Rating: 
Summary: I fell asleep
Review: I have always been a huge Hillerman fan. However, I kept falling asleep while trying to read The Wailing Wind. This effort is not up to par.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: This book was such a disappointment. It was too short, the plot was incredibly transparent, and the romance was clumsy. And at the end, frankly, I think Tony Hillerman just lost a large portion of his female fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Hillerman, but a bit short and obvious
Review: I was incredibly excited to see this book was out and started reading right in the middle of the work day. By that evening I was finished. So obviously Mr. Hillerman has lost none of his magic in drawing the reader in and engaging them. Unfortunately, the astute reader will guess the broad outlines of what is going on pretty early in the story. This was unusual for me, but seems increasingly common in Mr. Hillerman's later works. The mystery isn't the focus, the interaction of the characters is. For me this works pretty well, but past Hillerman works had a compelling mystery intertwined with the character interactions. That said, the usual evocation of the desert Southwest's austere beauty is present from the first page. And even a relatively short, obvious Hillerman mystery is better than 90% of what is out there. If you are a Hillerman fan, you will want it and enjoy it (but probably be ever so mildly let down by length and obviousness of the story). If you are not yet a Hillerman fan, I would start with an earlier novel such as A Thief of Time.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I think Tony Hillerman may be getting a little tired of his formula. Although I have always loved the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mysteries because of the characters and the insights into another culture, this one was way too easy to solve. For the first time, I was way ahead of Joe, and Jim didn't seem to be very involved in solving the mystery. Although I still like the characters, I think the formula was just being pushed through for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Comfortable
Review: Tony Hillerman's new mystery, "The Wailing Wind" is like an old friend in that its the 15th novel set on the Navajo Reservation and includes Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Like all his previous books, I enjoyed reading this one as soon as it was published.However, I felt that the storyline was a bit flat and the main characters seemed one-dimensional in this particular book. The new characters for this story were barely developed. The plot was transparent and didn't have much of a "mystery" I just felt that something was missing. Kind of like looking at the map of Navajo Land that is printed inside the cover. A careful look reveals that Crownpoint is missing. Was it worth the money? Yes, any Tony Hillerman story is worth both my money and my time but this one is less than average, based on my reading the entire series.
Rating: 
Summary: Working Backwards
Review: It is one of those accidents of a reviewer's fate that both of the mysteries I just finished reading turn on events in the past, rather than current mysteries. Each deals with this differently (the other was Laurie King's "Justice Hall"), but the reader knows from the beginning that it is the unfolding of a past tragedy that holds the keys to a puzzle taking place in the present. In Hillerman's tale, the past is recovered in fragmentary moments until it becomes a grim intruder in the present. In the present, Officer Bernadette Manuelito finds a man curled up dead on a truck seat in the desert. Mistakenly assuming it was an accidental drunken death she inadvertently mishandles what turns out to be a crime scene and finds herself in trouble. And so, Sgt. Jim Chee and Lt. Joe Leaphorn enter the case partly to help Bernadette, and partly to carry out agendas of their own. Chee because he dislikes the FBI and likes Bernadette, and Leaphorn because evidence in this case reminds him of another one where Wiley Denton killed a swindler, and Wiley's wife vanished without a trace. There is a Navaho legend of a Wailing Woman seeking in the desert for a lost child. Years ago, when Denton made his kill in self-defense, several students heard a woman's cries out in the nearly deserted bunkers of Fort Wingate. But it was Halloween, and the police filed the report away, more interested in the killing they could see. Years later Leaphorn is still haunted by that story and has never stopped wondering where Mrs. Linda Denton had gone. The three investigators pursue the case separately and together, until the threads begin to point to a set of conclusions that will both surprise and please the reader. One cannot help but enjoy a tale which mixes Indian ways with police work, where lore provides just as many clues as the forensic specialists do. Hillerman paints with a fine light brush, never using too many words where few will do, but never being so sparse that believability suffers. The characters, of course, are treasures. Waitresses and professors, shamans and tycoons all develop enough presence to remain memorable. No one appears by accident, whether they provide clues or comic relief. Leaphorn's relationship with Louisa Bourbonette developed with dry wisdom, and the chemistry between Jim Chee and Officer Manuelito intensifies, providing some interesting counterpoint to the story at hand. This is something like the fifteenth of Hillerman's tales of the Southwestern reservations, and he shows no sign of slacking off.
