Olympic Gold than it was about horses.
The horse jumping world is filled with backstabbing competitors, abuse of gorgeous animals, and risk of serious injury. Patterson dwells more on this than the very real connection riders have with their mounts. Still, it is a fun, engaging read.
'A great read for horse lovers and fans of show jumping' Jilly Cooper 'This is a hugely entertaining, riveting, page-turner of a book' Louise Penny 'An eye-opening ride through the high-stakes world of equestrian show-jumping . . . Three fearless women connected by blood, competition, and a passion for fast horses.' Carl Hiaasen _____________________________
Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe - mother and daughter, both champion riders - vowed to never, ever, compete against one another.
But a dramatic turn of events ahead of the Paris Olympics changes everything.
Mother and daughter share a dream: to be the best in the…
I've been a lawyer for 30 years, 20 of them as an elected district attorney, and writing relieves stress for me. Real crime is messy and irrational; crime fiction restores order. But literary fiction is too slow—a novel must compel the reader to turn the page. Good thrillers tackle major issues, revealing themes that deepen our understanding of humanity. I've witnessed courage during grief and stress, but I'd never betray that trust by writing nonfiction accounts. I deliberately jumbled character traits and real events and combined them with my understanding of modern police techniques like geofencing and DNA.
This book, by Joe R. Lansdale, tells a coming-of-age story. A world where evil prevails, testing the hero’s Christian faith. His morals are inconsistent with the norms of society.
It presents more of a moral forest far more than the real Big Thicket described in greater detail in my novel.
In The Thicket, award-winning novelist Joe R. Lansdale lets loose like never before, in a rip-roaring adventure set at the dark dawn of the East Texas oil boom, the perfect introduction to an acclaimed writer whose work has been called "as funny and frightening as anything that could have been dreamed up by the Brothers Grimm -- or Mark Twain" (New York Times Book Review)
Jack Parker thought he'd already seen his fair share of tragedy. His grandmother was killed in a farm accident when he was barely five years old. His parents have just succumbed to the smallpox epidemic…
I am an author, attorney, artist, and entrepreneur. My experience as a litigator for over forty years, as well as my experience as a painter and an investor, has inspired and influenced me to write the Chance Cormac legal thrillers series.
Elmore Leonard is the master of the dialogue-driven novel.
In Pronto, the US Marshal Raylan Givens, who wears a cowboy hat and is a quick draw, defends a former bookie who is on the run in Italy. It’s the basis of the TV show Justified, which is also a great legal thriller.
Leonard always gives an authentic voice to his characters, whether they are a bookmaker on the run or a Marshal from Kentucky.
“Speedy, exhilarating, and smooth. Nobody does it better.” —Washington Post
“The man knows how to grab you—and Pronto is one of the best grabbers in years.” —Entertainment Weekly
Fans of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of the hit TV series Justified are in for a major treat. The unstoppable manhunter with the very itchy trigger finger stars in Pronto, a crime fiction gem from the one and only Elmore Leonard, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever” (New York Times Book Review). The Grand Master justifies the overwhelming acclaim he has received over the course of his remarkable career…
When I retired from the service, I wanted to be done with big decisions and just focus on family. I’d had enough war-zone drama. I’m drawn to stories where the veteran finds he/she just can’t do that. My protagonist in my debut, Stable deals with this. He’s overcome so much…the loss of his son, the loss of an aircrew, and years of depression. Now that he’s “back,” he just wants to lead a normal life. I wanted to show you can pull the veteran from the battlefield, but it’s hard to quell his or her desire to continue to serve—and the inherent conflict of service before self or family remains.
In this series intro, Marc Cameron introduces us to Special Agent Jericho Quinn, an Air Force veteran, champion boxer, and trained assassin.
When three Middle Eastern terrorists are injected with a biological weapon and unleashed on American soil, Quinn is chosen for a new global task force. He works directly for the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. President himself.
Quinn's methods, as he navigates the treacherous world of international espionage and terrorism, are simple and brutal. His Air Force OSI background proves to be an integral part of the way he thinks and operates. National Security is a page-turner and even better on audio. Great read!
I've been a lawyer for 30 years, 20 of them as an elected district attorney, and writing relieves stress for me. Real crime is messy and irrational; crime fiction restores order. But literary fiction is too slow—a novel must compel the reader to turn the page. Good thrillers tackle major issues, revealing themes that deepen our understanding of humanity. I've witnessed courage during grief and stress, but I'd never betray that trust by writing nonfiction accounts. I deliberately jumbled character traits and real events and combined them with my understanding of modern police techniques like geofencing and DNA.
James Lee Burke’s book presents the common trope of the cowboy detective out of time and place. The reader would assume the series-leading Texan would enjoy beautiful Montana; however, the setting is awash in corruption and evil.
The hero navigates this moral morass, revealing the harsh consequences of selfishness for humanity.
America's finest crime writer sends hero Billy Bob Holland deep into Montana - paradise to some, to others a savage wilderness...
