Rating: 
Summary: A genuwine pig
Review: I first read Mr. Hillerman in 1973 or so. I enjoyed his wonderful blend of Navajo atmosphere and crime.He has been straying. As he gets off the rez, his books lose their impetus. This book is a great example. Very little to do with Navajo interaction with the larger culture. A lot to do with a pretty silly plot. At many points in the book, I found myself re-reading it, trying to figure out how X happened, as it seems to have been edited very slackly as well. Can't recommend this book, unfortunately.
Rating: 
Summary: Not best in series, but enjoyable
Review: I gave THE SINISTER PIG 4 stars because, hey, it's part of a good series with very likeable characters and it is a page turner. However, on other accounts it is lacking. The strength of the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn mysteries has been character and cultural setting. This time out, the story is plot-driven and largely takes place off the Four Corners Navajo reservation. Much time is spent on the "guest star" characters and not so much on our old friends. Thus, there is a thinness to this book despite a plot that starts off ambitiously snuffling up Washington corruption, post 9-11 paranoia, corrupt CEOs, drug smuggling, and other zeitgeist. The good news is, those who have read earlier entries in the series will be amused to find all of the other regulars finally losing patience with Jim Chee's romantic klutziness and variously taking him aside and essentially saying, look here, the time has come to get on with things. Also, Hillerman takes what might be his best shot yet at satirizing the bureaucracy. There is a great scene where the FBI, New Mexico State Police, Bureau of Land Management, DEA, and representatives of at least two other agencies are disputing jurisdiction and who should show up but Homeland Security, insisting on authority over everything and everybody. A last comment: the hardcover edition is riddled with publishing errors, mostly misplaced punctuation. Isn't proofreading on editorial job descriptions anymore?
Rating: 
Summary: Triangulation
Review: "Carl Mankin" a sort of nom de guerre is supposed to go to the four corners and find out how the pipeline system is bypassed to avoid paying royalties to the Interior Department for the Indians. The man has just retired from the CIA. His employer is named Slate. The amount not accounted for may be as high as forty billion. Mankin is afraid he will stand out as he did not stand out in the Mideast when in the petroleum producing areas. Mankin checks with the Department of Energy. A sort of target has been identified, Rowley Winsor, a sinister pig, who may have political connections. Winsor's grandfather made his money in liquor during Prohibition. Winsor's character is illustrated by the fact that he has arranged to have a Congressional intern killed because her pregnancy is an inconvenience to him. Jim Chee and FBI Agent Osborne learn that a dead man has been identified through the Visa card of Carl Mankin. The Carl Mankin credit card is in the possession of Delbert Chinosa who received it from Albert Desboti. Albert Desboti found the card in a billfold while cleaning a park. A renatal automobile has alson surfaced miles away from the body and the wallet. Joe Leaphorn, retired, is contacted by Chee and others seeking to unravel the identity and the goals of the dead man. Jim Chee finds a tie-in with information Bernadette Manuelito, a Customs Officer and his former employee, has discovered. He drives south to see her. It seems tht the dead man is really Gordon Stein. Both the FBI and the CIA as his former employer and other forces are withholding pertinent information. Bernadette Manuelito is in physical danger for having stumbled upon and photographed scenes yielding clues to the solution of the mystery. Fortunately Leaphorn and Chee come to the realization of the danger on time to be of assistance. The plotting is adroit. The characters, as always, are well drawn. The theme of the series may very well be Jim Chee's search for a mate.
Rating: 
Summary: The Thin Pig
Review: I think the author needed to flesh out his bank account, and so Hillerman fans will be disappointed at this novelette. All the depth of knowledge and depth of plot one cherishes in the other Chee/Leaphorn adventures is missing. A quick pleasant read, with a predictable plot, but don't expect more than that. The reader does learn a tad about Chee's vapid relationship to women, but even that is thinly treated, and it plays out foreseeably. This is not a Hillerman novel I will re-read. Glad I found it at the library, it will not be put on my own shelves.
Rating:
Summary: The Pig Has No Clothes
Review: For years, Tony Hillerman has been giving us wonderful plots, intricate characters and breathtaking verbal landscapes. With "The Sinister Pig," unfortunately, it seems Mr. Hillerman is growing tired of his Leaphorn/Chee series.
The plot of "The Sinister Pig," his latest in the series, is promising, but Hillerman seems to have lacked either the energy or the desire to flesh it out into what could have been a fantastic novel. Instead, what we get is a partially realized concept that clocks in at an anemic 240 pages. (And it's 240 heavily padded pages, at that, with blank pages between chapters, large type and heavy leading on the part of the typesetter. Let's face it: This is more a novella masquerading as a novel than the real thing.)
