Tony Hillerman: The Jim Chee Mysteries

I am a great fan of Tony Hillerman. I love his books. When he writes he makes the reader feel as tho you are there watching the story unfold. I am a retired Police Offier and I would love to work with Jim Chee if he was a real person. I am a book-a-holic. This is a club my 2 Sisters and I have formed. Great Book and writer !!!!!!!!!Elsie

Jim Chee takes himself seriously, but Tony Hillerman only wants to tell you a great story while inclucating in you some respect for a culture you may not know. If you've read Hillerman, I don't need to tell you much. The first Chee books are wonderful because they are the development of the character. If you started with later novels, go back and read the early ones! This collection is a great place to start! Ah, but then you'll be hooked, and you'll have to buy all of Hillerman's work! DO IT!! Your reading will tell you much more than my enthusiams will do here!ASM

I've read about everything Hillerman has written, and listened to most of his recorded Books on Tape. I'm an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer and appreciate his fascination and his realistic approach to this original American culture.

Tony Hillerman writes great mysteries with complex characters and beautiful descriptions of Navajo country. But when he came up with Navajo police officer Jim Chee, he created the perfect '90s man. Chee is gentle, spiritual, strong, mostly silent, and smart. Plus, he recognizes his own failings--and tries to become a better man. Whew! Who could ask for anything more? In this book of three earlier Jim Chee mysteries we get the best of Hillerman and a nice dose of all the things he's rightly famous for. There are insights into Native American culture, beautiful descriptions of the Southwest, intriguing mysteries and even a little love story. When Jim Chee falls in love with Mary Landon, a Wisconsin school teacher who wants him to leave the reservation and work for the FBI, two of the mysteries allow us to follow the development of that relationship as Hillerman explores the difficulties of a cross-cultural relationship. Chee's struggle with his personal life gives a great deal of texture to the mysteries, and his efforts to be both a Navajo singer and a policeman create tension between his personal and professional duties. Of course, the best part of these mysteries is Hillerman's marvelous grasp of character and place. Open this book and you'll lose yourself on the Navajo reservation with as interesting a group of people as you'll ever wish to meet in real life. Especially that Jim Chee character!

Hillerman, a former newspaperman, spend many,many years in the Southwest, and his novels are set in a land he knows very well. From the mesas to the Chinle Wash these three novels exude the bold topography of the Navajo Nation. Jim Chee is a member of the Tribal Police, struggling with one foot in the ancient tradions of his born-to and born-for clans while trying to assimilate modern mores. His on-again off-again love is Janet, a spirited Native American lawyer, whose thoroughly modern stance clashes with his ambiguous identity. Through Jim Chee we experience glimpses into Dinetah, the land, and culture of a fascinating people. The brushstrokes that create this world are deft, with a pyschological appreciation for each character. Hillerman creates a world for all senses to enjoy. Two stories are set in the Navajo Nation, while one begins there and travels to Los Angeles, CA. Layers upon layers unravel, as Chee investigates seemingly random and unrelated bits. I especially appreciate the culture interwoven into the story line, yet never felt this done in a heavy-handed way. Each novel is a jewel, each with it's own merits. Villians may be expected, or nearly the last person you suspect, but you'll have your consciousness raised while loving every minute of these tales. Atmospheric, sensitive and compelling Hillerman with have you longing for a trip to this world. I think it's especially telling that the author has been given the highest honor that can be bestowed on a non-tribal member: Friend of the Navajo People. The Dineh appreciate dry humor, and while Hillerman never creates sterotypes, he gently lampoons instead of deifying. Once you enter THIS land of enchantment you will clambor for more from this splendid storyteller and outdoorsman.