Datasets:

ChunB1

/

books_raw

like 0

great book

Anything Tony Hillerman wrote is top shelf!

Hillerman has a poetic way of describing the setting for his stories. The stories include detailed information about the traditions of the Navajos...their beliefs and how they have Adapted to modern day living. I enjoy his stories because I knew nothing about the Native Americans. The story plots are always unique and the endings unexpected. He is a good Storyteller.

Great story teller.

Love it.

As always Hillerman fills my mind with pictures of Canyon De Chelle that I visited when in my teens. The meeting again of friends, Leaphorn, Chee, and Bernie, make my dreams complete.

Hillerman is always good.

Good background. Interesting premise that is believable. My only complaint about all of the Hillerman stories is the endings. The hero always has a miraculous escape. You can count on it.

Like all Tony Hillerman books the story caught you in a web of unanswered questions and great characters. He mixes in a tremendous knowledge of the Navajo traditions and spiritual beliefs.you get a story that keeps you guessing, you can't wait to reach the end, but, when you do you wish for much, much more, Try one of his 18 Navajo mysteries and I think you'll be hooked. Enjoy!!

I have loved reading tiny Hillerman novels. The books are a "you can't put down" type. Hope to read all his books

another great novel featuring life from the Native American prospective

Features the moment Chee realizes he loves Bernie. If you are a fan of this series its a big Yeah!!

Great. Just what you'd expect from a Tony Hillerman book.

Excellent writing by Hillerman!

Cant say enough good about this.

Having toured the four corners five years ago, I find his books even more enjoyable. This was another good read with an excellent plot.

Great author, well written books. A great read

Great story in the Hillerman tradition.

Can't get enough of Tony Hillerman

Good!

Just love Tony hillerman

Compelling, twisting mystery involving several law entities. The author skillfully weaves a varied story line of love, drugs, jurisdictional CYA and happily ever after's. Believable characters, entertaining and informative dialogue. I may re-read this book and always look forward to other works by this author.

Oh! this was a super thriller. But, then I have loved every one of Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee series. Now that he can no longer write more, I'm reading books by authors Aimee and David Thurlo, to whom Hillerman was their mentor. I enjoy getting a peek into the Native American view of life when it gets entangled with Anglo law, etc.

quick read from the most excellent author. fun

Best one I've read so far of Hillerman's (#4). I think this might have been his last one.

Not up to most of Ton'y novels but a good plot and fun read.

Not one of the best of Hillerman's Navajo series. Bernie is now in U.S. Border Patrol. On the job she unknowingly caught the attention of drug dealers. They feel she is undercover for Navajo Police and decided to kill her. Her Boss takes her picture which is shown around the drug dealers. Bernie's friend call Joe Leaphorn who puts the situation in perspective. He tells Jim Chee to go and bring her back. Chee asked Cowboy Dashes who is now working in law enforcement for the BLM to drive him there. Will they be in time to save Bernie and will Jim Chee understand why Bernie left the Tribal Police? A good light read.

Great story all of Hillerman stories are great.

Great.

Awesome reading....the scientific premise around Einstein's Time Distortion makes this a very thought provoking book.

I enjoy these books

excellent

Another great Hillerman Leaphorn-Chee mystery. As usual, Hillerman brings a modern mystery into Navajo reservation. An execution stryle murder leaves leaphorn and Chee puzzles and they try to unravel the hows and whys. Finally Chee gets the girl! This is excellent.

Predictably fun to read.

As with all his Chee and Leaphorn novels, Hillerman delivers a clever little mystery sat in the dark southwest that is very worth reading if you like his other books. There is a conflict between Bernie and Chee over them getting back together after a separation while an enemy lurks in the shadows to cover up a murder for well, you can guess the motive. I really like his novels since they provide a glimpse into Native American life which I rarely find in other books. He has a solid and established brand that carries on through generations of readers and novels like this keep the fire burning. Definitely a wise purchase!

I've always enjoyed Tony Hillerman books and this one is no exception. I love them because the detective mysteries are not predictable, the chance to learn about the Navajo culture, and the books are safe to read to any of my grandchildren.

I don't like Hillerman novels. It was chosen for our book club. .

You can never go wrong with a Tony Hillerman book. So fascinating, intreguing and sharing of the knowledge of the MidWest keeps the little gray cells entertained. Thank you once again Tony. Recommended reading .... top notched. Fran G.

This novel starts off with Navajo Tribal Police sergeant Jim Chee finding a corpse in tribal lands near a natural gas field. The FBI is trying to take over the case, saying that it was a hunting accident. Joining Chee on the case is the familiar characters of Joe Leaphorn and Bernadette Manuelito. Conspiracies abound, and not surprisingly, the US government aren't necessarily the good guys. This is a solid novel, perhaps a little better than some other Hillerman novels I have read. The plot is logical, the writing professional. The downfall is that nothing really stands out about this novel. Its not the sort of novel that youll remember long after you read it. Its descent enough to pass the time and is a solid read, but not particularly memorable. Carl Alves author of Blood Street

good book

Tony Hillerman is one of my favorite mystery writers. I enjoy his two prominent characters, Jim Chee, a young traditional & Joe Leaphorn, the older, but non-traditional Navajo. Following their adventures as radically different characters is most enjoyable. Hillerman's descriptions of Arizona's desert country & Navajo culture blend seamlessly into the plots. Sinister Pig is largely about Bernie Manuelito & her dangerous adventure with the Border Patrol.

