The Dark Horse | Craig Johnson

The Dark Horse: A Longmire Mystery

Extended Synopsis

In The Dark Horse, the fifth installment of Craig Johnson’s bestselling series, Sheriff Walt Longmire encounters a case where open-and-shut clarity masks a tangled web of small-town motives. Wade Barsad, a man notorious for a toxic past and an exceptional talent for making bitter enemies, committed the unthinkable when he locked his wife Mary’s cherished horses in their barn and burned it to the ground. In a swift act of apparent retribution, Mary allegedly shot her husband in the head six times. Mary confesses to the crime, and the local authorities are more than content to close the file. However, Sheriff Longmire harbors serious doubts about the neatness of the narrative and refuses to accept the confession at face value.

Driven to uncover the absolute truth, Walt takes the unusual step of unpinning his sheriff’s star to cross jurisdictional lines without raising suspicion. Posing as an insurance investigator looking into the barn fire, he secures access to the Barsad ranch and begins embedding himself within the neighboring community. It doesn't take long for the seasoned lawman to realize that Wade Barsad managed to give virtually everyone in town a justifiable reason to want him dead. From a striking Guatemalan bartender guarding her own secrets to a neighboring rancher with an unyielding taste for hard liquor, the pool of individuals with both motive and opportunity is extensive. Walt must carefully navigate this isolated terrain to separate genuine guilt from a community-wide cover-up.

Reader Targeting

• Enthusiasts of contemporary Western mysteries who appreciate a clever “whodunit” framework set against rugged rural backdrops.
• Fans of police procedurals who enjoy watching a classic protagonist operate outside their typical jurisdiction using undercover investigative techniques.
• Readers drawn to rich, atmospheric storytelling focused on complex moral boundaries, small-town dynamics, and psychological depth.

Accolades & Awards

• A critical mid-series entry in the multi-million copy New York Times bestselling book franchise.
• Contributed to the literary foundations that inspired A&E and Netflix’s long-running television drama Longmire.

Author Biography

Craig Johnson is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire mystery series. His western literature has captured multiple prestigious distinctions, including the Western Writers of America Spur Award, the Will Rogers Medallion, and France's Prix du Roman Noir. Johnson lives in the rural community of Ucross, Wyoming, a town with a population of twenty-five residents, where the vast and rugged local environment serves as a continuous source of inspiration for his work.

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