Poor Richard’s Books Highlights Mystery Novels in Colorado Springs

What does a mystery novel look like when it’s not just about catching a killer, but about unearthing the specific, heavy history of the land itself?

That’s the question hanging in the air at Poor Richard’s Books in Colorado Springs. It’s August 2026, and the staff is suggesting two very different kinds of secrets. One involves a sheriff in Wyoming digging through family grudges. The other involves an Ojibwe man in Minnesota whose prison sentence might have been a lie. Both stories are sitting on the shelf, waiting for readers who want more than just a whodunit.

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson is the latest entry in the Longmire series, and it arrives with the weight of a 22nd novel. When Pepper McKay, arguably the most hated man in Absaroka County, is found murdered on his ranch in Crazy Woman Canyon, the suspects are everywhere. They’re gathered for a family meeting. They’re brothers with different lives: a smooth-talking charmer, a cosmopolitan journalist, a reclusive monk, and a half-Native ranch hand keeping the lodge running. Each had a motive. Each claims innocence.

Jeffery Payne, the assistant retail manager at Poor Richard’s, admits he’s been reading a lot of history lately. He needed an escape. So he jumped into Johnson’s latest release. The storylines grow richer, more complex. Johnson pulls readers back into earlier plots and old nemeses. Walt Longmire, the much-loved protagonist, faces a shortage of villains eager to cause chaos. But it’s the offbeat side characters who keep the entertainment value high. Payne calls it a perfect summer read that keeps you guessing who the real villain is. It’s a murder mystery and a survival thriller, all while paying sly homage to Dostoevsky’s classic.

Then there’s Apostle’s Cove by William Kent Krueger. The setting shifts to a few nights before Halloween. Cork O’Connor is gloomily ruminating on his upcoming birthday when he gets a call from his son, Stephen. Stephen works for a nonprofit dedicated to securing freedom for unjustly incarcerated inmates. He tells his father that decades ago, as the newly elected sheriff of Tamarack County, Cork was responsible for sending an Ojibwe man named Axel Boshey to prison for a brutal murder. Stephen is certain Boshey didn’t do it.

Cork feels compelled to reinvestigate. It’s easier said than done. The case is closed. Boshey is inexplicably refusing to help. The deeper Cork digs, the clearer it becomes that people in Tamarack County are willing to commit murder again to keep him from finding the truth. Meanwhile, Cork’s 7-year-old grandson has his own theory about the investigation. He believes the Windigo, that mythic cannibal ogre, has come to Tamarack County. It won’t leave until it has sated its hunger for human blood.

The Brothers McKay costs $30. Apostle’s Cove is $29. Both are available now. The staff at Poor Richard’s isn’t just selling books; they’re offering a look at how queer bookstores have become more than just places to buy paperbacks. They’re hubs for community, for history, for understanding the people who live here and the people who lived here long before the roads were paved.

Stand there long enough and you realize the stories on the shelf aren’t just fiction. They’re mirrors. They reflect the grudges, the secrets, and the truths that keep neighbors up at night. The sun is setting over Colorado Springs, casting long shadows across the parking lot. Inside, the lights are still on. The pages are turning. And somewhere, a sheriff is driving down a dusty road, looking for a body that might not be where it’s supposed to be.