Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite Hillerman
Review: Ancient Ones is part of a series featuring two Indian cops. The story revolves around 14,000 year old skelton that could change the pre-history in America. The plot moves along and there are plenty of suspects/bad guys/victims/crazies. I guess my problem was all the hype comparing this to Tony Hillerman - it isn't. Mr. Mitchell does not catch the pathos of a Hillerman novel, nor should he. However, he does have an engaging voice and a sense of plotting. I thought the sexual politics pushed credulity a bit far and was a bit distracting from main plot. Overall, it is worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: THE ANCIENT ONES WOULD BE PROUD OF KIRK MITCHELL
Review: BRAVO KIRK MITCHELL ! I LOVED THIS BOOK !! THE ANCIENT ONES WAS A GREAT MYSTERY THRILLER , WITH BELIEVEABLE CHARACTERS. I KEPT GUESSING WHO DONE IT TILL THE END ! I WAS HUNGRY FOR MORE EACH CHAPTER . IT REMINDED ME A LITTLE BIT OF THE X- FILES TV SHOW .I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE OF HIS BOOKS . ANCIENT ONES WOULD BE PROUD OF KIRK MITCHELL AND HIS ENTHRALLING STORY TELLING !
Rating:
Summary: THE ANCIENT ONES WOULD BE PROUD OF KIRK MITCHELL
Review: BRAVO KIRK MITCHELL ! I LOVED THIS BOOK !! THE ANCIENT ONES WAS A GREAT MYSTERY THRILLER , WITH BELIEVEABLE CHARACTERS. I KEPT GUESSING WHO DONE IT TILL THE END ! I WAS HUNGRY FOR MORE EACH CHAPTER . IT REMINDED ME A LITTLE BIT OF THE X- FILES TV SHOW .I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE OF HIS BOOKS . ANCIENT ONES WOULD BE PROUD OF KIRK MITCHELL AND HIS ENTHRALLING STORY TELLING !
Rating:
Summary: A very gripping read...
Review: I read 'Ancient Ones' and the prequels, 'Spirit Sickness' and 'Cry Dance' in one week-end, that is how un-put-down-able I consider these books. This one kept me up well into the night. To comment on the much debated comparisons to Tony Hillerman: I am a great fan of the Leaphorn/Chee series, but personally, I am finding I prefer Mitchell to Hillermanm at this point. I find Mitchell's books faster paced and more complex, therefore more gripping. With Hillerman, it got too easy to guess who the bad guy was. It was always (or almost always) the white one. With regard to the relationship between Parker and Tunipseed, I think it ads a great deal to the story and in no way detracts from the plot. This level of character development is rare in these types of books, and I find it a refreshing change. It makes them real, flaws and all, as opposed to being two-dimensional cookie-cutter crimefighters. Strangely, no one seems to have a problem when Hillerman's main characters are involved in relationships. I wonder if it is the child abuse angle that is making people uncomfortable here. In any case, I am looking forward to seeing how Emmett and Anna's relationship evolves in the fourth book (I hope the author has plans for a fourth book in this series, if not more!).
