The Wailing Wind (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "OFFICER BERNADETTE MANUELITO had been having the busy day, enjoying most of it, and no longer feeling like the greenest rookie of the Navajo Tribal..." (more)
Key Phrases: crime scene crew, tobacco tin, placer gold, Wiley Denton, Officer Manuelito, Jim Chee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A lost gold mine, a corpse in an abandoned pickup truck, and an eerie wailing heard on Halloween are among the delicious plot elements Tony Hillerman cooks up in his 15th novel featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. The two Navajo cops, one old and one young--who originally debuted in separate series but have been collaborating for many books now--are among the most engaging, fully human characters in crime fiction. As usual, Hillerman puts them to work in a suspenseful, satisfying tale that integrates a wealth of Navajo lore plus breathtaking evocations of the American Southwest, all delivered in prose as clear, clean, and easy-flowing as a mountain stream. Longtime readers will be delighted by several developments, including a prominent role for the appealing Officer Bernadette Manuelito and a glimpse at the phlegmatic Leaphorn's testy side. But Hillerman welcomes new arrivals as well, with enough exposition to get you oriented.

Many writers have tried to follow Hillerman's trail, setting murder mysteries in Native American cultural landscapes. Many do a fine job. But, as The Wailing Wind beautifully demonstrates, there's only one Tony Hillerman. In this book he's at the top of his game. --Nicholas H. Allison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The 15th Chee/Leaphorn mystery (after 1999's relatively weak Hunting Badger) finds MWA Grand Master Hillerman back at the top of his form as his two Navajo peace officers look into both a past and present mystery. Religious fervency and single-minded greed become strange but necessary bedfellows in a plot filled, as always, with insights into the lives and beliefs of the "Dineh." When an abandoned pickup truck turns out to contain one very dead white man, Sgt. Jim Chee's instincts lead him to bring retired Lt. Joe Leaphorn into the case. Leaphorn's trademark curiosity sends him in search of possible links between this homicide and another two years earlier. The first murder occurred on Halloween day when Wiley Denton supposedly shot Marvin McKay in self-defense after McKay tried to sell him bogus information about an old gold mine. That same day Denton's wife, Linda, disappeared; she has never been heard from again. Leaphorn's recollection of what had been shrugged off as a Halloween prank out at old Fort Wingate now becomes the itch he has to scratch. It seems a group of teens shortcutting across the area had endured a close call with La Llorana, a mythical wailing woman. The information he gathers adds yet another piece to the puzzle of the missing Linda. Chee is up to his elbows in not only the investigation but also in sorting through his growing emotional confusion about the beautiful Bernadette Manuelito. The seemingly insignificant turns critical and the loose ends tie up in one tidy conclusion as Hillerman repeatedly shines in this masterfully complex new novel.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch; First Thus edition (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061098795
• ISBN-13: 978-0061098796
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 12 in The Joe Leaphorn Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back in stride, the master, May 8, 2002

By	Mick McAllister - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Wailing Wind (Hardcover)

Tony Hillerman finds his stride again after the stumbling in <i>Hunting Badger</i>. A mystery that entangles lost gold mines, wailing ghosts, Navajo sacred places, infidelity and confidence games, <i>The Wailing WInd</i> brings Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together again. Leaphorn is retired but insatiably curious about a murder and disappearance that seem to be linked to a new killing. Chee and his new (and let us hope permanent) love interest, Officer Bernadette Manuelito, sift through the clues to find a killer and, incidentally, a basis for their own relationship.

The novel is fast and fun. Hillerman includes his tradmark ethnic insights, such as the hilarious scene when Jim and Bernie stumble into an interview between a Navajo singer and the FBI agent in charge. Chee weaves his own simultaneous interview of the medicine man into the fabric of the "technical assistance" he is providing to the FBI's inept translator.

If the last few pages get a bit blurry about motivations and character, that is a quibble no more germane than complaining about the meandering pace of a sweet old uncle who is a great storyteller. The twists and turns of the plot are a pleasure, anticipated or not.

Non-fans may not enjoy this one. If you haven't read any of the Chee or Leaphorn books, read <I>Skinwalkers</I> and <I>A Thief of Time</I>, to get a sense of the context and power of the series. (And do not miss the PBS Mystery Theatre dramatization of <I>Skinwalkers</I> this fall.)

Hillerman fans will cheer for Bernie Manuelito, chuckle over Joe's discreet intimacy with his "friend" Louise Bourbonette, and enjoy this new visit to a place--imaginary or not--where Anglo and Indian co-exist in harmony if not without conflict, the best of both races operating with mutual respect, and a crowd of people, men and women, we have learned to admire, respect, and love.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comfortable, May 16, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wailing Wind (Hardcover)

Tony Hillerman's new mystery, "The Wailing Wind" is like an old friend in that its the 15th novel set on the Navajo Reservation and includes Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Like all his previous books, I enjoyed reading this one as soon as it was published.

However, I felt that the storyline was a bit flat and the main characters seemed one-dimensional in this particular book. The new characters for this story were barely developed. The plot was transparent and didn't have much of a "mystery"

I just felt that something was missing. Kind of like looking at the map of Navajo Land that is printed inside the cover. A careful look reveals that Crownpoint is missing.

Was it worth the money? Yes, any Tony Hillerman story is worth both my money and my time but this one is less than average, based on my reading the entire series.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Working Backwards, May 14, 2002

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Wailing Wind (Hardcover)

It is one of those accidents of a reviewer's fate that both of the mysteries I just finished reading turn on events in the past, rather than current mysteries. Each deals with this differently (the other was Laurie King's "Justice Hall"), but the reader knows from the beginning that it is the unfolding of a past tragedy that holds the keys to a puzzle taking place in the present. In Hillerman's tale, the past is recovered in fragmentary moments until it becomes a grim intruder in the present.

In the present, Officer Bernadette Manuelito finds a man curled up dead on a truck seat in the desert. Mistakenly assuming it was an accidental drunken death she inadvertently mishandles what turns out to be a crime scene and finds herself in trouble. And so, Sgt. Jim Chee and Lt. Joe Leaphorn enter the case partly to help Bernadette, and partly to carry out agendas of their own. Chee because he dislikes the FBI and likes Bernadette, and Leaphorn because evidence in this case reminds him of another one where Wiley Denton killed a swindler, and Wiley's wife vanished without a trace.

There is a Navaho legend of a Wailing Woman seeking in the desert for a lost child. Years ago, when Denton made his kill in self-defense, several students heard a woman's cries out in the nearly deserted bunkers of Fort Wingate. But it was Halloween, and the police filed the report away, more interested in the killing they could see. Years later Leaphorn is still haunted by that story and has never stopped wondering where Mrs. Linda Denton had gone.

The three investigators pursue the case separately and together, until the threads begin to point to a set of conclusions that will both surprise and please the reader. One cannot help but enjoy a tale which mixes Indian ways with police work, where lore provides just as many clues as the forensic specialists do. Hillerman paints with a fine light brush, never using too many words where few will do, but never being so sparse that believability suffers.

The characters, of course, are treasures. Waitresses and professors, shamans and tycoons all develop enough presence to remain memorable. No one appears by accident, whether they provide clues or comic relief. Leaphorn's relationship with Louisa Bourbonette developed with dry wisdom, and the chemistry between Jim Chee and Officer Manuelito intensifies, providing some interesting counterpoint to the story at hand. This is something like the fifteenth of Hillerman's tales of the Southwestern reservations, and he shows no sign of slacking off.