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orrtannabard's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lodatomy's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
endpaper's review
4.0
Really an exceptional mystery with fascinating cultural background and well drawn characters. Hillerman manages to create clear images in your mind without ever tipping over into overloaded prose.
amylynn1031's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
acarman1's review
5.0
Another great episode of Hillerman's Navajo Mysteries. This is the first one I've read only involving Jim Chee. It's also the first one to delve into the mythos and ethics of the Hopi people, one of my favorite indigenous groups. Though Chee, as a Navajo, is as much an outsider to the Hopi as Hillerman and myself, we see the respect people can have for those different from them as well as the consequences when some people groups turn differences into reasons for hatred. It also serves as the first time I've figured out the mystery before the protagonists. "The dark wind" referenced in this novel is the drive for revenge, something neither the Navajo nor Hopi have a concept of. They prefer to see things as being out of harmony and needing to be balanced properly again. Chee finds himself investigating the vandalism of a Navajo windmill on Hopi land, a crash of a drug running plane with no survivors, a crooked DEA cop who seems intent on pinning the crime on Chee himself and the death of a man found with his hands and feet skinned off-the sign that a Navajo skinwalker is making corpse powder. Is there really a witch at work or is it something more mundane? Will all concerned give into their drive for revenge or seek harmony for all? Once again Tony Hillerman has created a wonderfully evocative mystery against the splendors and hostility of the American Southwest!
carmenere's review
3.0
Like most of Hillerman's reads this was also enjoyable to me simply because he captures the southwest in prose so succinctly making his novels a quick read yet perfectly escapist. He gives Sgt. Jim Chee a profound insight into native american traditions and culture as well as a keen knowledge of his natural world and a sharp sense of humor. These are just a few reasons why I return to Jim Chee and Tony Hillerman again and again.