“Return To Sender” is the newest in Craig Johnson’s Longmire series. With this recently released 21st installment, Johnson continues his knack for finding real life and fascinating facts and turning them into riveting adventures for Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire and gang.
In this escapade, Walt gets to assume a new role, going undercover. The Wyoming postal inspector wants Walt to go to Rock Springs to find out what happened to one of his postal workers, Blair McGowan, who has disappeared. Walt, poses as a contract rural carrier to take over McGowan’s route. Johnson started this book after he learned about the longest postal route in the U.S. This route is 307 miles long and is located in south central Wyoming near the Red Desert.
Every day McGowan followed this path to deliver the mail. But she has not been seen since June 9, and even more mysterious is the fact that her 1968 Travelall she used on her rounds showed up in the post office parking lot the morning of June 10. Because Walt is drafted to look for her in September, things are looking grim for her return.
Walt discovers that McGowen was an interesting character, who was impassioned about the Red Desert. She was considered to be kind of a hippie and had strong feelings about preserving the place and wanted to keep most, if not all, people out. This environmental stance did not endear her to several people who wanted to develop the area. She was also known for something that happened to her in the 1980s, when she was supposedly abducted by aliens. This made the news, and she was interviewed on many shows as a result – not your run of the mill postal worker. There were many local theories about why she was gone: Perhaps the aliens took her again, and kept her this time, or maybe she just up and left.
The Red Desert, a portion of the route McGowan traveled every day, is a unique geological feature. It is filled with sand dunes and is 9,300 square miles. There are over 350 species of wildlife, including horses, burros, elk and more. In “Return To Sender,” the desert is also home to the Order of the Red Gate. The leader and his crew move around the area and have some unusual religious beliefs. For example, there are some similarities to the real life, infamous San Diego Heaven’s Gate cult.
To begin his investigation, Walt goes on the route with the post office morning supervisor, Tess. Along the way, they discover a cryptic message reading “save me.” Tess claims the writing belongs to McGowan. Walt now feels that he is on a rescue mission, but many obstacles rear up to thwart his efforts. Some of these prove to be deadly, but Walt must keep going, no matter the cost.
In “Return To Sender,” Johnson has crafted another fascinating and compelling read. The unusual landscape is mesmerizing, and the mostly new cast of characters are engaging and thoroughly captivating. This is another great read for Longmire fans.
Also, of note, Johnson, who recently received the prestigious Owen Wister Award for Life Achievement in Western Writing, released the novella “Tooth and Claw” last November. Readers should not miss this gem. It’s New Year’s Eve, and Walt and Henry are spending the evening with Walt’s mentor and former sheriff, Lucien Connelly. As dinner is grilling, Walt tells Lucien about their experience in Alaska after he and Henry returned from Vietnam in 1970. What ensues is a long flashback, which describes Walt’s job in security protecting pipeline workers and a long and terrifying battle with a determined, almost mythic polar bear. Henry was with Walt and shares not just memories but physical proof of what Lucien calls a “Tall Tale.”
And, in life imitating art, last month while Johnson was on tour for “Return To Sender,” Tebra Morris, the real woman with the route in the Red Desert, showed up at one of his events, so he got to meet the real deal.
Leslie Doran is a retired teacher and freelance writer.
