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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jim Chee -- between White and Indian, December 19, 2002
This is the sixth of Hillerman's "Navajo Detective" series and the third in which Jim Chee is the main character. In "Ghostway" Hillerman explores the conflict of a Navajo drawn to the White world. Jim Chee is in love with a White school teacher, Mary Landon, and he contemplates marrying her and leaving the reservation to take a job as an FBI agent. But he is also pulled in the opposite direction to become a "singer" and preserve the Navajo ceremonies that are being forgotten as the old timers die off. Chee's preoccupation with the personal choices he must make are always near the surface of this mystery novel. Hillerman, as always, celebrates the magnificience of the Navajo land and the Navajo's sensitivity to their natural surroundings. And, as always, the knowledge of their land and people give Hillerman's detectives the insight they need to solve the mystery. "Ghostway" begins with a shootout in the parking lot of a laundromat in Shiprock, New Mexico that leaves two men dead. The story is not one of Hillerman's best or most credible but the character of Margaret Sosi, an entrancing, 15-year old girl wearing a black pea coat makes up for plot deficiencies. We want this girl to live -- but Hillerman readers know he has cruelly killed off children in other novels in the series. Hillerman novels contain no sex whatsoever, but "Ghostway" comes closer than about any other to intimating that Jim Chee and Mary Landon might have engaged in something more than romantic conversation.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eloquent narrative outweighs slow plot, August 15, 2001
Tony Hillerman's book are often marketed as quick paperback reads. Sure they are mysteries at heart but they are more than mysteries. Hillerman asks the reader to think. In this book, Hillerman is pondering heavy questions. The first underlying theme is whether Chee should leave the reservation for a job with the FBI. Since Chee does lots of driving in the book, we share many hours of internal debate on the issue. The second and more subtle theme involves aging and wisdom. While the core of the mystery involves middle-aged folks, many of the most valuable witnesses are very elderly. They are the people many investigators would ignore. I found the Chee's interviews with the seniors to be top flight writing. The actual plot is ok. Chee has to spend more time in Los Angeles that I enjoyed. Still, city life for Native Americans is a reality. There were a couple of annoying redundancies as certain plot points were revisited. The survivalist bad guy was pretty over the top and his excesses were quite unnecessary. Bottom-line: Not my favorite Hillerman but not a waste of time by any definition. For those who like to read their books in order, this is number six in the greater Chee/Leaphorn series.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous, engrossing book, November 7, 2000
This was my first Tony Hillerman book. I got it from the library as a book on tape (unabridged) read by George Guidall. I loved Guidall's delivery and the way he talked with detached irony when describing the idiosyncrasies of the characters. Great mystery with a nice punch at the end. There's a point near the end where I questioned the wisdom of one of Jim Chee's moves that kind of detracted from the story a little bit (and conveniently set up the final punch of the book), but overall, I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. The scene at the "death hogan" was painted in such a vivid way that I could really create a clear picture of its desolate creepiness in my mind. The same was true for other places described. I've never been to Navajo country in New Mexico, but I had no trouble entering it while listening to the story. I loved the way the Navajo culture (and Jim Chee himself) were presented. Absent was the macho hero-warrior junk that sometimes pollutes otherwise interesting stories. I could relate to Jim Chee (who was delightfully human) and found the Navajo culture description fascinating, particularly as it's juxtaposed to modern "white man's" society. I definitely plan to read/listen to more of Hillerman's books, and highly recommend this one to suspense/mystery lovers.
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