Rating:
Summary: Average Hillerman
Review: This is only an average Hillerman effort, but Hillerman's average is better than most mystery writers' best. It is more sentimental in tone than his earlier books. Joe Leaphorn, the retired "legendary lieutenant" is back, helping Sgt. Chee and officer Bernadette Manuelito untangle an old and and new homicide -- as well as their personal relationship. The plot as it finally unfolds seems far-fetched to me, but Hillerman makes the trip enjoyable with his practiced depiction of his principal characters and Navajo life in general.
Rating:
Summary: TONY HILLERMAN , PLEASE KEEP THE BOOKS COMING
Review: I COULD NOT WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK AND TONY HILLERMAN ALWAYS IS ONE OF THE BEST OF THE BEST TO READ. THE BOOK WAS TOO SHORT FOR ME BUT I CAN REREAD THIS ONE. ALL I'LL SAY IS IT DID BRING BACK LIEUTENANT JOE LEAPHORN AND IT JUST GOT BETTER AND BETTER. I ALSO READ NEVADA BARR. SO GIVE HER A TRY TOO IF YOU ARE A TONY HILLERMAN FAN LIKE ME.
Rating:
Summary: Back in stride, the master
Review: Tony Hillerman finds his stride again after the stumbling in Hunting Badger. A mystery that entangles lost gold mines, wailing ghosts, Navajo sacred places, infidelity and confidence games, The Wailing WInd brings Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together again. Leaphorn is retired but insatiably curious about a murder and disappearance that seem to be linked to a new killing. Chee and his new (and let us hope permanent) love interest, Officer Bernadette Manuelito, sift through the clues to find a killer and, incidentally, a basis for their own relationship. The novel is fast and fun. Hillerman includes his tradmark ethnic insights, such as the hilarious scene when Jim and Bernie stumble into an interview between a Navajo singer and the FBI agent in charge. Chee weaves his own simultaneous interview of the medicine man into the fabric of the "technical assistance" he is providing to the FBI's inept translator. If the last few pages get a bit blurry about motivations and character, that is a quibble no more germane than complaining about the meandering pace of a sweet old uncle who is a great storyteller. The twists and turns of the plot are a pleasure, anticipated or not. Non-fans may not enjoy this one. If you haven't read any of the Chee or Leaphorn books, read Skinwalkers and A Thief of Time, to get a sense of the context and power of the series. (And do not miss the PBS Mystery Theatre dramatization of Skinwalkers this fall.) Hillerman fans will cheer for Bernie Manuelito, chuckle over Joe's discreet intimacy with his "friend" Louise Bourbonette, and enjoy this new visit to a place--imaginary or not--where Anglo and Indian co-exist in harmony if not without conflict, the best of both races operating with mutual respect, and a crowd of people, men and women, we have learned to admire, respect, and love.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant but not Hillerman's Best
Review: As a reader of many of Hillerman's mysteries, though none within the past several years, I was glad to read once more of Joe Leaphorn, now retired, Jim Chee, and Officer Manuelito. The novel begins simply with Officer Manuelito dispatched to an abandoned car in a remote location where she finds a murder victim. From there the plot evolves into the search for a lost gold mine, an old murder case, a wife who has disappeared a number of years ago, and, of course, various references and ties into ancient Navajo and Zuni cultural practices. The book is short and I missed the detail into the New Mexican environment--of storms, of wind, and other descriptive lore that evokes the area--that Hillerman usually brings to his novels. Also, here and there the novel seemed a bit jumpy and not the smoothest plotting, as if Hillerman, now well into his 70s, is writing more from instinct, on autopilot, rather than from any great creative rush. Even so, a so-so Hillerman book is more satisfying than many of his contemporaries, and it is a relief to get away from the violence, nastiness, and loveless sex scenes all too often featured in other mysteries.
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