Rating:
Summary: Exciting police procedual
Review: Illegal fossil hunter Gorka Bilbao found the bones in the John Day Canyon. He turned it over to noted forensic anthropologist Dr. Thaddeus Ranking, who immediately gave it to the Core of Engineers. The University of California at Riverside tested a metacarpal bone and reported that the remains are over 14,000 years old, male, and Caucasian, destroying all the theories on early North American man. Illegal fossil hunter Gorka Bilbao found the bones in the John Day Canyon. He turned it over to noted forensic anthropologist Dr. Thaddeus Ranking, who immediately gave it to the Core of Engineers. The University of California at Riverside tested a metacarpal bone and reported that the remains are over 14,000 years old, male, and Caucasian, destroying all the theories on early North American man. The findings upset several groups and fears that violence could occur has the Feds sending Bureau of Indian Affairs Emmett Parker and FBI Anna Turnipseed to not only witness the final examinations of the past, but to keep things safe. However, their presence fails to stop a killer from murdering, leaving the two Feds aware that they must work together to stop the individual before others die. ANCIENT ONES is at its powerful best when it concentrates on the battle over the authenticity and test results of the fossil. Surprisingly, when the novel turns towards the character development of its two stars especially as wannabe lovers the plot slows down. Kirk Mitchell writes a strong tale that will send readers seeking previous Parker and Turnipseed novels (see CRY DANCE). Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting thriller with an overdone ending
Review: In this book, Mitchell builds a mystery-thriller on a real incident, the discovery of an ancient skeleton in the Pacific Northwest whose features suggest that Caucasians may have peopled North America before migrants from Asia. The two government agents drawn into this case are Native Americans involved with each other in a complex and difficult relationship. The author shows off his knowledge of anthropology and Northwest Indian tribes, making mysticism part of the story. Things move along smartly for the first eighty per cent of the book, with additional violence, several suspects, and lots of misdirection. Unfortunately, the concluding chapters seem overdone (how many anthropologists live in mansions with Bat Caves beneath them?) Don't be misled by the jacket blurb comparing this to Tony Hillerman's work. Mitchell's work is more hard-edged, violent, and sometimes gruesome. The conclusion is politically correct but lacks the moral weight of Hillerman's best work.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting thriller with an overdone ending
Review: In this book, Mitchell builds a mystery-thriller on a real incident, the discovery of an ancient skeleton in the Pacific Northwest whose features suggest that Caucasians may have peopled North America before migrants from Asia. The two government agents drawn into this case are Native Americans involved with each other in a complex and difficult relationship. The author shows off his knowledge of anthropology and Northwest Indian tribes, making mysticism part of the story. Things move along smartly for the first eighty per cent of the book, with additional violence, several suspects, and lots of misdirection. Unfortunately, the concluding chapters seem overdone (how many anthropologists live in mansions with Bat Caves beneath them?) Don't be misled by the jacket blurb comparing this to Tony Hillerman's work. Mitchell's work is more hard-edged, violent, and sometimes gruesome. The conclusion is politically correct but lacks the moral weight of Hillerman's best work.
Rating:
Summary: "The NEW Tony Hillerman!!!!"? Maybe
Review: Kirk Mitchell's three Parker/Turnipseed "Indian mysteries" are the best, for topic and local color, of the genre by any of the "new Tony Hillermans." With Thomas Perry's apparent decision to retire Jane Whitefield, Mitchell has no serious rivals right now. *The Ancient Ones* provides an interesting (and pretty shocking) mystery, with a solution that will surprise and a dynamite conclusion. It moves the personal story forward, giving us a better understanding of Anna Turnipseed's psychology and getting the two protagonists past some of their conflict. Mitchell's stories are indeed a bit more graphic than Hillerman's, which is a generational thing, I think. They are certainly not particularly horrifying in the context of other writers in the genre, such as Andrew Vachss, Dennis Lehane, or Mo Hayder. The place to begin with Mitchell is the second novel, *Spirit Sickness*. If that works for you, try this one, then go back to the first novel, *Cry Dance*. Hillerman started strong and has been limping a bit in the stretch. Mitchell is growing with each book, and I'm confident the new fourth in the series will reflect that growth.
Rating:
Summary: Another Hit!
Review: Once again Kirk Mitchell hits the jackpot with Anna and Emmet uncovering the mysteries behind the Ancient One. Mitchell's style is quickly moving and exciting. His vast knowledge of the Native American ways of life holds ones interest and ties the story into a nice, neat bundle. His experience as a law enforcement officer brings credibility to his stories and always rings true in form and procedure. What's next? Even though this story has moved from the Great Southwest it is well done, but I need to go back to the desert and mesas of Arizona and New Mexico.
Rating:
Summary: Another Hit!
Review: Once again Kirk Mitchell hits the jackpot with Anna and Emmet uncovering the mysteries behind the Ancient One. Mitchell's style is quickly moving and exciting. His vast knowledge of the Native American ways of life holds ones interest and ties the story into a nice, neat bundle. His experience as a law enforcement officer brings credibility to his stories and always rings true in form and procedure. What's next? Even though this story has moved from the Great Southwest it is well done, but I need to go back to the desert and mesas of Arizona and New Mexico.
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