Coyote Waits

Rating:
Summary: Not just for mystery fans. . .
Review: As a reader whose interest is in the literature of the American West, rather than mystery writing, I had to be encouraged to read Tony Hillerman. And it was a happy discovery when I read "Coyote Waits." With his cast of Navajo characters, including law officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, the author introduces readers to the world of the modern-day reservation and the surviving Navajo culture in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona.

The coyote of the title, from Navajo mythology, represents a darker side of human psychology, as it is understood by these Native Americans. It stands for the unexplainable destructive forces that disrupt all efforts to achieve the ideals of peace and harmony. Hillerman's understanding of Navajo customs and values, the legacy of white domination, and the complexities of law enforcement on the reservation makes the chapters of his book read like a fascinating social history.

You can also read this book with a road atlas open beside you. Hillerman places the story in a real world of highways, dirt tracks, natural landmarks, and small reservation towns, with side trips to Albuquerque. The descriptions of landscapes and the play of sunlight are vivid, and there is frequent reference to the changing autumn weather. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in well-drawn characters, the American West, and Native American culture and life.

Rating:
Summary: Coyote Waits
Review: I enjoyed reading the book Coyote Waits, by Tony Hillerman. This book got me into it right from the beginning.This book has suspense, mystery, action, and a little bit of history. Coyote Waits starts out a little boring, but gets to the story pretty fast within the end of the first chapter. This book had good vocabulary and some foreshawdoing. Over all i enjoyed reading this book and i give it four stars.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I have read about 80% of Tony Hillerman's novels dealing with Jim Chee and Lt. Leaphorn and have not come across a bad book yet.

I think perhaps my problem here is that was an older novel and I have read many of the newer ones first, so it's like going back in time to view the characters at an earlier date.

With this in mind, I think that Tony Hillerman has definently improved over the course of his novels as Coyote Waits, though a good read, is not as evidently mature as his later titles.

A few sub plots could have been a bit stronger, but the overall story was entertaining. Read this one in chronological order to the others and you won't be disapointed.