Rating: 
Summary: Stunning
Review: Having traveled the Four Corners area a lot the past few years, as I read this book, I could envision all the locations that Hillerman cites in Hunting Badger - Tuba City, Chinle, Window Rock, Farmington, etc. I found myself enchanted and drawn away, driving down those dusty washboard reservation roads, imagining that I was riding along with Chee and Leaphorn as they chased down George Ironhand, Buddy Baker, and Everett Jorie.Hillerman's vast knowledge and familiarity with the geographical terrain and the Navajo traditions that are woven into his novels are a proven recipe for success. Though Leaphorn is still adjusting to his life as a retired Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant, his sharp mind and investigative skills have not dulled. In Hunting Badger, Hillerman continues Sergeant Jim Chee's progression as a Navajo Shaman, in juxtaposition with his occupation as a police officer, which Chee's grandfather reluctanctly accepts as the way of this present world. Chee also moves slightly out of Leaphorn's shadow, taking on a less subservient role as the retired Leaphorn gives Chee more credit for his ability as an investigator. This novel is well-written from start to finish - several times I found myself following the wrong trail as I tried to figure out whodunit and why, only to be brought back on track by Chee and Leaphorn. Made me want to return to the Four Corners area once more, to look at the beautiful terrain as Chee and Leaphorn would see it. Peace Out.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to Hillerman's standard
Review: Hillerman has created a masterpiece series about Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, Navajo detectives working in the wide open spaces of the Navajo reservation in the four corners country of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. But one can see this series beginning to trickle away. Former Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is now a talkative old duffer and maybe he should be retired (with laurels) from the series. Sergeant Jim Chee seems to have given up his ambition to be a Navaho singer and is now fully committed to being a cop. This story was simplistic and superficial compared to others in the series and the climax was flat and unsatisfying. Still, Hillerman at his worst has many virtues. Bernadette Manuelito is a great new love interest for Chee -- far more engaging and sexy than the unlamented feminist, Janet Pete. Cowboy Dashee and Captain Largo were more interesting in this book than in previous appearances. But the well seems to have run dry for Hillerman and Hunting Badger lacks the fascinating descriptions of landscapes and mystical ceremonies of his many previous books in the Navajo detective series. Try another one, Tony! How about sending Chee and Bernie Manuelito -- sans Leaphorn -- down to the Apache reservation in a really dark and enchanting story ?
Rating: 
Summary: More of the great combo of Leaphorn and Chee
Review: Hunting Badger, set in the Four Corners region of the US (junction of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, which come together at four perfect 90-degree angles) which will be familiar to Hillerman's devoted readers, focuses on the violent ripoff of a casino on the Ute reservation. The wonderful character list includes the usual reservation cops, and a lady interest for both Leaphorn (whose beloved wife has died) and Chee (who took fer-frikkin'-ever to get over Janet Pete, his first love). But just as strong a character is the land itself, always a forceful and important presence in TH's wonderful books. There's even mining geology information in Hunting Badger. What you get in a good Tony Hillerman book is more than a story with memorable characters told in economical prose; you also get vivid mental pictures of the bleak beauty of the Southwest, insightful glimpses of Navajo culture, geology and geography lessons, and spiritual shaman lore.
