Call number
MYST HIL
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Harper & Row (1988), Edition: 1st, 209 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML: Don't miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+! "All of Tony Hillerman's Navajo tribal police novels have been brilliant, but A Thief of Time is flat-out marvelous."â??USA Today From New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman, A Thief of Time is the eighth novel featuring Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee as they find themselves in hot pursuit of a depraved killer. At a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground in the name of profit, a noted anthropologist vanishes while on the verge of making a startling, history-altering discovery. Amid stolen goods and desecrated bones, two corpses are discovered, shot by bullets fitting the gun of the missing scientist. There are modern mysteries buried in despoiled ancient places, and Navajo Tribal Policemen Leaphorn and Chee must plunge into the past to unearth an astonishing truth and a cold-hearted killer. In his breakout novel, Hillerman paints a stunning portrait of the psychology of murderâ??and offers a heart-rending example of love and forgiveness… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member MerryMary
Another fascinating adventure on the Big Rez in the Four Corners area. Thieves of time are illegal collectors that dig up pots and other relics from protected archeological sites and sell them on the black market. This mystery includes illegal pots, a missing woman, an old case that resurfaces, a
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doomed love affair, and two of my favorite characters, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Show Less
LibraryThing member danhammang
Hillerman has a deep, from the heart, love of the land. It shows in his descriptions that bring geology and botany into the mix. And there is enough passing detail so that you could find things on a map and peruse images if you had the inclination. He is also a shrewd observer of human nature that
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is expressed in a whole gamut of Navajos as well as interlopers, good and bad. He is also a great writer. It is a potent, engaging mix. This was a great installation in the series. I'd gladly recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member AuntieClio
Academic competition is fierce, especially when it’s between colleagues trying to get to the historic pottery remnants first to prove their theory and get published. Oh, and recognition in their field.
A thief of time is someone who robs graves in order to take something. In this case, it’s all
The black market for pottery is hot, people will pay exorbitant amounts to own a piece of “authentic” pottery with questionable provenance. While Jim Chee is trying to chase down a stolen backhoe, Joe Leaphorn is trying to track down a missing anthropologist.
Personal baggage is heavy in this book. Chee’s relationship with teacher Mary Landon has hit the skids. She’s gone back to the midwest to be with her family and go back to school. In a letter to him, she expresses her deep love for him but sees no way around the white vs. Navajo conundrum they keep bumping against.
Joe Leaphorn is mourning the loss of beloved wife, Emma, who didn’t have Alzheimer’s after all but didn’t survive the surgery to remove a tumor. My heart sank when I read of her death. Interesting how easy it is to get caught up in the lives of fictional characters isn’t it?
While working their individual cases, Chee and Leaphorn eventually cross paths and discover they’re working the same case from different angles. The stolen backhoe is being used to uncover pottery, while a different anthropologist is stealing jaw bones to prove his theory.
A hike to a nearly unknown, unreachable Anasazi ruin, two helicopters converging on the same spot, and the case is solved. But this one seemed rather convoluted to me as it involved a decades old murder case Leaphorn had worked, a traveling tent show leading Navajos to the “Jesus Way,” and those using Chaco Culture National Historic Park as their base to study the Anasazi. Too many moving pieces to keep track of, and an unbelievable ending involving the aforementioned helicopters.
But the thing I have always enjoyed about Hillerman’s books is his love of the Southwest and his use of Navajo culture to keep his mysteries from being just another murder/stolen object procedural. His attention to the cultural differences pulls me in and keeps me there.
A thief of time is someone who robs graves in order to take something. In this case, it’s all
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about the Anasazi, a tribe which mysteriously disappeared around 1200CE. The ruins left behind appear as though the people planned on coming back, but never did.The black market for pottery is hot, people will pay exorbitant amounts to own a piece of “authentic” pottery with questionable provenance. While Jim Chee is trying to chase down a stolen backhoe, Joe Leaphorn is trying to track down a missing anthropologist.
Personal baggage is heavy in this book. Chee’s relationship with teacher Mary Landon has hit the skids. She’s gone back to the midwest to be with her family and go back to school. In a letter to him, she expresses her deep love for him but sees no way around the white vs. Navajo conundrum they keep bumping against.
