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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not the best Hillerman, May 7, 2003
"The Sinister Pig" is another in Hillerman's long-running series of mystery novels centering upon the now retired, but hardly inactive, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. This time the plot is in part inspired by the continuing scandal over the mismanagement - embezzlement and outright theft may be closer to the point - of funds due to Southwest Indian tribes for oil, gas, and coal taken from their reservations under Federal auspices. An investigator sent by a powerful Washington, DC, senator to nose around turns up dead with a bullet in his back. It is Jim Chee's case - or at least as much of the case as the FBI will let him handle - but it is immediately clear that somebody with high connections back in Washington wants the investigation squelched. Meanwhile, Jim Chee has something else on his mind. Bernadette Manuelito, formerly an officer in the Navajo Tribal Police, has taken a new job with the Border Patrol, 200 miles away, just when Chee was working up his resolve to make his personal interest clear to her. And now Bernie has stumbled on some mysterious goings-on along the Mexican border that might tie in to the unsolved murder back home. Hillerman departs somewhat from his usual format by writing several chapters from outside the viewpoint of Leaphorn and Chee (and Bernie Manuelito). Unlike in most Hillerman novels, we very quickly learn who the bad guys are, although a mystery remains until the final chapters as to exactly what they are doing. In general Hillerman's villains are not especially villainous, their motivations often arising from quite ordinary circumstances that lead them into crimes they never intended. But in "The Sinister Pig" the chief villain is as close to plain evil as Hillerman is ever likely to get. One disappointment: an element which usually sets Hillerman's mystery novels apart from all others is their exploration of the culture and religion of the Navajos and their Indian neighbors, this being integral to the book plot and often crucial to the solution of the mystery at hand. In the present novel we see almost nothing of this, except for some peripheral matters that only touch upon Jim Chee himself. Washington powerbrokers are a less engaging group than the people of the Big Rez. "The Sinister Pig" is not the best of Hillerman, to be sure, and it might be argued that it works primarily as simply being part of a continuing series about characters to whom we have come to feel close over the years. But a Hillerman book that is not amongst his best work is still a good mystery. And readers who count Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as literary friends will want to find what has now happened in their personal lives. Hillerman's Navajo novels have continuing background stories that develop from novel to novel over time. Therefore, readers new to Hillerman would be well advised to begin not with this latest novel but back at the beginning of the series, getting to know the characters as their lives evolve. There's plenty of good reading to be had along the way.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
too far roaming, May 21, 2003
I've fallen in love with Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in all the other books involving one or both of these Navajo Tribal policemen. It's usually so satisfying to see the way the Legendary Lieutenant approaches a problem, especially in contrast to his younger colleague. So I've always must see what they're up to, and so should most readers who consider the mystery capable of plenty of literary satisfaction. As always, Hillerman's descriptions of the Navajo Nation landscape are wonderful; so real you can almost feel the charged air as summer thunderstorms build, hear water racing down the wash, see and touch the earth. Unfortunately, this latest book strays too far from home. Hillerman doesn't capture the beauty of the more southern desert and Apache country. While Bernie Manuelito is usually somewhat endearing, in this book her behavior is almost too wide-eyed to be plausible, especially considering she's a cop. And Chee and Leaphorn, as well as the ever-appealing Cowboy Dashee, seem like minor characters in what turns out to be a fairly stock spy/thriller caper, with a bad guy so bad he's almost comic. And the ending--please Mr. Hillerman--you've got to keep Jim Chee forever lost and questing! If he grows up, the world will grow old...
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Saving Bernie, May 19, 2003
It is always wonderful to open another Hillerman and follow the latest law enforcement adventure in the Four Corners. Meeting up with Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn is just like meeting up with old friends. And reading this newest Hillerman brings one quite up-to-date with each of the men, their current love life, and their efforts to solve a mystery of international intrigue. This is not Hillerman's best novel, but one can forgive him because he does present a fast page turner and educates along the way. Chee's romantic interest, Bernie Manuelito has gone to work for the Feds in the Border Patrol, and unlikely as it may seem, she becomes linked to a murder in the Four Corners. The pig involved takes on several meanings, but would be especially familiar to anyone in the pipeline trade. The double meaning, of course, indicates the greed that leads to corruption within governmental bodies. This tale involves Washington, D. C. subterfuge, and enlists the Navajo Tribal Police, U. S. Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Border Patrol, the F. B. I., and the Office of Homeland Security. Hillerman skillfully sets his tale in the midst of the real world worries of the 21st century. Will "third time's charm" work for Chee in his stumbling romance with Bernadette? The romance and the mystery intertwine for a comfortable quick read and satisfying solution. Can't wait for the next Hillerman in order to meet up Leaphorn and Chee once more. If you are a Hillerman fan, this is a must read.
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