I seldom make an editorial comment when discussing the events or books from The Poisoned Pen. However, I’ll make an exception for Craig Johnson’s recent appearance there. I imagine Craig Johnson could make it funny if he read a phone book. (Remember phone books?) Craig’s oral storytelling skills are unsurpassed in my opinion, so I always encourage people to watch these events. If you’ve read his new book, The Brothers McKay, and even if you haven’t yet, you should listen to him talk about the mule, Borax, my favorite “character” from the new book. You can order a signed copy of The Brothers McKay through the Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/ycxsfj7r.
Here’s the summary of The Brothers McKay.
A masterful new novel in the beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series
When Pepper McKay, one of the most hated men in Absaroka County, is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, suspects aren’t in short supply. But Sheriff Walt Longmire’s attention is on those who had gathered for a family meeting that evening, McKay’s very different sons: a smooth-talking charmer, a cosmopolitan journalist, a reclusive monk, and a half-Native ranch hand who keeps the place running. Each had a motive. Each claims he’s innocent.
As Walt investigates what happened that night at the O-Kay Lodge, he’s pulled into a tangle of old grudges and long-buried secrets. Then the case takes a sharp turn: a second body surfaces, and a wildfire tears through the canyon, trapping Walt and forcing him into a fight for his life as both the killer and the elements close in.
The twenty-second novel in the Longmire series, The Brothers McKay is a murder mystery and a survival thriller that tests the sheriff’s hard-won sense of justice—all while paying sly homage to Dostoevsky’s classic.
Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America’s spur awards and the Owen Wister Award, the Will Rogers Medallion and Lariat Award, the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction, as well as the Bouchercon 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.
Enjoy the conversation with Craig Johnson.