Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperTorch (2001), Edition: Reissue, 352 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Tony Hillerman's best-selling reservation series occupies a unique place in the world of mystery novels. By combining Native American lore and history with suspenseful crime stories, he enlightens and entertains his many fans. Hunting Badger takes you to the Navajo reservation where police sergeant Jim Chee is facing a thorny dilemma. One year ago, Sgt. Chee was part of an FBI search for two cop killers. The men were never caught, and Chee has always blamed police rivalry for the failure. Now several commandos have robbed a casino on the Ute reservation. Police suspect they are hiding in the same area as the cop killers. Reluctantly, Chee joins the manhunt, with Joe Leaphorn by his side. The reunion of Chee and Leaphorn adds a warm touch to this thrilling fast-paced tale. Mounting danger and suspense surround the two lawmen and friends as they close in on their prey. Based on actual events, Hunting Badger is a colorful as a southwestern sunset, especially through George Guidall's sparkling narration.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member dougwood57
Addendum: I initially gave ‘Hunting Badger’ 5 stars, but downgraded it to 4 stars for the following reasons. After I wrote my review I began to wonder why the ratings for this book on Amazon seemed to be all over the place. A number of reviewers stated that they were Hillerman fans but
However, one reviewer asserted that a conversation between Chee and Leaphorn concerning coal mine shafts was essentially repeated thirty pages later as if it was new topic of conversation for them. That comment bugged me. I used the ‘search inside this book’ feature on Amazon and, lo and behold, there it is on pages 192 and 222, the same basic conversation.
That’s inexcusably bad editing. I still rate the book highly because for me Hillerman’s tales are as much about the setting and the cultural background as it is about solving a mystery. What follow is my original review.
The Legendary Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn comes back out of retirement and Jim Chee gets back from vacation just as a tribal casino is robbed of $400K. What is worse, two off-duty cops working as security guards are gunned down. As is their common motif, Leaphorn and Chee are simultaneously working on parallel tracks in ignorance of the other's efforts, but they come together to solve the crime.
Hillerman sets this story in the heart of the Four Corners area, the Big Empty, and by the time I was done I was pining for a trip to the desert canyons. Navajo culture is also interwoven into the fabric of the tale. And Hillerman again creates believable tension between the Navajo and the outside, especially between the tribal police and the FBI.
If you are already a Hillerman, I think you will find this work especially enjoyable.
If you are new to Hillerman, this book may very well make you a fan. Hillerman has written some 18 Navajo mysteries. Leaphorn and Chee first worked together in 'Skinwalkers' (1986) and did so for four more books before taking a break. 'Hunting Badger' (1999) was their first book back together after about 5 or 6 years. Reading this series in sequence is really not much of an issue, but you may want be aware of the background. Several of Hillerman's books were also made into PBS Mystery episode a few years ago.
Highly recommended for fans of the mystery genre.
Show More
downgraded ‘Hunting Badger’ because of poor editing. Some of the complaints seemed ill-founded. The story does not tie up all the loose ends – the book’s part of a series after all – and sometimes things just get nicely wrapped up with all the bad guys in jail and the good guys riding into the sunset. However, one reviewer asserted that a conversation between Chee and Leaphorn concerning coal mine shafts was essentially repeated thirty pages later as if it was new topic of conversation for them. That comment bugged me. I used the ‘search inside this book’ feature on Amazon and, lo and behold, there it is on pages 192 and 222, the same basic conversation.
That’s inexcusably bad editing. I still rate the book highly because for me Hillerman’s tales are as much about the setting and the cultural background as it is about solving a mystery. What follow is my original review.
The Legendary Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn comes back out of retirement and Jim Chee gets back from vacation just as a tribal casino is robbed of $400K. What is worse, two off-duty cops working as security guards are gunned down. As is their common motif, Leaphorn and Chee are simultaneously working on parallel tracks in ignorance of the other's efforts, but they come together to solve the crime.
Hillerman sets this story in the heart of the Four Corners area, the Big Empty, and by the time I was done I was pining for a trip to the desert canyons. Navajo culture is also interwoven into the fabric of the tale. And Hillerman again creates believable tension between the Navajo and the outside, especially between the tribal police and the FBI.
If you are already a Hillerman, I think you will find this work especially enjoyable.