For character development and follow-through, don't read this first; go back at the very beginning of this Leaphorn/Chee series and start with the first one. But if you just want a good book to read on the plane and this is the one that's available in the airport bookstore, then go ahead and buy it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read In Great Need Of Editing
Review: Hunting Badger is another of Hillerman's novelistic odes to Indian Country, this time praising the eighty-five million acres known as Four Corners or the Big Empty. The cast of characters is familiar: the Legendary Lieutenant (Joe Leaphorn), the Woman Professor (Louisa Bourebonette), the Former Acting Lieutenant (Jim Chee), and What a Woman (NTP officer Bernadette Manuelito). As always, the characterizations are sharp and consistent, and the story line weaves through endless canyons of imagination before giving away the identity of the actual villain one-half to two-thirds of the way through. Like other Hillerman fans, I love these characters, their ever-present "wry" faces, the lightening-bolt transitions from scene to scene, the enriched atmosphere of painted sky- and landscapes and, most of all, the heightened anticipation as one closes in on the plot resolution (which here is not up to the standards set in previous Hillerman works such as People of Darkness, The Dark Wind and A Thief of Time, but definitely does increase your pulse rate and reading speed as the light at the end of the tunnel - a muzzle flash, in this case - intensifies. But a number of things about this work bothered me. The most obvious: the atrocious editing. The reader is constantly required to line edit: see, e.g., p. 18, line 2: "... Leaphorn had starting thinking about ..."; p. 19, line 3: a "wasn't" that should likely be a "didn't"; and you can find plenty more at pp 20, 35, 49, 64 ("It you see ..." rather than "If you see ..."), 66 (Chee referred to as "Cree"), 90, 95 ("... he'd hadn't heard it)."), 184-85 ("... he was hunting tered around out of the trash can, ..."), 189 ("He looked a Chee to see ..."), 192 and 244. The overall effect of the foregoing examples is admittedly de minimis. But the going gets worse. At p. 124, line 5, we have Special Agent Cabot's dialogue tagged as "Lodge said." Then at p. 186 the page starts out with part of the paragraph missing entirely: "reacted, Leaphorn thought. And he noticed ..." What that refers to, I haven't the slightest. And back at p. 85 we have Leaphorn smelling "... the outdoor scents of hay, horse manure, sage and dry-country summer invading through the open window", whereas the only prior reference to the window was at p. 83, lines 10-12, where Leaphorn was putting "... his forehead against the glass, shaded his eyes and looked into what seemed to be a bedroom ..." My margin note: What open window? A similar non sequitur occurs at p. 248, lines 9-10, where we discover for the first time that potential villain Jorie is "... a lawyer and admitted to the Utah bar ..." My margin note: Where did that come from? It also bothered me that at p. 192, lines 19-26, "Leaphorn looked very interested ..." when he hears essentially the same information (a description of the coal digs where Badger might be holed up) that he's already heard from Chee on p. 165 at lines 5-8. A similar instance of Chee and Leaphorn forgetting they've already discussed something occurs at p. 240, lines 12-18, where there is a repeat of their previous conversation at p. 216, lines 1-4. The bottom line here is that when I buy a first edition hardcover, I expect it to evidence some decent editing. Apparently Harper Collins doesn't share this opinion. Nowadays, speed is the creed and few publishing houses seem to spend time on essential details, perhaps because they're too busy distributing hype, counting beans and devising Internet wampum. It's like the biggest software company in the world, which leaves it to consumers to find all the flaws in its programs. I find myself asking: What ever happened to editors like Max Perkins? There's a photograph of Thomas Wolfe in A. Scott Berg's biography Max Perkins, Editor of Genius: Wolfe is standing over one of three voluminous crates of loose manuscript which, under Perkins' guidance, would eventually become Of Time and the River - a massive editing job which occupied Perkins for over two years. Today it appears that no one is willing to spend even two hours to tidy up a gifted writer's manuscript. All in all, Hunting Badger is a very good read. I only wish Mr. Hillerman would change publishers and get the editing his writing deserves. Some of us might even volunteer to do it in exchange for a sneak preview of what Leaphorn, Chee, Largo, Cowboy Dashee and the others will be doing in the twenty-first century. Do buy the book - but wait for the paperback version. Maybe by then the editors at Harper Collins will have read the hardback - and made some direly needed changes. JT Borst-Fuerst JTB@EnglishOnline.ch
Rating:
Summary: Another Hillerman Classic
Review: Like reviewer Billbowie (from Sac) below, I too was in the area of the 1998 FBI manhunt. I was actually in Cortez and missed the events that transpired by about 1/2 hour. Mr. Hillerman's book is a seperate story in itself refrencing the '98 manhunt and events, but enter Jim Chee and Lt. (now civilian) Leaphorn. The book opened fast and set up events that would eventually lead to the climax, but I must say I was a bit disapointed with the quick resolution. What make Hillerman's novels strong are the intricate chracter developments that carry over from novel to novel. You just can't get enough of Leaphorn's thinking outside conventional lines and Chee's attitude. What was missing from this novel was more of the Native American mythology/folklore that Hillerman is usually known for. Though not needed in this novel, it is generally a pleasure to read and learn about Native American spirituality and customs. The only frustrating aspect of this book is the overly drawn out love lives of our two main characters. With each novel, there never seems to be any progression over Leaphorn's deceased wife, or Chee's ability to really go after what he secretly wants (Officer Bernie). There is some hinting in this book, but I'd like to see Mr. Hillerman tie up one of these lingering plotlines in his next book. Otherwise, the book will keep you guessing and it is a real fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Hillerman does it again.