The book is also rife with proofing errors, including more missing question marks than one can count and at least one instance in which he accidentally refers to Chee as Leaphorn in mid-scene. That, plus a far-from-satisfying closing, makes "The Sinister Pig" feel like a rush job, as if Hillerman was more interesting in finishing this project quickly than crafting a quality piece.
Fans of Mr. Hillerman's work have come to expect much more, and they all know he's capable of top-notch fiction. Unfortunately, "The Sinister Pig" doesn't fit that category.
Rating: 
Summary: Hillerman strays from known territory
Review: Over the many novels in Hillerman's illustrious career, the readers have come to love the adventures of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, however, the Sinister Pig seems to delve off onto a parallel tangent of the mysteries we've read for so long. While both characters are present, it seems as if Hillerman wanted to introduce something else besides yet another murder mystery, that is a little political commentary of his own. The novel starts with a preface regarding missing royalties to the Indian Nations as it ties into oil profits and the U.S. government. While I don't dispute his claims one way or another, Sinister Pig clearly is a vehicle for Hillerman to present his personal viewpoints in a fictional manner and to make the reader really aware of this. The story itself, while good, is missing the magical sense of Navajo country and traditions the readers have come to expect from Hillerman. Gone are the beautiful descriptions of the four corners area, and the deep culture of the Native Americans. Instead we find Jim Chee at a mid life crisis, contemplating his life as a bachelor and his love for former Officer Bernie Manuelito. Joe Leaphorn is present as well, but his character steps down as a main player to that of the supporting cast. And while Leaphorn has his momentous 'breakthrough' in the case, his involvement otherwise is minimal. However, who does step up to the plate is Bernie Manuelito. Now as a Border Patrol Officer assigned to lower New Mexico, she stumbles across a corrupt department, and some 'fishy' on-goings at the nearby Tuttle Ranch. Something in regards to drugs, gas and oil pipelines, illegal immigration, the apparent murders of undercover government officials and of course and errant and deviant U.S. government. The novel is pretty fast paced and is a very quick read. Chapters are small and to the point. It was a good diversion for a Hillerman book, but I hope this was just a half way point to a much larger novel that will bring our characters back to the forefront of Native American culture and its roots in northern New Mexico.
Rating:
Summary: A Pig is a Pig
Review: This is actually more of an agglomeration of more or less related short stories than a real mystery book with a central plot and a few sub-plots. While Hillerman has done this before and usually does this very well, this is not his best effort. It would not be a good book to start reading Hillerman, you need to know the characters to understand some of the allusions.
One of the reasons I read Hillerman is his intimate acquaintanceship with a place and a people that I find interesting and yet know very little about. Usually he obliges by adding to my small store of knowledge about the southwest or Navajo life. This time the additions, and there were some, were very small. Hillerman needs to get back into Chee or Leaphorn and then write a story. This is when he is at his best - but he is still very good.
Rating:
Summary: Just not up to Mr. Hillerman's par.
Review: I was disappointed with this latest of Mr. Hillerman's books. I have read all of his books, fact and fiction. But this is too far roaming and so far from his normal stories. I am sure that he will return to his excellent way of portraying Chee and the others in murders around Shiprock. At least I hope so. I have always been a fan and will stick with him.
Rating:
Summary: Good, with a few caveats
Review: I really liked sinister pig, with the exception of the characterization of Bernie Manuelito, who I felt was short-changed somewhat. In this book, Bernie has decided to work for Border Patrol, out of frustration with her ex-boss Jim Chee, who has been a bit stand-offish. Instead of being satisfied with her new position, Bernie yearns for the rez and her friends. Jim Chee, meanwhile, is miserable without Bernie, but helpless as to how to express his growing affection I admit, I was a bit disappointed with the character development of Bernie Maneulito, who is my favorite character. Why must Jim Chee and the other male characters constantly rescue her? Bernie is a well-trained police officer and no longer a rookie! I was disapointed that the author chose to portray such a strong female character as a frail wilting flower, who just needed one of the men to help her out. Feh. It would be nice for Bernie to rescue Jim Chee for a change. Overall, a good book, with an interesting villian. But please, I'm a bit tired of the author selling Bernie short. What's wrong with Bernie being a cop? The book needs a few tough women to balance out the mostly-male cast.
Rating:
Summary: Best Tony Hillerman book in a long time
Review: I read The Sinister Pig a few months ago and was really impressed with it. I think that Mr. Hillerman is climbing back up to his former status as the best southwestern mystery writer. His last few books haven't been as good as his older ones, but this book was great. It had everything that made his old books so great and more. I can't wait until his next one.
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