If you are new to Hillerman, this book may very well make you a fan. Hillerman has written some 18 Navajo mysteries. Leaphorn and Chee first worked together in 'Skinwalkers' (1986) and did so for four more books before taking a break. 'Hunting Badger' (1999) was their first book back together after about 5 or 6 years. Reading this series in sequence is really not much of an issue, but you may want be aware of the background. Several of Hillerman's books were also made into PBS Mystery episode a few years ago.
Highly recommended for fans of the mystery genre.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sail7
Hillerman's idea for this book stems from an incident in the the Four Corners in 1998 where three men killed a policeman during a traffic stop and disappeared into the canyon country, never to be found. The tale has parallels to this incident, but somehow didn't hold me quite as enthralled as some
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of the other Leaphorn/Chee books. Show Less
LibraryThing member ffortsa
What fun! This is the best Hillerman I've read in a long time, an invigorating story from the first page. It really moves without leaving out any of the touches of personality Hillerman is so good at. Jim Chee, recently parted from Janet Pete and just back from vacation, is caught up in a search
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involving a casino robbery, the FBI, his old boss Lieutenant Leaphorn, and Bernie Manuelito, as well as old legends and history. He and Leaphorn both show signs of recovering from the difficult events of their lives, and I look forward to the next stage in their parallel journeys. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Jim Chee returns from vacation to find himself thrown into what looks like another FBI debacle. A casino has been robbed, two policemen killed and the authorities are all jockeying for position in the ensuing manhunt. Retired Lieutenant Leaphorn enters the picture from another direction to help
This was a quick read, and I actually solved the case before the end, which I've never done with a Hillerman before. It didn't lessen the joy of the read however. Reading these books is like entering another plane of existence. Time runs slower, a person can see the scenery around them and feel the existence of the people who have lived there for centuries.
I don't keep these books, but only because my mother has them all, so I can borrow them whenever I feel the need of escape to the red country.
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Chee solve the case.This was a quick read, and I actually solved the case before the end, which I've never done with a Hillerman before. It didn't lessen the joy of the read however. Reading these books is like entering another plane of existence. Time runs slower, a person can see the scenery around them and feel the existence of the people who have lived there for centuries.
I don't keep these books, but only because my mother has them all, so I can borrow them whenever I feel the need of escape to the red country.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EssFair
Chee, with Leaphorn working in the background, solve a case while the FBI swarms over the area and with all their expertise manage to miss the significant clues. They are the first to recognize that some of the clues are a deliberate red herring left by the master mind of the murder/robbery they
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are trying to solve. Navajo and Hopi folk history become a significant part of the case. Unusually for Hillerman, the book ends with a shoot out involving Leaphorn and Chee. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
As I read this book I thought about how the training you give your mind helps you see things that others can't. I read this mystery and was surprised by how Leaphorn takes a set of 'clues' and then looks at them from a completely different perspective and sees a different crime. You have to admire
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that kindof thinking - even in a fictional character. Loved the way Leaphorn's retirement and widowerhood has changed both the way he interacts with others and also how they see him. Show Less
LibraryThing member iayork
Navajo Culture Wrapped in a Four Corners Mystery - And Bad Editing: Addendum: I initially gave `Hunting Badger' 5 stars, but downgraded it to 4 stars for the following reasons. After I wrote my review I began to wonder why the ratings for this book seemed to be all over the place. A number of
However, one reviewer asserted that a conversation between Chee and Leaphorn concerning coal mine shafts was essentially repeated thirty pages later as if it was a new topic of conversation for them. That comment bugged me. I used the `search inside this book' feature on Amazon and, lo and behold, there it is on pages 192 and 222, the same basic conversation.
That's inexcusably bad editing. I still rate the book highly because for me Hillerman's tales are as much about the setting and the cultural background as it is about solving a mystery. What follow is my original review.
The Legendary Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn comes back out of retirement and Jim Chee gets back from vacation just as a tribal casino is robbed of $400K. What is worse, two off-duty cops working as security guards are gunned down. As is their common motif, Leaphorn and Chee are simultaneously working on parallel tracks in ignorance of the other's efforts, but they come together to solve the crime.
Hillerman sets this story in the heart of the Four Corners area, the Big Empty, and by the time I was done I was pining for a trip to the desert canyons. Navajo culture is also interwoven into the fabric of the tale. And Hillerman again creates believable tension between the Navajo and the outside, especially between the tribal police and the FBI.
If you are already a Hillerman, I think you will find this work especially enjoyable.
