The Ghostway

Exterior of the book is decent interior is not. The pages are dark yellow and makes it difficult to read.

This is the sixth of Hillerman's "Navajo Detective" series and the third in which Jim Chee is the main character. In "Ghostway" Hillerman explores the conflict of a Navajo drawn to the White world. Jim Chee is in love with a White school teacher, Mary Landon, and he contemplates marrying her and leaving the reservation to take a job as an FBI agent. But he is also pulled in the opposite direction to become a "singer" and preserve the Navajo ceremonies that are being forgotten as the old timers die off. Chee's preoccupation with the personal choices he must make are always near the surface of this mystery novel. Hillerman, as always, celebrates the magnificience of the Navajo land and the Navajo's sensitivity to their natural surroundings. And, as always, the knowledge of their land and people give Hillerman's detectives the insight they need to solve the mystery. "Ghostway" begins with a shootout in the parking lot of a laundromat in Shiprock, New Mexico that leaves two men dead. The story is not one of Hillerman's best or most credible but the character of Margaret Sosi, an entrancing, 15-year old girl wearing a black pea coat makes up for plot deficiencies. We want this girl to live -- but Hillerman readers know he has cruelly killed off children in other novels in the series. Hillerman novels contain no sex whatsoever, but "Ghostway" comes closer than about any other to intimating that Jim Chee and Mary Landon might have engaged in something more than romantic conversation.

This was my first Tony Hillerman book. I got it from the library as a book on tape (unabridged) read by George Guidall. I loved Guidall's delivery and the way he talked with detached irony when describing the idiosyncrasies of the characters. Great mystery with a nice punch at the end. There's a point near the end where I questioned the wisdom of one of Jim Chee's moves that kind of detracted from the story a little bit (and conveniently set up the final punch of the book), but overall, I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.The scene at the "death hogan" was painted in such a vivid way that I could really create a clear picture of its desolate creepiness in my mind. The same was true for other places described. I've never been to Navajo country in New Mexico, but I had no trouble entering it while listening to the story. I loved the way the Navajo culture (and Jim Chee himself) were presented. Absent was the macho hero-warrior junk that sometimes pollutes otherwise interesting stories. I could relate to Jim Chee (who was delightfully human) and found the Navajo culture description fascinating, particularly as it's juxtaposed to modern "white man's" society.I definitely plan to read/listen to more of Hillerman's books, and highly recommend this one to suspense/mystery lovers.

I've read all of Hillerman's Jim Chee / Joe Leaphorn books, and this one is the best. A great detective story with a knockout ending. Hillerman carries the classic hard-boiled detective formula one step further, giving his detective a life beyond the crime. And Jim Chee is a great character: too modern to be a Navajo, too traditional to fit into white society. He's the ultimate loner. A great read!

I have been reading Hillerman since he first starting writing the Leaphorn/Chee series and enjoyed them all. The books and characters have become almost legendary and after reading FIRST EAGLE, decided to see if my impression of the quality of his earlier writings was as captivating as I remembered. I picked up the unabridged audiotape and have been in listening heaven for the last few days. What a treat! Hillerman's style has changed a bit - Leaphorn and Chee have both become more verbose - but the essentials that have made his books so readable are still present. May there be many more!

I have been a huge fan of Tony Hillerman's work and find his writing refreshing and inventive. The Ghostway was an insightful look into the funereal ways and myths of the Navajo. It was not only a murder mystery but a look into the mind of a troubled soul searching for the right way to live. A good read! You won't be able to put it down until the end!