The Cold Dish

The Cold Dish straddles two major genres of fiction, mystery and western, blending influences from each.

Several tropes in the novel can be traced to the mystery genre. As a typical whodunit, the plot centers on the investigation of a series of murders, with various suspects gaining or losing prominence as the novel progresses. Additionally, Walt exemplifies the archetypal fictional detective; his observant nature and wry humor evoke the hardboiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler. As the novel progresses, Johnson employs common mystery strategies to heighten suspense, including plot twists that put past events into a new perspective and red herrings meant to throw off the detective and the reader. Vonnie also evokes femme fatale tropes as the killer and Walt’s girlfriend, though her motives eschew genre conventions.

The Cold Dish also includes several key characteristics of Western fiction. First, the novel is set in the rural American West, with much of the investigation centering on a series of antique rifles. Climactic gunfights are a hallmark of Western fiction, and The Cold Dish is no exception. As is typical of Westerns, the novel also explores the fraught relationship between white and Indigenous communities, with the trial of a group of white young men who assaulted a young Cheyenne woman being a key plot point. At the same time, Johnson subverts genre conventions by presenting Cheyenne people sympathetically—many works in this genre present stereotypical or outright racist depictions of Indigenous Americans. While Johnson’s sheriff is a white man, he is friends and works with his Indigenous neighbors, and Johnson writes round, complex Indigenous characters. This places his books in the company of other contemporary Western novels like those by Cormac McCarthy.

Additionally, Walt’s experience with the spirits of the dead Cheyenne warriors draws on magical realism to legitimize the myths and traditions of Indigenous peoples. The novel’s modern setting, meanwhile, allows for a thoughtful exploration of the way that life in the American West has changed over time, for better or for worse. This allows the novel to push back against some of the long-perpetuated myths about the Old West, such as stereotypical depictions of cowboys, sheriffs, outlaws, and Indigenous people. Instead, the novel features a diverse and nuanced cast of characters that challenge readers’ expectations. For instance, in contrast with the rural setting, which is often associated with simple pastimes and pleasures, Walt shows a keen interest and awareness of highbrow art and literature, demonstrated by his frequent literary and cultural allusions. Meanwhile, the sense of claustrophobia often associated with urban mystery novels is stretched out to encompass vast open spaces during scenes like the frantic search via helicopter for a missing person.

Today, Johnson’s Longmire series is considered one of the most significant examples of Western mystery fiction, but there are other notable titles within the genre as well. Tony Hillerman’s 1970 novel, The Blessing Way—the first in a series—follows a murder investigation undertaken by two Navajo tribal police officers. A series of mystery novels featuring Joanna Brady as an Arizona sheriff began with 1993’s Desert Heat by J. A. Jance. C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett series started in 2001 with Open Season and was later adapted for TV; this series follows a game warden who is recruited to help investigate crimes in a rural Wyoming setting. The ongoing popularity and success of these and other titles demonstrate the continued appeal of Western mystery fiction to contemporary audiences.