If you are new to Hillerman, this book may very well make you a fan. Hillerman has written some 18 Navajo mysteries. Leaphorn and Chee first worked together in 'Skinwalkers' (1986) and did so for four more books before taking a break. 'Hunting Badger' (1999) was their first book back together after about 5 or 6 years. Reading this series in sequence is really not much of an issue, but you may want be aware of the background. Several of Hillerman's books were also made into PBS Mystery episode a few years ago.
Highly recommended for fans of the mystery genre.
Show More
reviewers stated that they were Hillerman fans but downgraded `Hunting Badger' because of poor editing. Some of the complaints seemed ill-founded. The story does not tie up all the loose ends - the book's part of a series after all - and sometimes things just do not get neatly wrapped up with all the bad guys in jail and the good guys riding into the sunset. However, one reviewer asserted that a conversation between Chee and Leaphorn concerning coal mine shafts was essentially repeated thirty pages later as if it was a new topic of conversation for them. That comment bugged me. I used the `search inside this book' feature on Amazon and, lo and behold, there it is on pages 192 and 222, the same basic conversation.
That's inexcusably bad editing. I still rate the book highly because for me Hillerman's tales are as much about the setting and the cultural background as it is about solving a mystery. What follow is my original review.
The Legendary Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn comes back out of retirement and Jim Chee gets back from vacation just as a tribal casino is robbed of $400K. What is worse, two off-duty cops working as security guards are gunned down. As is their common motif, Leaphorn and Chee are simultaneously working on parallel tracks in ignorance of the other's efforts, but they come together to solve the crime.
Hillerman sets this story in the heart of the Four Corners area, the Big Empty, and by the time I was done I was pining for a trip to the desert canyons. Navajo culture is also interwoven into the fabric of the tale. And Hillerman again creates believable tension between the Navajo and the outside, especially between the tribal police and the FBI.
If you are already a Hillerman, I think you will find this work especially enjoyable.
If you are new to Hillerman, this book may very well make you a fan. Hillerman has written some 18 Navajo mysteries. Leaphorn and Chee first worked together in 'Skinwalkers' (1986) and did so for four more books before taking a break. 'Hunting Badger' (1999) was their first book back together after about 5 or 6 years. Reading this series in sequence is really not much of an issue, but you may want be aware of the background. Several of Hillerman's books were also made into PBS Mystery episode a few years ago.
Highly recommended for fans of the mystery genre.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JoAnnSmithAinsworth
Terrific story. Easy to read while steeped in Indian culture.
LibraryThing member DSlongwhite
Another interesting quick read by Tony Hillerman. This book starts with Joe Leaphorn sitting in a cafe with Roy Gershwin and Gershwin is giving him three names of men who have just robbed the Ute Casino. Throughout the book, there are references to the botched manhunt of 1998 when the FBI took over
I liked the character Louise, a plump, middle-aged professor who collected myths. Through something she learns about George Ironhand I in the early part of the century, Joe and Jim Chee learn more possibilities of the hiding place for the current robbers and killers.
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the hunt for three men who killed a police officer. There is a massive search through mines and canyons. I liked the character Louise, a plump, middle-aged professor who collected myths. Through something she learns about George Ironhand I in the early part of the century, Joe and Jim Chee learn more possibilities of the hiding place for the current robbers and killers.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman is the 14th of the original Navajo Mystery series. It opens with a long introduction about the inspiration behind the book and acknowledgments to the agencies and people who helped take those events and turn them into a mystery for Jim Chee, Bernie Manuelito, and to
After a robbery and shooting at a Ute Casino, Joe Leaphorn is given a list of names by a man who wants to stay out of things but is being threatened by the men he claims did the crime. His poking around, mostly through listening to local gossip, leads Leaphorn to an apparent suicide with a note typed out on a computer. And that's what brings in the Navajo Tribal Police.
As with the first crime in 1997, the suspected casino robbers are believed to have escaped into the numerous canyons and washes near an old mining site. Chee suspects there's an easier way in and out of the area. Leaphorn suspects the answer to the riddle is locked up in decades old gossip and elder stories.
Hunting Badger draws a lot of its tension from the differences between Utes and the DinŽ, including long standing distrust and racism. The worst of the feelings may have thawed somewhat in the younger generations but not among Leaphorn's.
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a lesser degree Ret. Lt. Joe Leaphorn to solve.After a robbery and shooting at a Ute Casino, Joe Leaphorn is given a list of names by a man who wants to stay out of things but is being threatened by the men he claims did the crime. His poking around, mostly through listening to local gossip, leads Leaphorn to an apparent suicide with a note typed out on a computer. And that's what brings in the Navajo Tribal Police.
