Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Harper Torch (2003)
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Tony Hillerman's mysteries offer a combination of Native-American lore and intriguing crimes that has made each one an instant best-seller. A wealthy Washington businessman will do anything to protect a covert operation that earns him millions of dollars. But when his activities attract the attention of reservation police, his power becomes as unstable as the desert wind.
User reviews
LibraryThing member ffortsa
This is an oddity for Hillerman. The story starts in Washington, with people we do not know, ends up near the Mexican border, and is more violent than other Leaphorn/Chee books. Not very violent, but just more. I found it an uncomfortable read, borrowing too much from the headlines and maybe things
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Hillerman is not so familiar with. Show Less
LibraryThing member soireadthisbooktoday
I normally enjoy Mr. Hillerman's works, and have a collection I like to return to over and over. This one, sadly, went straight into the box to go to the used book store. The editing was so horrible as to be a joke. It makes one wonder if his writing has always been this bad, and some UberEditor
It is also disappointing in that the story could have been exceptional, given a bit of care. This is an important issue to all the tribes, but should be just as important as a history lesson to all Americans as an indicator of just how corrupt the American government was in the past, and remains today.
Next time, I will take a little trip to the library before I automatically add the next Hillerman novel to my collection.
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has been working magic for all these years, or if he was just under a huge rush to meet contractual obligations and couldn't be bothered to actually write a decent book.It is also disappointing in that the story could have been exceptional, given a bit of care. This is an important issue to all the tribes, but should be just as important as a history lesson to all Americans as an indicator of just how corrupt the American government was in the past, and remains today.
Next time, I will take a little trip to the library before I automatically add the next Hillerman novel to my collection.
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LibraryThing member EssFair
Hillerman pulls in corrupt government and a corrupt millionaire from the East and sends Bernie off to become a Border Patrol. The dead body that starts the investigation is found on Navajo Tribal land but most of the action takes place near the Mexican border. Joe and Chee work together to solve
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this mystery and save Bernie’s life. Not one of Hillerman’s best—the ending is weak and Bernie is really saved by one of the villains having a change of heart. Show Less
LibraryThing member babydraco
Got this one for my birthday.
There's something off about it, but I couldn't figure out what. I know the book feels oddly short.
But I did giggle when I realized that Leaphorn and Chee are so similar to Sam Vimes and Captain Carrot of the Discworld. Like the Navajo version, which means Leaphorn is
"Honey, time to get smart. That man hurt your feelings. But he really likes you."
"Oh yeah," Bernie said. "He also likes stray cats and retarded kids and..."
I enjoyed Chee's interactions with his Hopi colleague too. And Officer Manuelito fits most of the famous requirements for a good female character-she even basically rescues herself from the people who try to kidnap her.
But then she sort of agrees to give up being a cop and marry Chee. It's not that I don't want them to get married, I do, but I wanted her to stay a cop. If she ceases to be one, then one day she "won't understand him" and the author will have to break them up or something.
Officer Manuelito is part of the Border Patrol and it's interesting to see the Navajo attitude toward illegal imigration as opposed to the "white person's".
There's something off about it, but I couldn't figure out what. I know the book feels oddly short.
But I did giggle when I realized that Leaphorn and Chee are so similar to Sam Vimes and Captain Carrot of the Discworld. Like the Navajo version, which means Leaphorn is
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not quite like Vimes (although neither one of them is supposed to drink). But as I read Chee's sometime girlfriend Officer Manuelito describing him to her friend it sounded an awful lot like Angua describing Carrot."Honey, time to get smart. That man hurt your feelings. But he really likes you."
"Oh yeah," Bernie said. "He also likes stray cats and retarded kids and..."
I enjoyed Chee's interactions with his Hopi colleague too. And Officer Manuelito fits most of the famous requirements for a good female character-she even basically rescues herself from the people who try to kidnap her.
But then she sort of agrees to give up being a cop and marry Chee. It's not that I don't want them to get married, I do, but I wanted her to stay a cop. If she ceases to be one, then one day she "won't understand him" and the author will have to break them up or something.
Officer Manuelito is part of the Border Patrol and it's interesting to see the Navajo attitude toward illegal imigration as opposed to the "white person's".
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LibraryThing member StephenHughes
Another good yarn from Hillerman. A good detective tale, but with a less explosive finale than usual, and with more new information about pipe technology than about Navajo culture.
