Rating: 
Summary: Shoot out at the Wash-O-Mat
Review: A Shoot out at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat leads to a puzzle that only Jim Chee with his knolage of the Gostway and of death rituals can try to peace together. Related is a disappearance of a school girl (Margaret Sosi) will lead Jim from the New Mexico landscape to the Los Angeles area. There with Hillerman's gift for description we also get a contrasting look of the different worlds. Will He find the girl and what does the puzzle spell out, or will it ever become clear?This is a close continuation of "People of Darkness" so many of the descriptions and people were previously defined in that book. The reason people read Hillerman is mostly for the descriptions of the places and people his characters encounter. As seen in previous books, in the description of Margaret and other characters, he incorporates his real life experience with World War II and it's aftermath.
Rating:
Summary: A Hillerman Classic
Review: I have been a huge fan of Tony Hillerman's work and find his writing refreshing and inventive. The Ghostway was an insightful look into the funereal ways and myths of the Navajo. It was not only a murder mystery but a look into the mind of a troubled soul searching for the right way to live. A good read! You won't be able to put it down until the end!
Rating:
Summary: A rewarding visit with old friends
Review: I have been reading Hillerman since he first starting writing the Leaphorn/Chee series and enjoyed them all. The books and characters have become almost legendary and after reading FIRST EAGLE, decided to see if my impression of the quality of his earlier writings was as captivating as I remembered. I picked up the unabridged audiotape and have been in listening heaven for the last few days. What a treat! Hillerman's style has changed a bit - Leaphorn and Chee have both become more verbose - but the essentials that have made his books so readable are still present. May there be many more!
Rating:
Summary: Hillerman's best
Review: I've read all of Hillerman's Jim Chee / Joe Leaphorn books, and this one is the best. A great detective story with a knockout ending. Hillerman carries the classic hard-boiled detective formula one step further, giving his detective a life beyond the crime. And Jim Chee is a great character: too modern to be a Navajo, too traditional to fit into white society. He's the ultimate loner. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Hillerman's best
Review: I've read all of Hillerman's Jim Chee / Joe Leaphorn books, and this one is the best. A great detective story with a knockout ending. Hillerman carries the classic hard-boiled detective formula one step further, giving his detective a life beyond the crime. And Jim Chee is a great character: too modern to be a Navajo, too traditional to fit into white society. He's the ultimate loner. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - as most Hillerman books are
Review: I've read all of the Hillerman mysteries, but its been several years so now I'm listening to a few on tape as I drive to work. The "on tape" version is quite excellent. It is read (really it would be better to say 'performed') by Gil Silverbird, a Navajo actor and singer. He does an excellent job - the differences between Chee's conversations and interviews with Whites and Navajos become very obvious as Silverbird performs them. It adds yet another layer of cultural experience to the Hillerman books.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good book - easy read
Review: Not my favorite Hillerman book, but still pretty interesting and entertaining. Won't hurt anyone to read something like this just for fun!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, lyrical mystery with solid characters and slow plot.
Review: Sgt. Chee of Navajo Police, a solitary, reflective man, investigates a deadly gunbattle between two crooks. Hampered by the FBI, Chee goes to Los Angelos to find the keys to the puzzling burial of one of the crooks, and the disappearance of an old Navajo and his granddaughter. In the meantime, he ponders the difficulties of a relationship with a white woman. Lyrical, steady and reflective, with colorful, plausible characters and solid details of the Southwest and the Navajo culture, this mystery encourages the reader to accept its pace. Chee is a likable protagonist, full of reflection but not angst. The plot development is a bit slow at times, but the resolution is very satisfactory. For the beautiful job of world-building, solid characters and spare, apt style, this book is recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good, lyrical mystery with solid characters and slow plot.
Review: Sgt. Chee of Navajo Police, a solitary, reflective man, investigates a deadly gunbattle between two crooks. Hampered by the FBI, Chee goes to Los Angelos to find the keys to the puzzling burial of one of the crooks, and the disappearance of an old Navajo and his granddaughter. In the meantime, he ponders the difficulties of a relationship with a white woman. Lyrical, steady and reflective, with colorful, plausible characters and solid details of the Southwest and the Navajo culture, this mystery encourages the reader to accept its pace. Chee is a likable protagonist, full of reflection but not angst. The plot development is a bit slow at times, but the resolution is very satisfactory. For the beautiful job of world-building, solid characters and spare, apt style, this book is recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: This is one of the better books in Hillerman's series. We learn more about Jim Chee's life progress in the context of a murder mystery, which is neither too complex, nor too simplistic. Hillerman throws in the Navajo history, lore and lifestyle without preaching, or assuming knowledge on the part of the reader. In a neat touch, we learn an awful lot about Mary Landon without her actually appearing here as character: she's there in Jim's memory, in phone calls, and in a letter she sends Jim. Well worth reading!
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