Craig Johnson’s A Soft White Damn: Release Date and Longmire Book 23 Details

Craig Johnson’s A Soft White Damn is scheduled for May 25, 2027, in the United States. Viking will publish the novel, which Penguin Random House lists as Book 23 in the Longmire mystery series. It follows The Brothers McKay, and Johnson has said that the previous book’s ending contains a clue to what comes next.

When does A Soft White Damn come out?

Penguin Random House lists the hardcover, ebook, and large-print paperback for May 25, 2027. The hardcover and ebook are listed at 336 pages, while the large-print edition runs 538 pages. The publisher’s title page currently lists those three formats.

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If you’re caught up on Longmire, check preorder availability for A Soft White Damn on Amazon.

What is A Soft White Damn about?

The publisher’s synopsis confirms that Sheriff Walt Longmire returns after the events of The Brothers McKay. Johnson gave a more specific preview in an April 2026 interview with Cowboy State Daily. He described the new book as a manhunt thriller in which Walt is pursued by people with more advanced technology than he has. Johnson also cited Jeffrey Household’s Rogue Male as an example of the kind of manhunt novel he enjoys.

That premise shifts the pressure on Walt. The Brothers McKay gives him a victim with plenty of enemies and asks him to work out who killed him. The setup for A Soft White Damn puts Walt on the other side of the pursuit. The question is how a sheriff who knows how to track people responds when his pursuers have tools he can’t match.

What should you read before Longmire Book 23?

Start with The Brothers McKay if you’re catching up for the new novel. It’s Book 22, and Johnson’s comment about the ending gives readers a concrete reason to finish it before picking up Book 23. The case begins when Pepper McKay is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon.

• Catching up on the main story? Find The Brothers McKay on Amazon.
• Looking for a shorter visit to Absaroka County? Find Have Courage on Amazon. Viking published the collection of 15 holiday-inspired Longmire stories on November 3, 2026. Penguin Random House lists it separately from the numbered novels.

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