LibraryThing member MrsLee
This is not my favorite Hillerman book, seemed to have a bit of a rant about the "drug war" and all. However, it was a concise little story, not so much a mystery as a way to forward events in the life of Jim Chee. I enjoyed the read, even if I didn't feel it was one of his best mysteries.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Finally! Jim has quit being obtuse and might actually have a healthy relationship with someone who he can make a real life with! There wasn't much of a mystery to this one, but certainly the premise of smuggling drugs was intriguing.
LibraryThing member amacmillen
Leaphorn and Chee team up to solve a mystery about drugs and corrupt Washington bureaucrats that involves smuggling of drugs through gas pipe lines under the Mexican/US border. Chee saves his girlfriend, Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito, from the Washington drug lord and and solves the case.
LibraryThing member kimreadthis
I did not exactly love or hate this book. It was just okay. This was the first Hillerman I have read. The Native American aspects were interesting, but there was a bit too much attention paid to geography for my liking. I think reading a book from the middle of the series may not have been the best
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method, since a history of the two main characters was constantly hinted at, but never fully explained in this novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member MusicMom41
This was our car book for the trip North and we finished in the two evenings after we got to Vallejo. I love not having cable TV up here—we read or listen to books for entertainment. This one had both Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn along with Bernie Manuelito. Hillerman obviously had a low opinion of
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some government officials and corrupt politicians. It was a lot of fun and intriguing. Show Less
LibraryThing member sail7
One of the better in the Leaphorn/Chee series. Like Hunting Badger, the seed of the idea behind the book is contemporary happenings -- Mineral/Oil Royalties due the tribes, oil, drugs. Hillerman takes the action to the AZ-Mexico border.
LibraryThing member egyarnetsky
Billions in oil and gas royalties earmarked for the native American nations are missing and a federal agent investigating the case is killed in cold blood on the Navajo reservation.
Navajo Police Sergeant Jim Chee tries to investigate the murder, but is strangely stifled by the FBI. Meanwhile
As these seemingly disparate cases connect tighter to each other and to Washington, Chee and Manualito find that the oil, gas and royalty monies are not the only things flowing through the region.
This book, the 16th in the series, is less steeped in Navajo culture than Hillerman's previous works and is not quite as enjoyable as others in the series. Even so, the Western landscape is lushly described and becomes an integral character in this novel.
Navajo Police Sergeant Jim Chee tries to investigate the murder, but is strangely stifled by the FBI. Meanwhile
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Chee’s former cohort Bernie Manualito, now with the Border Patrol, stumbles across an unusual ranch that her boss wants left well enough alone.As these seemingly disparate cases connect tighter to each other and to Washington, Chee and Manualito find that the oil, gas and royalty monies are not the only things flowing through the region.
This book, the 16th in the series, is less steeped in Navajo culture than Hillerman's previous works and is not quite as enjoyable as others in the series. Even so, the Western landscape is lushly described and becomes an integral character in this novel.
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LibraryThing member Leiahc
I normally enjoy Mr. Hillerman's works, and have a collection I like to return to over and over. This one, sadly, went straight into the box to go to the used book store. The editing was so horrible as to be a joke. It makes one wonder if his writing has always been this bad, and some UberEditor
It is also disappointing in that the story could have been exceptional, given a bit of care. This is an important issue to all the tribes, but should be just as important as a history lesson to all Americans as an indicator of just how corrupt the American government was in the past, and remains today.
Next time, I will take a little trip to the library before I automatically add the next Hillerman novel to my collection.
Show More
has been working magic for all these years, or if he was just under a huge rush to meet contractual obligations and couldn't be bothered to actually write a decent book.It is also disappointing in that the story could have been exceptional, given a bit of care. This is an important issue to all the tribes, but should be just as important as a history lesson to all Americans as an indicator of just how corrupt the American government was in the past, and remains today.
Next time, I will take a little trip to the library before I automatically add the next Hillerman novel to my collection.
Show Less
LibraryThing member eduscapes
I keep reading these books because I enjoy the characters. However, the stories are pretty predictable.
LibraryThing member ritaer
Intriguing mystery but suffered from too many POV characters.
LibraryThing member pussreboots
For Proust, flavors evoked memories. For me it's books. A place will evoke the book I was reading, and conversely, a book will take me back to the place where I was reading it.