As with the first crime in 1997, the suspected casino robbers are believed to have escaped into the numerous canyons and washes near an old mining site. Chee suspects there's an easier way in and out of the area. Leaphorn suspects the answer to the riddle is locked up in decades old gossip and elder stories.
Hunting Badger draws a lot of its tension from the differences between Utes and the DinŽ, including long standing distrust and racism. The worst of the feelings may have thawed somewhat in the younger generations but not among Leaphorn's.
Show Less
LibraryThing member carolmt
It was an okay read.
LibraryThing member MorrisE.Graham
This is probably one of the best of Hillerman's Leaphorn-Chee detective series. Inspired by an actual manhunt on the Navajo Nations in which the FBI gave up the chase, concluding the suspects dead (what else could you say after the suspects disappeared into the vastness that is Navajoland.) Retired
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NTP Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn assists Sergeant Jim Chee and Officer Bernadette Manuelito on a hunt for the robbers of the Ute Casino and the killing of a security officer and the wounding of another. Hillerman uses his extensive knowledge of Navajoland terrain, culture, history, and the general politics of all things related to this area to masterfully craft a story that keeps you invested to the end. Also has a surprise twist at the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member Berly
As usual, I enjoyed Tony Hillerman's characters in [Hunting Badger]. Leaphorn and Chee are together again, this time solving a casino robbery. Once again, they must help the FBI solve the case. An enjoyable quick detective read and I liked the evolution of their friendship.
My Kindle edition had a
Hillerman: "I am sure there are writers self-confidant enough to forget this. What does this old babe know? But that was not for me. Like what St. Paul called his 'thorn in the flesh,' it wouldn't go away. I decided to put both characters in the same book to settle the issue for myself. It tried it in [Skinwalkers] (1986). It worked so well I tried it again in [A Thief of Time] (1988). Hurrah! It was the breakout book!"
All due to a confused fan. LOL
My Kindle edition had a
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lot of information at the end about Hillerman, his writing style and motivation, how he grew up and more. I enjoyed learning that he never envisioned Leaphorn and Chee working together until one of his fans asked why had had changed Leaphorn's name to Chee? She couldn't tell them apart. So Hillerman put them together so that he could prove (to himself!) that they were different individuals.Hillerman: "I am sure there are writers self-confidant enough to forget this. What does this old babe know? But that was not for me. Like what St. Paul called his 'thorn in the flesh,' it wouldn't go away. I decided to put both characters in the same book to settle the issue for myself. It tried it in [Skinwalkers] (1986). It worked so well I tried it again in [A Thief of Time] (1988). Hurrah! It was the breakout book!"
All due to a confused fan. LOL
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LibraryThing member rosalita
A better-than-usual entry in this series, probably because there's a large focus on Leaphorn and less on Chee and his hopeless romantic entanglements. When a policeman is shot in the course of a casino robbery, the ensuing manhunt brings dread to the minds of the Navajo Tribal Police who remember
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an earlier snafu involving the FBI and a botched search of Indian country in search of possible eco-terrorists. As always, the insights into Navajo culture are the highlights of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Chee relies on the retired Leaphorn quite heavily. Not sure that was plausible although Hillerman's portrayal of this character is always enjoyable. Intriguing twists to the plot although a repetitive theme of criminals hiding out in the labyrinth of arroyos and canyons is getting old. Bernie
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Manuelito is developing as an interesting, multi-dimensional character. Sam Nakai's death (Chee's maternal uncle) was passed over too lightly, considering Hosteen Nakai's influence on Chee. Show Less
LibraryThing member Michael_Lilly
Some editing problems, but I am willing to overlook them because it's a good story with characters that are favorites of mine.
LibraryThing member jlcampbell05
Three armed men raid the Ute tribe's gambling casino, kill a policeman, and disappear in the maze of canyons on the Utah-Arizona border. The FBI takes over the investigation and makes an explosive situation even hotter by naming a wounded deputy sheriff as a suspect -- a development that brings
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Tribal Police Sergeant Jim Chee and longtime colleague, retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, in to help. Show Less
LibraryThing member ccayne
I love this series and try to choose a title that is set where I am traveling and this was perfect. I loved learning about the mining industry in southeast Utah. Hillerman also explores the conflicts among the various peoples - various Native American tribes, ranchers, newcomers and law enforcement.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999-09
Physical description
352 p.; 4.19 inches
ISBN
0061097861 / 9780061097867