Joe Leaphorn is mourning the loss of beloved wife, Emma, who didn’t have Alzheimer’s after all but didn’t survive the surgery to remove a tumor. My heart sank when I read of her death. Interesting how easy it is to get caught up in the lives of fictional characters isn’t it?
While working their individual cases, Chee and Leaphorn eventually cross paths and discover they’re working the same case from different angles. The stolen backhoe is being used to uncover pottery, while a different anthropologist is stealing jaw bones to prove his theory.
A hike to a nearly unknown, unreachable Anasazi ruin, two helicopters converging on the same spot, and the case is solved. But this one seemed rather convoluted to me as it involved a decades old murder case Leaphorn had worked, a traveling tent show leading Navajos to the “Jesus Way,” and those using Chaco Culture National Historic Park as their base to study the Anasazi. Too many moving pieces to keep track of, and an unbelievable ending involving the aforementioned helicopters.
But the thing I have always enjoyed about Hillerman’s books is his love of the Southwest and his use of Navajo culture to keep his mysteries from being just another murder/stolen object procedural. His attention to the cultural differences pulls me in and keeps me there.
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
An anthropologist who is studying Anasazi pottery goes missing and Leaphorn and Chee end up working the case for different reasons (as is common in this series). This is a great installment in this very solid series and I think it was the first one I ever read; I'm very happy that it is as good as
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I remember it. In this installment, the insight into how archaeologists and physical anthropologists work and how the black market works adds great texture to the story. The landscape descriptions and the characterizations are great as usual and Hillerman always weaves in a lot of cultural aspects into the story that brings an extra layer to the mystery. This is an excellent series and I am thoroughly enjoying this round of rereads. Show Less
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
good mystery @ Indian Reservation, culture stealing pots - good
A noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Navajo Tribal Policemen Lt. Joe Leaphorn
A noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Navajo Tribal Policemen Lt. Joe Leaphorn
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and Officer Jim Chee must plunge into the past to unearth the astonishing truth behind a mystifying series of horrific murders. Show Less
LibraryThing member dougwood57
'A Thief of Time' was Hillerman's 'breakout' book and led to numerous awards, although by the time the book was first printed in 1988 Hillerman had been writing his Leaphorn and Chee Navajo adventure mystery novels for some 18 years.
This tale takes Leaphorn and Chee into the field work of
Hillerman's stories are just a very comfortable read. An interesting mix of history and Indian culture with a good msytery and a bit of adventure. Some of Hillerman's other award-winning books are 'Skinwalkers'(1986) winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, 'Dance Hall of the Dead' (1973) winner of the Edgar Award for the Best Mystery Novel of the West, and 'The Blessing Way' (1970)a finalist for the Best First Novel Edgar Award.
Highly recommended for fans of mystery, adventure, and Westerns.
This tale takes Leaphorn and Chee into the field work of
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anthropology and archaeology, as well as the shadowy world of 'pot' collectors. The desire to make a breakthrough and the wide availability of off-limits ruins can be too much for some experts to resist. Hillerman's stories are just a very comfortable read. An interesting mix of history and Indian culture with a good msytery and a bit of adventure. Some of Hillerman's other award-winning books are 'Skinwalkers'(1986) winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, 'Dance Hall of the Dead' (1973) winner of the Edgar Award for the Best Mystery Novel of the West, and 'The Blessing Way' (1970)a finalist for the Best First Novel Edgar Award.
Highly recommended for fans of mystery, adventure, and Westerns.
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LibraryThing member Jim53
Hillerman's mystery is set on and near a large Navajo reservation near the four corners area. An anthropologist goes missing, and native American policemen Joe Leaphorn
and Jim Chee become involved from different angles. The case involves "pot hunters," who sift ruins illegally for pottery
or other
The veteran Leaphorn has submitted his resignation from the force as he nears the end of his bereavement leave after the death of his wife, but something about the case draws his interest. Chee, a younger man, is dealing with issues about being a Navajo or a modern American and the implications of this choice for relationships. The two men have a somewhat uneasy but respectful relationship.
The novel gives us a view of the anthropological world and the remote history of the area, as well as a look at the Navajo way of thinking about a problem. One feature that I liked a lot was the fact that when Leaphorn (or Chee) can't think of something to say, he remains quiet, rather than babbling as so many of us do. We don't get any sort of detailed view of the life on the reservation, but we get some hints.
