Rating: Summary: Hillerman's the master of the "character suspense" novel. Review: I've read every one of Tony's Hillerman's novels and I never tire of him. It's not that the books are great mystery classics--it's pretty obvious from the word "go" in The Wailing Wind that Wiley Denton is guilty as sin, and that's often the case in a Hillerman novel--there's really no "mystery" in the mystery. And they certainly aren't action packed--in this book the initial murder is so ambiguous that's it's not even recognized as a homicide for quite a while, and the other body is 20 years old and doesn't appear till the next to last page.What Hillerman brings to the table is a genuine talent for building suspense throughout a narrative, an ability to draw in depth and engaging characters and a "native's" feel for the rites, customs attitudes, history and feel of the Indian Country of the southwest and it's inhabitants--Anglo, Hispanic and native American. What's unique in the past couple of books--as well as this one--it that Hillerman uses three distinct protagonists to develop the aforementioned world views from a multigenerational set of viewpoints--those of the older, semi-retired Leaphorn, the middle-aged Chee and the rookie cop, Manuelita. All provide a unique perspective on both the story at hand as well as the backdrop Indian country setting--as much a character in Hillerman's novels as the characters themselves. The Wailing Wind is a fairly typical Hillerman novel--the story's about average and the secondary characters sufficiently idiosyncratic and engaging. If the story itself isn't quite one of his best--and it's not--the handling of it is superb and the suspense factor unusually intense. On the whole, a very satisfying read.
Rating: Summary: The saga continues Review: You'll enjoy this book IF you've read and enjoyed the previous books. This would not be a good book to start your Hillerman reading. The Navajo lore, and sense of being and place, which centers and enriches some of Hillerman's previous books is barely touched on here. I found the plot plausible, but the book is a very quick read compared to other in the series: I'd get this one from the library.
Rating: Summary: Good Basic Mystery Review: An old [crime] is connected to a recent [crime] and a hunt is on for a missing woman. Joe Leaphorn is back and helping Jim Chee solve these mysteries. There is a little of the Navajo way in this story, but not as much as in previous Hillerman novels. Still, it was good to meet up with these characters again and Officer Bernadette Manuelito was a welcome addition. This is a good basic mystery and the budding romance between Bernie and Jim Chee was a nice touch.
Rating: Summary: Good Basic Mystery Review: An old murder is connected to a recent murder and a hunt is on for a missing woman. Joe Leaphorn is back and helping Jim Chee solve these mysteries. There is a little of the Navajo way in this story, but not as much as in previous Hillerman novels. Still, it was good to meet up with these characters again and Officer Bernadette Manuelito was a welcome addition. This is a good basic mystery and the budding romance between Bernie and Jim Chee was a nice touch.
Rating: Summary: Not up to Hillerman's usual standards Review: Let's face it, if you're a Hillerman fan you're going to read this book no matter what the reviews say -- and in a sense you almost have to in order to make sense of subsequent books. But for the record, The Wailing Wind falls far short of the quality of most of the titles in the series. The plot is thin and improbable and the other typical Hillerman elements like character development, insight into the Navajo world, a sense of place and touches of mysticism are in short supply.
Rating: Summary: Leaves me a wailing Review: I love the Leaphorn / Chee series. I made trip to New Mexico and listened to the audio version as I drove through the Navajo reservation - because I loved them so much. However this one was disappointing. The plot was good, but the story was missing the what makes this series so special - the Navajo connection and the people. I'm not a big fan of Bernie & Chee; I liked both Janet and Mary better and thought those relationships were more interesting.
Rating: Summary: No Chindis On Mr. Hillerman Review: I think I've read every one of Tony Hillerman's books. I think so. They're not brilliant, that's not the right word, but they're among my favorites. I'm not even a mystery fan. Maybe I like to keep connected with Arizona and the Native friends I used to have. Maybe they help me tolerate the down side of Oregon. Don't know. Leaphorn and Chee are old friends by now. Comfortable. Even when their descriptions are vague and sometimes confusing, I don't care. I just like being around them.
Rating: Summary: The best one yet! Review: Tony Hillerman's done it again! Leaphorn, Chee, and Bernie are an amazing trio of crime solvers. Bernie gets to really show her crime fighting abilities in this one. Leaphorn gets his man in the end even if it does take more than a decade. The twists and turns that Hillerman puts in his work keeps mystery fans guessing until the end. Hillerman makes this New Mexico native homesick for her old stomping grounds. His description of the Native American culture is right on the money.
Rating: Summary: Pretty Good Review: I've "read" on tape a half dozen of the Leaphorn mysteries and thought a couple fell short. This was probably the best. It's the first one I heard on CD. The narrator does a great job.
Rating: Summary: lost gold mines, love and betrayal...and hope Review: Tony Hillerman takes the startling beauty of the Southwest and combines it with the Navajo culture and uses this as his canvas as he paints a mysterious picture of lost gold mines, dead entrepreneurs, a missing wife, and a puzzle with many missing pieces and too many "detectives" in all the wrong places. Jim Chee, Bernadette Manuelito, Joe Leaphorn and Louisa Boubonette return in this novel that begins with Bernadette, a young Navajo Tribal Police Oficer, discovering a dead man in a pick-up truck. Suddenly what seems to be a simple death is found to be murder and is linked to a previous series of events involving gold, money, love and betrayal. Joe Leaphorn, retired investigator, is pulled into the picture to help discover the location of a missing wife and then things appear to spiral out of control. The Navajo traditions are an intricate part of the novel, adding an element to the story that keeps you focused on a perfect delicate balance Hillerman achieves in his story telling. The story is full of life and emotion and the mystery is well developed, concealing itself until the very end.
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