Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Viking Adult
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: March 15, 2007
Publishing house: Viking Adult
Release Date: March 15, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 578426
Studio: Viking Adult
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Philadelphia gets a taste of Western justice in “a series that should become a ‘must’ read” (The Denver Post)
Craig Johnson ’s mystery series —starring Walt Longmire, the straight-shooting sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming—is attracting more and more fans with its distinctive blend of humour and action. In Kindness Goes Unpunished, Walt’s pleasure trip to Philadelphia to visit his daughter, Cady, turns into a nightmare when she is the victim of a vicious attack that leaves her near death. Walt is forced to unpack his saddlebag of tricks to mete out some Western-style justice, and the result is another action-packed thriller from this up-and-coming star of crime fiction.
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Rated by buyers 
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At first, I wasn't that excited to read a Walt Longmire mystery that took the sheriff out of Wyoming and put him in the wilds of Philadelphia. A big part of the charm of Craig Johnson's books is his loving and accurate portrayal of Wyoming and its people. But this is one smart book. By taking Longmire out of his (and our) comfort zone, we get an extra dimension to a story that could only have happened in an East Coast metropolitan area. There is a little bit of stereotyping here with expansive Italian families, political thuggery, and Rust Belt economic decay, but the heart of this story is Longmire's love for his daughter Cady and his determination to get to the bottom of the assault that very nearly kills her. This love manifests itself in a fierceness that makes Longmire a suspect in the death of Cady's boyfriend, who is implicated in the attack on her. The usual characters are present, i.e., Henry Standing Bear and Vic "The Holy Terror" Moretti. Johnson makes use of this change of venue to give us a strong backstory on Vic and her multi-faceted family that not only makes for interesting reading but has importance as the story moves toward its end. This is a great ride and also a realistic look at the life of extremely damaged trauma victims. There are no simple solutions here, but lots of good questions.
P.S. I think it would help to have read Johnson's two previous books. The richness and familiarity of his characters is enhanced through repeated exposure!
Rated by buyers 
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"Kindness Goes Unpunished" reminded me of "Tarzan's New York Adventure," the old movie that put Johnny Weissmuller in a suit and let him loose on the streets of Manhattan. Not my favorite Tarzan movie, not that I have a list or anything. Nonetheless, "Kindness..." takes Walt Longmire out of his Wyoming element and plunks him down in Philadelphia. I never quite bought it.
I liked the premise and I liked some of the Wyoming approaches in the big, mean streets. I like the relationship between Deputy Vic (Victoria) Moretti and sheriff Longmire. There is one R-rated scene in this book that shows Vic knows what she wants and/or needs. (Sorry if that was a spoiler from the romance end of things.) I also thought the end was a nice reveal, unusual and unexpected.
Elements I did not care for quite so much:
1. How does it work for the local big-city cops to let this kind of operator go about his approach to justice in the city? Trouble follows him wherever he goes, along with a trail of either blood or bodies. There are very few consequences or even pressure on good ol' Walt to dial down his approach.
2. The series of notes that are conveniently left right where Walt will find them (just felt too easy)
3. The too-intricate relationships involved in the case that leads to the attack on his daughter. Pay attention to who is who.
4. The writing veered from dark and gritty to occasional bits that seemed overly light and played for humor. "I hung back at the turn, but it's hard to go unnoticed when you are a powder blue vintage convertible with a cowboy, an Indian, a brunette, and a dog inside."
This is a potentially strong and compelling series--it's certainly an intriguing cast of main characters who bounce around and off the more stoic and seen-it-all Walt. Maybe that will happen back in Wyoming. I strongly urge readers of Craig Johnson to not start with this book; there is very little here, other than a brief reference to Vietnam, about his past and his core motivations for doing what he does.
Rated by buyers -
Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming travels to Philadelphia with his friend, Henry Standing Bear to visit his daughter Cady. Walt, Henry and Walt's dog, called Dog, are traveling in Henry's pride and joy, a 1959 Thunderbird convertible that he calls Lola. Walt, Henry and Dog, arrive in Philadelphia. Henry has received an invitation to lecture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and display his Mennonite photograph collection. Walt is looking forward to visiting his daughter and meeting her new boyfriend Devon Conliffe.
On arriving in Philadelphia Walt contacts his daughter and she says she can't see him until later that evening. The subsequent time Walt hears anything about his daughter she is in the hospital and in serious condition. Later at the hospital Walt finally is able to learn a few details about the accident. It seems Cady was in front of the Franklin Institute and the security guard stated to the police officer that there was an altercation between Cady and an unknown male in his mid-thirties. The assailant beat on the door of the institute asking for help and then disappeared.
Walt spends his time between time at the hospital and trying to get to the bottom of what really happened to his daughter-and learn who is responsible. Lena Moretti, mother of Victoria Moretti, one of Walt's officers is on hand to help out in any way she can.
An example of the book's humour can be found in the opening chapter that takes place in Wyoming just prior to Walt and Henry leaving for the trip. Walt is in a classroom reading a fairy tale to children in kindergarten who don't hesitate to state their opinion on a little bit of everything, including Walt's abilities as Sheriff and secrets their parents would not want known.
Kindness Goes Unpunished is a good mystery and a lot of fun with a Wyoming Sheriff and his Indian friend on the loose in Philadelphia.
Armchair Interviews agrees.
Rated by buyers -
I had skipped this book originally as some people I talked to said it wasn't as good as his other books and they didn't like the big city setting. So I read his new one and with Cady recovering an injury I got curious so decided to go back and read this one. I rather liked it and I actually think reading his newest one very first made this one more interesting. I think we get to know Walt even better in the newest book and so I saw him in this book as tough but yet we see his more sensitive side when Cady is injured. I thought the book flowed smoothly in the events that followed her injury and I actually enjoyed the different setting for him of the big city. There was so much that the author could do with that. I do enjoy the setting of Wyoming because Walt is more comfortable there but this book was just a change of pace and I really did like it.
Rated by buyers -
I've enjoyed getting to know Walt Longmire and all his cronies, and KINDNESS GOES UNPUNISHED is another good one. In a mystery we need to care about both plot and characters, and Johnston is masterful at helping us do that. The sheriff is flawed and yet so likeable. Henry Standing Bear is his friend and at times his keeper. And Vic? Mouthy, crass, and impulsive. What's not to like?
The change of place (from Wyoming to Philadelphia) is cool in the way that the original CROCODILE DUNDEE movie was cool so many years ago: the guy who might be a rube, might be at a disadvantage in the big, modern city, handles himself well and even prevails. I also liked the fact that there was really no arrogant cop with a need to put the interloper in his place: cops should respect other cops.
In summary, it's a good story told in Johnston's excellent writing style. The only bad thing is when it's over and you have to find something just as good from your TBR pile.
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