The Navajo Mysteries, written first by Tony Hillerman, and now by Anne Hillerman, primarily take place within the bounds of
Bear with me. Until recently, The Sinister Pig was the last the original series I hadn't read. Library and local bookshops didn't have a copy, and while I love the series, I just didn't feel the need to do a special order.
Our favorite hotel in Portland maintains two "take one, leave one" libraries. On our last summer trip there, I stopped a hard cover edition of The Sinister Pig. Bonus! I knew we'd be coming back in December on our trip to Canada, so I made it my goal to read it and return it then.
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman is the 16th in the original series. Bernadette Manuelito has broken up with Jim Chee. She's now working off the Rez for the Border Patrol. She spots something unusual at a so-called exotic animal ranch that sets into motion a whole bunch of trouble. Meanwhile, a federal investigator has been murdered as he was in the middle of investigating something going on at the border.
Many of the books in this series are references to Diné stories but this time with the story only vaguely on the reservation, the title is instead a three way pun. There is the potentially corrupt cop (a sinister pig), there are the pigs that clean out pipes, and there are the pigs that get other pigs to do things, like the bellwether sheep. These three types of pigs related directly to the three mysteries of the book.
And it takes three characters to pool their resources to see the big picture. It takes Joe Leaphorn's understanding of how things were, Jim Chee's current investigational skills, and it takes Bearnette Manuelito's curiosity and out the box thinking to bring the clues together.
Now having read the other books in the series, and especially Spider Woman's Daughter, it was interesting to see Bernie and Jim figure out their feelings for each other. I knew how it was going to work out but I wasn't sure how they would get there. That was a fun bit of 20/20 hindsight.
And in case you're wondering, I did finish the book in time for the Canada trip. I dropped the book off on our way up and it was gone by the time we had returned just before New Year's. I picked up a copy of How Stella Got Her Groove Back which I plan to read and return the next time we're up that way in December.
The Navajo Mysteries, written first by Tony Hillerman, and now by Anne Hillerman, primarily take place within the bounds of
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the Navajo Nation. And although I've visited, I've never read a single one of the mysteries there. And yet, the books all evoke places to me — UCSB, Salinas, Pine Cove, and now Hayden Island.Bear with me. Until recently, The Sinister Pig was the last the original series I hadn't read. Library and local bookshops didn't have a copy, and while I love the series, I just didn't feel the need to do a special order.
Our favorite hotel in Portland maintains two "take one, leave one" libraries. On our last summer trip there, I stopped a hard cover edition of The Sinister Pig. Bonus! I knew we'd be coming back in December on our trip to Canada, so I made it my goal to read it and return it then.
The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman is the 16th in the original series. Bernadette Manuelito has broken up with Jim Chee. She's now working off the Rez for the Border Patrol. She spots something unusual at a so-called exotic animal ranch that sets into motion a whole bunch of trouble. Meanwhile, a federal investigator has been murdered as he was in the middle of investigating something going on at the border.
Many of the books in this series are references to Diné stories but this time with the story only vaguely on the reservation, the title is instead a three way pun. There is the potentially corrupt cop (a sinister pig), there are the pigs that clean out pipes, and there are the pigs that get other pigs to do things, like the bellwether sheep. These three types of pigs related directly to the three mysteries of the book.
And it takes three characters to pool their resources to see the big picture. It takes Joe Leaphorn's understanding of how things were, Jim Chee's current investigational skills, and it takes Bearnette Manuelito's curiosity and out the box thinking to bring the clues together.
Now having read the other books in the series, and especially Spider Woman's Daughter, it was interesting to see Bernie and Jim figure out their feelings for each other. I knew how it was going to work out but I wasn't sure how they would get there. That was a fun bit of 20/20 hindsight.
And in case you're wondering, I did finish the book in time for the Canada trip. I dropped the book off on our way up and it was gone by the time we had returned just before New Year's. I picked up a copy of How Stella Got Her Groove Back which I plan to read and return the next time we're up that way in December.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I don't read all of Tony Hillerman's books but I read enough to know the main characters and understand their history. This book ties together Lieutenant Leaphorn (now retired but still in the know), Sergeant Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito who has left the Navajo Tribal Council to work for the
A very satisfying story.
