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Rating: 
Summary: Great fun! perfect summer reading
Review: Finally...a mystery so outrageous it seems unsolvable without breaking the bounds of reason...and a solution outrageous enough to work!! I loved how this book mixed elements of a modern police/detective story with Native American shamanism and even a little of the supernatural. I also enjoyed the characters, especially the old shaman Daisy ,a cranky, fiesty woman with a shrewd sense of humor, and Charlie Moon, the soft-spoken Ute police chief with an appetite for unhealthy food. After Daisy's young charge Sarah smashes a spider with her biology book, the Shaman tells her of how Grandmother Spider will rise from Navaho Lake to revenge her spider people. That very night something carries off two men...and then the strangely mutilated body of a third victim is found--the victim of a spider attack? Soon, Charlie Moon finds himself sorting through evidence so bizzare, even HE is starting to believe in Grandmother Spider...
Rating:
Summary: Great fun! perfect summer reading
Review: Finally...a mystery so outrageous it seems unsolvable without breaking the bounds of reason...and a solution outrageous enough to work!! I loved how this book mixed elements of a modern police/detective story with Native American shamanism and even a little of the supernatural. I also enjoyed the characters, especially the old shaman Daisy ,a cranky, fiesty woman with a shrewd sense of humor, and Charlie Moon, the soft-spoken Ute police chief with an appetite for unhealthy food. After Daisy's young charge Sarah smashes a spider with her biology book, the Shaman tells her of how Grandmother Spider will rise from Navaho Lake to revenge her spider people. That very night something carries off two men...and then the strangely mutilated body of a third victim is found--the victim of a spider attack? Soon, Charlie Moon finds himself sorting through evidence so bizzare, even HE is starting to believe in Grandmother Spider...
Rating:
Summary: Awesome...
Review: I am a new reader of Mr. Doss, and after reading Grandmother Spider, I will never pass up a book with his name on it. I can't wait for the next one, with the wonderful Charlie Moon: and the absolutely beguiling Ute Grandmother,Daisy: Police Chief Scott Parris: (did he ever get married?) The plot was one of the best, I had some of the mystery sorted out, but not all, it kept me guessing, and I was enthralled with the ending. Hurry up with the next outing, and keep the series going with this wonderful group of characters.
Rating:
Summary: Encounters of the forth type
Review: I met James D Doss when his 2 first books were translated in french; then I was hooked. So now, I am eagerly waiting for his seventh tale. I like Scott Parris, I love Charlie Moon, and I worship Daisy Perika; those three characters are wonderfilly written and the stories are ansolute little chefs d oeuvre. How can a man contrive such perfect timing stories, with little apparently meaningless details, which happen to be the real clues, I do not know, but indeed Doss deserves to be translated in many countries.And not only his stories are good, there is also some impish finny outlook that is just great. And Daisy, well, she is Daisy. By the way, Monsieur Doss, if you ever read reviews on AOL, please get better informations on the "loup garou", and buy a better french english dictionnary, because that is about the only failures of your stories.Champagne for you. NB When is supposed to be released White shell woman , how can I survive than long, "grandmother spider" is great, translate it soon in europe
Rating:
Summary: Is Grandmother Spider really a spider?
Review: In this hilarious send-up of Indian folklore and small-town police work, you never know until the end. Charlie Moon of the Ute tribe police does not think so, although his aunt, shaman Daisy Perika, is convinced of it. Scott Parris, local police chief, doesn't know what to think. One thing is for sure: A humongous black glob, with orange light and eight long legs, crawled over the countryside on April 1st.And probably killed a man. And also abducted two others. We meet Eddie Zoog and his beautiful niece. Eddie publishes books and produces videos on UFOs and other things that go bump in the night.Ancient Mattie Snyder goes after Moon for killimg her grandmother in 1879. Between Parris and Moon we get crackling funny dialog and an ultimate parody of anything that crawls through the night. A wonderful book full of wonderful ideas and people.
Rating:
Summary: in the tradition of Tony Hillerman
Review: On April first on Colorado's Southern Ute Reservation, Shaman Daisy Perika's young ward Sarah Frank steps on a spider, but fails to perform the proper ritual to ward off trouble. According to legend, Grandmother Spider will emerge from her cave under Navaho Lake looking for Utes to eat. That night, the two women observe an egg-shaped object with appendages emerges from the vicinity of the lake. Later two men disappear. One is found up a tree and the other is aimlessly wandering in the nearby woods. Neither one can explain what happened to them, but both are hospitalized. Rumors quickly run wild feeding fears, but acting Police Chief Charlie Moon thinks a more mundane explanation is behind the recent happenings. Adding to the consternation is the fact that one of the hospitalized men, a scientist with a top-secret clearance, vanishes without a trace. Charlie sees a link between the men, the strange creature, and a clandestine military operation in the area. However, to prove the connection, especially since he prefers mooning about his new love interest, seems impossible. Throughout most of GRANDMOTHER SPIDER mystery, the reader never knows whether he or she is dealing with the everyday physical world, a supernatural occurrence or two, or both. That is the beauty of this tale. The reservation combines the traditional tribal ways with a modern lifestyle. Especially intriguing is the premise that the two often fail to merge even as the tribe overall has adapted its culture to an encroaching twenty-first century environs. Readers will find Charlie, Daisy, and Sarah remain a delight as they retain their freshness in this caper that matches the best of Tony Hillerman. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Engaging characters, window to tribal politics
Review: Something strange has happened but Acting Chief Charlie Moon doesn't believe Grandmother Spider really has climbed out from her caves under the lake to rip a man's head off and sink her fangs into his body. It's just that the evidence seems to point that way. GRANDMOTHER SPIDER provides a view of Native American reservation politics and a number of truly engaging characters, especially Charlie Moon. Moon won't play the political games but would certainly like to be made permanent chief. His knack for justice goes beyond the book--he'll do what he thinks is right. Of course, this may also get him in trouble. Author James D. Doss writes with a light style and I found myself laughing out loud over the dialogue. GRANDMOTHER SPIDER is definitely a little over the top in a number of ways. Is it just me, or was the whole comando thing just a little much? I sat down to read for a few minutes and didn't stop until I'd finished the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great entertainment!
Review: This book isn't hilarious. It's just plain old good and funny. What a group of characters and a story that had me baffled until the very end and I'm really good at figuring these out! Can't remember when I've had such a fun time with a book. Mr. Doss' asides about what his characters are thinking are often very revealing about human nature and enough to keep you giggling to yourself. Good light reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Story
Review: This book was an easy read. I liked the mystery, but there was little build up of suspense. He's not as good as 'early Hillerman', but it falls in line with some of Hillermans more recent work. I think Kirk Mitchell probably does a little better job of building suspense. I do plan to read one of his other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Grandmother Spider
Review: This book was not entertaining. I suffered through each page. I hated the plot and most of the characters. I will never read another Doss book again.
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