dorothy_gale's review against another edition
5.0
1st of 11 of Hillerman's books that I read; introduced to him by my high school English teacher and was hooked!
damnedmuddle's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookfirefly's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
grifmk01's review against another edition
3.0
3.8/5
Not usually a fan of detective novels, but this one was pretty good.
Not usually a fan of detective novels, but this one was pretty good.
sunshine4me's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
For me, there were too many indigenous names for characters and places to keep them all straight. I could not picture what I was reading, therefore it was more of a chore to read.
acarman1's review against another edition
5.0
Hillerman's books are amazing and I finally got a chance to read the first in his series on Navajo cops Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. It is well written and evocative and in addition to highlighting real issues on a native reservation it is also the main characters' knowledge of Navajo beliefs and culture that enable them to solve a murder mystery. A strange murder on the reservation leads traditionally-minded Navajos to believe that a witch is involved. But the story they unravel is even more twisted than that and it takes Leaphorn's intimate understanding of how Navajo and white culture works and the differences between them that finally solves the mystery. Any fans of Native American mythology and murder mysteries will find a nice intersection between them here!
tabithar's review against another edition
4.0
This was fun. I've had this book on my "to read" shelf for a while. The scenery and inner view of Navajo interactions made the book especially interesting for me.
While reading it, I learned this author is a favorite of one of my co-workers.
While reading it, I learned this author is a favorite of one of my co-workers.
bookgardendc's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
scribejack's review against another edition
3.0
A quick but entertaining read. Being from New Mexico I also liked all the references in the setting. I will be reading book 2!
dave37's review against another edition
3.0
Holds up pretty well after 40 years. More a thriller than a mystery, but it still had some gripping story arcs, and intriguing characters. I'll read another.