Review: While retired Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are hunting down the people responsible for a casino robbery, we learn that they may be tied to a legend of a mysterious indian (George Ironhand) that seems to have the ability to fly. Tied in with this is the concept of "Hunting Badger." As with all of Tony Hillerman's stories you have the feeling you are there. In fact if you have visited or live in the area (Four Corners canyons) that the mystery takes part in, you will be better able to identify with the people and landmarks. And as with his other books there is an overt and covert story. I have read the book but the addition of the voice of George Guidall ads a dimension to the story by helping visualize the people and correcting pronunciation of certain words. I suggest you read the book and listen to the recorded version.
Rating:
Summary: A different kind of hero
Review: If you want an action filled story that's full of blood and gore then this is not the book for you. If on the other hand you like a hero that would never consider himself a hero and uses his mind rather that his fists then you may like this book. If you have an interest in learning about different cultures then you will definitely like this book. Even though he usually leaves his pistol in the glove compartment of his pickup officer Jim Chee always seems to get his man. In his spare time he is learning to be a Navajo medicine man.
Rating:
Summary: Once Again in Dinetah
Review: Once again, Tony Hillerman uses his excellent knowledge of the ways and beliefs of the Navajo and other southwestern Indian peoples to craft a mystery that is at once engaging and educational. His frequent digs at the lumbering "Federal Bureau of Incompetence" are softened by his revelations of the guys working in the agency, trying to do their job under constant oversight from the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington. But what really makes his work stand out is that his people, good and bad, come across as real people. If you've never read a Tony Hillerman book, this is one you will either love or hate, and if you hate it I pity you. If you're a Hillerman fan, then this is good, solid Hillerman, neither his best nor his least. But then I've never read one of his books I didn't like!
Rating:
Summary: Bernadette Manuelito #2
Review: As a preface to this review, let me toss a little of Joe Leaphorn's order into the universe of Tony Hillerman. First, there were three Joe Leaphorn novels, then three Jim Chee novels, then two pairs of three Leaphorn and Chee novels. Hunting Badger is the second of the Bernadette Manuelito novels. Whereas The First Eagle spends the majority of the time in the heads of its characters, Hunting Badger spends a mix of time between the internal landscape of the character's minds and the physical landscape of the Four Corners region. The crime: a ripoff at the casino on the Ute reservation. A manhunt ensues that involves all the usual law enforcement agencies, Chee, Leaphorn, Cowboy Dashee, Officer Bernie Manuelito, Professor Louisa Bourebonette [the mythology prof and Leaphorn's lady friend], and to my relief, the red rock canyons of Indian Country. To my delight, this novel involved some mining geology [my training in college]. I'm glad to see the southwestern landscape return as a major player in Hunting Badger, after sitting way in the background of The First Eagle. The First Eagle wasn't a bad book, but its lack of red rock made it a lesser Hillerman novel. As old characters continue to evolve and new characters come to the fore in Tony Hillerman's Navajo novels, I hope the physical landscape continues to provide the sturdy base that it always has.
Rating:
Summary: Another Best Seller
Review: Hillerman once again presents us with a masterpiece. "Hunting Badger" unites readers favorites lEAPHORN and CHEE in a case filled with nail-bitting suspense and gut-wrenching danger. Hillerman has that unmatched writing talent that makes readers want to travel the scenic vistas of his tales. If you haven't experienced one of Hillerman's wonderous works, "Hunting Badger" is your chance. Beverly J Scott Author of Righteous Revenge
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