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Border Patrol. A murder in Sergeant Chee's area (taken over by the FBI who aren't divulging even the identity of the victim) ties into some work being done on a private ranch down by the Mexican border that Manuelito runs across. Chee and Manuelito care for each other but Chee would never say anything to her in the romantic vein. However when Manuelito is in danger Chee runs to her rescue and even a sinister pig can't stand in the way.A very satisfying story.
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LibraryThing member egrant5329
This was my first Hillerman book. It was good, but not great. Perhaps in his other books these characters are more fully developed, but they weren't developed in depth enough in this one to fully hook me. There were some interesting references in the book that suggest he knows history and the
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Indian tribes pretty well in the southwest. Makes me miss the Arizona/New Mexico area. Show Less
LibraryThing member egrant5329
This was my first Hillerman book. It was good, but not great. Perhaps in his other books these characters are more fully developed, but they weren't developed in depth enough in this one to fully hook me. There were some interesting references in the book that suggest he knows history and the
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Indian tribes pretty well in the southwest. Makes me miss the Arizona/New Mexico area. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
It was easy for me to become immediately interested in this story, having read most of the early Hillerman novels featuring Chee and Leaphorn and other characters such as Cowboy Dashee and Bernie Manuelito. Bernie is a fun character and I consider her an interesting personality with a lovely,
I dithered between a 3½- or 4-star rating due to some seemingly-hurried writing of the narrative. The pace of each scenario feels a bit rushed rather than Hillerman's trademark philosophical discourse. As well, the story ended with some unresolved situations. For example, the reader doesn't have the satisfaction of knowing that the corrupt Ed Henry was apprehended as part of the drug ring round up , nor is it very evident what the Washington backstory was really all about with senators and congressmen. I don't recommend this novel as a reader's first experience of Tony Hillerman's Navajo series. Just about any of the others would be a better introduction to these mysteries.
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assertive personality. As a love interest for Chee, she was a vast improvement over Mary Landon and Janet Pete. The mystery and suspense built rather predictably but nonetheless, I found the narrative engaging. The book is staying in my collection of 'enjoyable light mysteries'.I dithered between a 3½- or 4-star rating due to some seemingly-hurried writing of the narrative. The pace of each scenario feels a bit rushed rather than Hillerman's trademark philosophical discourse. As well, the story ended with some unresolved situations. For example, the reader doesn't have the satisfaction of knowing
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LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
The transition from Leaphorn and Chee to Chee and Manuelito continues in this late entry to the series as Chee and Manuelito find themselves involved in a high-level plot to move cocaine into the country via a series of disused pipelines. As usual, multiple people and plotlines are involved.
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Leaphorn's participation in this one is basically done long-distance. Show Less
LibraryThing member lbswiener
The Sinister Pig is a nice Leaphorn and Chee novel. It is just a nice story. There is not much suspense or guesswork on the reader as to who the bad guys are and what their motivations are. The Sinister Pig is just not up to Tony Hillerman's usual suspenseful/mystery/adventure story. Consequently,
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the book only received three stars in this review. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Another good one and the love bug bites on Chee & Bernie. The plot is pretty straight forward, but if it doesn't sink in at first, hard to follow. The DC connection, for example, is kinda muddy but the drug czar's role is clear. Ending leaves you without doubt on Chee & Bernie.
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
This novel starts off with Navajo Tribal Police sergeant Jim Chee finding a corpse in tribal lands near a natural gas field. The FBI is trying to take over the case, saying that it was a hunting accident. Joining Chee on the case is the familiar characters of Joe Leaphorn and Bernadette Manuelito.
This is a solid novel, perhaps a little better than some other Hillerman novels I have read. The plot is logical, the writing professional. The downfall is that nothing really stands out about this novel. It’s not the sort of novel that you’ll remember long after you read it. It’s descent enough to pass the time and is a solid read, but not particularly memorable.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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Conspiracies abound, and not surprisingly, the US government aren’t necessarily the good guys.This is a solid novel, perhaps a little better than some other Hillerman novels I have read. The plot is logical, the writing professional. The downfall is that nothing really stands out about this novel. It’s not the sort of novel that you’ll remember long after you read it. It’s descent enough to pass the time and is a solid read, but not particularly memorable.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member lschiff
One of his weaker pieces. Clumsy writing and very little about Navajo or Hopi culture.
Subjects
Original publication date
2003-05
Physical description
6.9 inches
ISBN
0061137251 / 9780061137259