The whodunnit aspect was ok, not great. I had guessed the
perpetrator fairly early, but there were a couple of nice unexpected twists. Hillerman's style is unexceptional but
unobtrusive and does not detract from the story. Overall a
good but not great read.
and Jim Chee become involved from different angles. The case involves "pot hunters," who sift ruins illegally for pottery
or other
Show More
objects that collectors will buy. The missing anthropologist might have been meeting a pot hunter or digging illegally herself.The veteran Leaphorn has submitted his resignation from the force as he nears the end of his bereavement leave after the death of his wife, but something about the case draws his interest. Chee, a younger man, is dealing with issues about being a Navajo or a modern American and the implications of this choice for relationships. The two men have a somewhat uneasy but respectful relationship.
The novel gives us a view of the anthropological world and the remote history of the area, as well as a look at the Navajo way of thinking about a problem. One feature that I liked a lot was the fact that when Leaphorn (or Chee) can't think of something to say, he remains quiet, rather than babbling as so many of us do. We don't get any sort of detailed view of the life on the reservation, but we get some hints.
The whodunnit aspect was ok, not great. I had guessed the
perpetrator fairly early, but there were a couple of nice unexpected twists. Hillerman's style is unexceptional but
unobtrusive and does not detract from the story. Overall a
good but not great read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dbree007
Joe Leaphorn and JIm Chee, two of my favorite detectives
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Things I really liked about this installment. First Leaphorn's personal life really comes to the forefront and there is an exploration of his coming to terms with the new realities of his life. Well done. Also, the relationship between Chee and Leaphorn begins to mature. They work together more as
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a team in this novel, with greater real regard for each other. Though the mystery is good, the character development really makes this novel shine in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member flutterbyjitters
Good mystery. I always enjoy a good mystery.
LibraryThing member KApplebaum
Yet another Hillerman, just as much fun as all the rest.
LibraryThing member ffortsa
Leaphorn is on 'terminal leave' which means he's retiring from the Navajo Tribal Police, but still hanging around, when an anthropologist and specialist in Anasazi pots goes missing. Jim Chee misses a backhoe heist and has to track it down. Of course, the two cases cross. Throw in an old man who
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collects pots and whose son killed the rest of his family years ago, an anthropologist trying to impress a beautiful woman, and the mystery of the Anasazi themselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookswoman
Excellent addition to the Hillerman stories set in Navaho lands in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Both Leaphorn and Chee are in this one which, to me, makes it a better story. I think the two complement each other and add some richness to the backstory as well as to the main story of
Chee is brought into the story because someone steals a backhoe while he is patrolling a local business, it had complained about people breaking in and taking a truck. Leaphorn is searching for a missing anthropologist who is working on documenting the Anssazi Indian race, who seemingly just "vanished" sometime around 1300 BC. Ellie's emphasis is on pots, specifically those by a certain potter who developed a distinctive style that could be tracked and dated.
When the two story lines converge Leaphorn and Chee start working together to solve the crime.
I'm still really enjoying this series and will keep reading.
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murder.Chee is brought into the story because someone steals a backhoe while he is patrolling a local business, it had complained about people breaking in and taking a truck. Leaphorn is searching for a missing anthropologist who is working on documenting the Anssazi Indian race, who seemingly just "vanished" sometime around 1300 BC. Ellie's emphasis is on pots, specifically those by a certain potter who developed a distinctive style that could be tracked and dated.
When the two story lines converge Leaphorn and Chee start working together to solve the crime.
I'm still really enjoying this series and will keep reading.
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LibraryThing member corgidog2
New Mexico, archaeological digs and the Anasazi take the detective on a murder investigation. A quick read.
LibraryThing member LTW
Set against the backdrop of the long-vanished Anasazi, Hillerman weaves a complex tale setting Anglo culture against the values of the Dinai, the Navajo tribal people. Elderly Joe Leaphorn and brash newcomer Jim Chee (with one foot in the spirituality of the Navajo healers and the other in the
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Western world) combine forces to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of an anthropologist. Show Less
LibraryThing member hailelib
Another enjoyable mystery featuring both Leaphorn and Chee. An archaeologist goes missing and their are apparently one or more people digging illegally at Anasazi sites and selling to collectors. Not to mention the theft of a flatbed trailer and a backhoe ...
