Enemy Way

I am prompted to write this review in rebuttal to the person in Colorado that reviewed this book, giving it one star. I can not believe that we read the same book. I live in New Mexico and feel the Thurlo's discriptions of New Mexico and the Navajo way of life are researced well and portray things as they really are. I doubt that the person in Colorado has ever been out of the "big city" and even been on a Reservation let alone know what it is like in New Mexico. The Thurlo's have an exciting read with this book and you will find yourself unable to put this book down. I find I prefer the Thurlo's writing to Hillerman as I love reading from a female prespective. It is nice to see equality. You should definately read this book to get a true picture of our lovely state and it's Navajo people.

Because this book involves Navajo Police Officers and takes place out on the rez, people are going to compare it to Hillerman...I confess, that's what prompted me to pick it up and read it. I still think that Hillerman is a better writer, But I liked this story more.The existance of witches and skinwalkers, while dismissed as superstition in the white community, is very much believed by many Navajo. I like how this "supernatural" element is kept in the story making it an enjoyable combination of horror and mystery.Lots of real life elements in this story that keep us peacekeepers busy around the rez...gangs and alcohol problems are among them.For real life accounts of Navajo witchcraft, see also Rodney Barker's "The Broken Circle".

This novel was both very similar and very different toprevious outings in the Ella Clah series. It resembled itspredecessors with its continuing saga of the skinwalkers and their war with Ella's family. This thread was handled with the usual Thurlo aplomb, but I have to admit that my interest in skinwalkers is growing a bit thin. Although the Thurlos are skilled at handling story arcs, I'm beginning to wonder just how many skinwalkers there are on the Rez. They seem to crawl out of the woodwork with amazing frequency.This one was very different with the way it portrayed the internal workings of Ella and her family as well as the amount of violence in the novel. While this violence may mirror the "real world", does it actually reflect reality on the Navajo Rez today? The Rez is a microcosm of the US at large, but if my communityexperienced the same level of violence seen in this novel, I'd be gone on the first train out of town. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Ella, her family, and her peers at the police station. She's become far more aware of how her actions affect her family, and although she is perfectly suited to her job, she's started to notice what she is missing from life. Aimee and David are extremely skilled at painting a wonderful portrait of Navajo life with this cast of colorful and utterly believable characters. Their descriptions of the landscape are forceful enough to make you feel the bite of a dust storm and the sting of sand in your eyes. I also appreciate what they might be trying to set up for the next novel. We've had hints of attraction between Ella and Wilson Joe as well as Kevin Tolino. This is not addressed here, but given Ella's reflections in this novel and the death of someone close to Wilson, I think we may have a triangle of sorts in the next novel.Here's one reader who can't wait for the next book. Great job!

The Navaho has rarely known any peace since being relocated onto a reservation. Though they no longer fight with the whites, the Navaho remain besieged by enemies from within and without. Former FBI agent Ellah Clah is now a Navaho Police Special Investigator who straddles the modern Anglo and the traditional Navaho worlds. However, her position and experience make her suspect by the people she desperately wants to help. A drunk driver recently ran over her mother, crushing the woman's legs. Ellah investigates the scene and notices strange marks by the footprints as if someone was using a cane. Her old enemies, the Skinwalkers, used canes, making Ellah wonder if they are now targeting her family to get back at her. She and her fellow officers are also struggling with the proliferation of youth gangs with guns on the reservation. Ellah knows she must diffuse the brewing trouble before the Navaho Nation collapses into a civil war. ENEMY WAY is another ! thrilling mystery starring the Navaho's most famous fictional detective. This time the book pushes the sub-genre by giving the audience insight into the mindset of the entire Clah family as well as other members of the Navaho Nation. The numerous sub-plots blend well together, making the Thurlos' latest entry a fabulous Native American mystery.Harriet Klausner