'Still the greatest, bar none' LITERARY REVIEW
'Powerful stuff and confirms Burke's place in the forefront of contemporary American crime fiction' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'BITTERROOT is beautifully written and still stands head and shoulders above most other crime fiction' OBSERVER
When Billy Bob Holland visits his old friend Doc Voss, he finds himself caught up in a horrific tragedy. Doc's daughter has been brutally attacked by bikers, and the ringleader, Lamar Ellison, walks free when the DNA samples 'get lost'.…
I’ve been a traditionally published author of thrillers and mysteries for nearly 20 years. I grew up in rural southern California (yes, it was rural then) surrounded by open spaces, riding horseback through the rolling cattle pastures of San Juan Capistrano. My recollections of those experiences, and the culture shift that inevitably arises out of every generation is a deep and fascinating well from which to draw stories and the characters who flesh them out. My thrillers have won a number of literary awards, and have been bestsellers—for which I am profoundly grateful. I hope you’ll join to relive the ethos, the passion, and the challenges faced when the Old West meets the New.
Author Jeff Quinn uses his formidable talents as an award-winning journalist to bear on this sweeping saga of the American West.
His eye for historical detail, and his ear for dialogue, are never employed to display his deep wealth of knowledge, but rather for the most noble of purposes: to add dimension to the story and the characters.
Glorious is the first (of three) installment(s) in the story of Cash McClendon, an everyman of sorts, eking out a living in St. Louis. When an unexpected tragedy strikes, McClendon has little choice but to go on the run, seeking refuge and a new life in tiny frontier town Glorious, Arizona.
The series brings together the best elements of historical fiction, and mixes real-life figures with those created by the author, but done in the most organic and believable of ways. If you're seeking an epic story of the West, replete with…
The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Gunfight turns his eye for evocative detail to a sweeping novel of the American West that “will delight historical fiction fans longing for the return of classic Westerns” (Library Journal).
Cash McLendon has always had an instinct for self-preservation, honed by an impoverished childhood with an alcoholic father on the streets of St. Louis. He eventually builds himself up to become the son-in-law and heir apparent to industrial mogul Rupert Douglass. But when tragedy strikes and his life falls apart, his instinct for survival kicks in and he flees St. Louis…
I’ve been a traditionally published author of thrillers and mysteries for nearly 20 years. I grew up in rural southern California (yes, it was rural then) surrounded by open spaces, riding horseback through the rolling cattle pastures of San Juan Capistrano. My recollections of those experiences, and the culture shift that inevitably arises out of every generation is a deep and fascinating well from which to draw stories and the characters who flesh them out. My thrillers have won a number of literary awards, and have been bestsellers—for which I am profoundly grateful. I hope you’ll join to relive the ethos, the passion, and the challenges faced when the Old West meets the New.
I will admit that Sam Shepard is one of my literary idols.
He is one of a very few with an equal facility and skill in developing characters, and in illuminating cogent insights as to human nature and its flaws.
Like many of his books, this is a collection of short stories, vignettes, character sketches, and travelogue—and the variety of voices he uses in crafting each piece is a minor miracle in itself.
Here again, if you’re a writer, you can take a masters class on Sam Shepard by starting with this volume. You’ll find some stories so lean and seemingly insubstantial that it takes a while for it to sink in…
Other sketches are so powerful in their honesty, you feel as though you might be intruding on the author’s most private thoughts.
This is a book you’ll want to take down from the shelf and consume in small…
Motel Chronicles reveals the fast-moving and sometimes surprising world of the man behind the plays that have made Sam Shepard a live legend in the theater. Shepard chronicles his own life birth in Illinois, childhood memories of Guam, Pasadena and rural Southern California, adventures as ranch hand, waiter, rock musician, dramatist, and film actor. Scenes from this book form the basis of his play Superstitions, and of the film (directed by Wim Wenders) Paris, Texas, winner of the Golden Palm Award at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.
". . .essential reading. A scrapbook of short stories, autobiographical reveries, poetry and…
I believe many writers suspect they are Strangers in a Strange Land. How ironic that I, a confirmed atheist, should use a biblical quote to describe the mindset of authors. Some discover where they belong through their writing. My book recommendations have a strong sense of place, whether it be the Old West, wartime Berlin, or modern-day Scotland. I was born into a 300-year-old N. Ireland Protestant Plantation family, yet many people saw us as interlopers: we weren’t quite Irish, and we weren’t quite British, yet we held dual passports. It was not until I left Ireland that I realized my Irish Heritage exerted a stronger pull than my British.
Like myself, Rankin didn’t start writing fiction until he left his native country. His books could only be set in a city like Edinburgh, with its blend of Puritan zeal, parsimony, and violence. His depiction of his hometown is so enthralling that it started a tourist boom, much like Oxford experienced with Colin Dexter.
I adore how he brings back Rebus after retirement as a detective and straight into conflict with former colleagues and criminals. Rankin realizes that a good detective must be closer to the dark side to be effective. I admire Rebus’s imperfections, even how he copes with his health problems. He’s no white hat, but he gets the job done—his way.
A series of seemingly random disappearances - stretching back to the millennium. A mother determined to find the truth. A retired cop desperate to get his old life back...
It's been some time since Rebus was forced to retire, and he now works as a civilian in a cold-case unit. So when a long-dead case bursts back to life, he can't resist the opportunity to get his feet under the CID desk once more. But Rebus is as stubborn and anarchic as ever, and he quickly finds himself in deep with pretty much everyone, including DI Siobhan Clarke.