LibraryThing member jjaylynny
Serviceable mystery with interesting details about Navajo life, the Anasazi (which I found out is a rather derogatory name for Pueblo Indians given to them by the Navajo), pottery, anthropologists. Not gritty enough (or maybe gross enough or creepy enough) for my tastes, but I've heard of Hillerman
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for a long time and it's good to have read him. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyAMcPherson
Excellent characterizations and great plot plus unexpected twists. Genuine portrayal of the problems with unauthorized digging and illegal trade of ancient artifacts.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
2020 reread: I am increasing my rating from 3 to 3.5*
I either remembered or figured out one of the 'twists' fairly early on but that didn't prevent me from finding this entry in the Leaphorn & Chee series a good mystery. I had forgotten that both Chee & Leaphorn are personally in transition in this
I either remembered or figured out one of the 'twists' fairly early on but that didn't prevent me from finding this entry in the Leaphorn & Chee series a good mystery. I had forgotten that both Chee & Leaphorn are personally in transition in this
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book - Leaphorn grieving from the death of his beloved wife Emma and Chee adjusting to the fact that Mary Langdon will never want to spend her life on the reservation. Show Less
LibraryThing member m.belljackson
A THIEF OF TIME shows Tony Hillman's mastery of Navaho time, mystery, and place while developing a plot that encompasses
Anasazi pottery, anatomy, and possible migration routes.
For those of us who have no liking for gruesome murder details, he holds this to a minimum.
Instead, he concentrates on the
with people, the river, and the ruins.
Hillerman's descriptions of the changing season and the environment are truly memorable
and as addictive as his plots. The opening of TALKING GOD is unforgettable!
I just hope that Leaphorn went back to free the tethered frogs and to convince the man to find a new hobby.
Anasazi pottery, anatomy, and possible migration routes.
For those of us who have no liking for gruesome murder details, he holds this to a minimum.
Instead, he concentrates on the
Show More
interweaving of the main characters, Leaphorn and Chee, as they resolve conflictswith people, the river, and the ruins.
Hillerman's descriptions of the changing season and the environment are truly memorable
and as addictive as his plots. The opening of TALKING GOD is unforgettable!
I just hope that Leaphorn went back to free the tethered frogs and to convince the man to find a new hobby.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
This mid-series Leaphorn & Chee novel seems to suffer a bit from ennui. Leaphorn's wife has died (in a previous volume) and he is now contemplating ending his career. Without his driving force, the story just feels stilted and extremely slow-moving.
Essentially, it's a so-so mystery involving
Essentially, it's a so-so mystery involving
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pottery thieves and academic conflicts among the archaeologists studying the Anasazi ruins. Show Less
LibraryThing member LGCullens
I remember reading most if not all of the Leaphorn and Chee books, back some years. I thought they were well written and good distractions from the then work-a-day world. I still remember scenes from them, but get mixed up as to which of the books the scenes were from.
For those not familiar, they
For those not familiar, they
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were Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member mykl-s
Hillerman's Navajo police stories kept me entertained.
LibraryThing member rosalita
A thief of time is the Navajo name for someone who steals artifacts from archaeological sites on the reservation. In this case, it's jawbones and potsherds from the abandoned cliff dwellings of the mysterious Anasazi people. A woman archaeologist goes missing, and even though Joe Leaphorn has put
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in his resignation he gets caught up in the search for her as well as whoever killed two men in the act of looting another archaeological site. The two cases are related, as is a long-ago multiple murder, and Leaphorn figures out how and who with the help of Jim Chee. A good entry in this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Leaphorn and Chee will be hundreds of miles apart when they reach the same conclusion in this quite complex and multi-layered mystery. Plot encompasses
Anasazi pottery, anatomy, and possible migration routes. L&C at their best
Anasazi pottery, anatomy, and possible migration routes. L&C at their best
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1989)
Anthony Award (Nominee — Novel — 1989)
Macavity Award (Winner — Novel — 1989)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1988)
ISBN
0060159383 / 9780060159382