Good

Once again Leaphorn and Chee engage in a joint effort to solve a crime, and rescue a damsel in distress! This time, Chee finally gets the girl! This tale starts of rather obliquely with the death of an unidentified man seemingly unconnected to the new border patrol job acquired by Officer Bernie Manuelito. The plot unfolds rather rapidly after Bernie's picture shows up in some bad places in Mexico. Actually, the plot unfolds too rapidly and takes away the mystery usually captured in Hillerman tales. However, the reader will enjoy an ending that hints of more adventures to come by a new two-some.

I have come to enjoy Tony Hillerman's books. My friend is a Navajo Indian who grew up on a reservation. She suggested Tony Hillerman as a good author to learn more about the Navajo culture. And she was right, I am. The Sinister Pig is easy reading and educational in more ways than one even realizes as they are reading. You don't have to pause to wonder what the author means, it is clear as day. The one thing I wish I had known before purchasing the Sinister Pig is the fact that the many many Hillerman books go in order. So, I did not have much background information on the characters. It is possible to still read it, Hillerman does provide some facts from previous books. But, I believe it would have been better if I went in order. It would have been a much more rounded book with more sympathy or empathy for these characters, provided by reading the previous books. Which I now plan on.

Not quite the Hillerman formula but done well just the same. All our old friends are in this story and it looks like everything can be wrapped up if Hillerman decided would be his last. However, it looks like there is at least one more novel and probably two. In this novel, we get to be into the heads of the good guys and bad guys from the start as they banter around. An ex-CIA spy with knowledge of the oil industry is sent to find out information on how oil companies bypass paying royalty money to the First Nations Trust Fund. He ends up committing suicide with a bullet in the back. Mean while way down south Bernie now with the U.S. Customs Service gets lost, goes off the map, and puts her foot in it. Bernie's co-worker gets suspicious and tells Joe. Jim gets out some snaps; Joe gets out his maps; Bourbonette gets out the coffee and brains. They hold a committee to figure out what is happening. Will Bernie smell what she stepped in, or just walk right in to her demise? Will the cavalry arrive over the hill in time (does not look promising?) Who or what is the "Sinister Pig?"

Very good writing. I miss Tony HIllerman.

I love Tony Hillerman's work and am sad that he is no longer with us to tell great Leaphorn/Chee stories. I lived in Farmington, NM for many years and am familiar with the Navajo Tribe and the many beautiful landscapes and places he describes. His books are always respectful of Navajo culture and a great read!

Just in time for alzheimers onset. I can read them all over again! Seriously Hillerman tells an excellent story and you get a window into another culture in the background.

I believe this was Tony Hillerman's last work before his death? If so, it is a fitting last hurrah to a stellar writing career. Plot, characterization, dialogue were all imaginative and superbly written. It is a story of good (Leaphorn and Chee) and innocence (Bernadette Manuelito) vs super-rich and powerful evil, and a man who redeems himself from evil through his love for a good, although flawed, woman. Good, innocence, and redemption, after much suspense emerge victorious, of course, and my only disappointment is that the author did not give the villain a more fitting end. I will miss Hillerman and his characters, his respect for American Indian culture, and the thoroughly Catholic world view that underlies his novels. Requiescat in Pace.

Moves Jim and Bernadette along--with some dope dealers. Another "sinister Easterner disturbs hotzo" yarn, complete with some good bad guys.

Many good characters and story lines. Only one character's story is completed at the end of the book. Leaves you wanting more story about what happens to the everyone else.

Tony Hillerman has done it again!! He is such a great storyteller;and I absolutely loved Bernie 's character in this book.

If you like Tony Hillerman's characters and style of writing, this book does not disappoint. Another good read from a good writer.

I gave this book five stars because it is fast paced, suspenseful, and a good time. It builds up the characters in new ways, and brings closure to some ongoing story lines.

While most of Hillermans Joe Leaphorn novels rest on a strong sense of place, this one could take place almost anywhere. It also shifts the focus from the retired Leaphorn to Jim Chee and especially Bernie Manuelito. I found some of their decisions puzzling, to say the least. The plot here is also weaker than others. The story rests on a device that I have seen elsewhere, in both film and novels, including a variant in one of the older James Bond movies. Its not that mysterious, and unfortunately I did not find the denouement at all credible. Still, Hillerman knows how to move a story along. Its a decent airplane read.

Every Hillerman novel is wonderful and deserves multiple readings. I even like the one written by his daughter. I have all of Hillerman's novels (except the Vietnam one).

I have been a Tony Hillerman fan for years. When I ordered this audio book it was because of the title. Listened to this story while exiting Colorado. The mountains and sand dunes were my vista. The story was light but tangled.

I was glued to every word! I'm not accustomed to hearing background info on books I love by the author.

I have read many of the Hillerman books and enjoyed them immensely. The later books, however, were not up to his earlier work, I am sorry to report. The story gets near the end, and it seems like someone else had to finish the story.

This is older offering of Hillerman's, but the title intrigued me, so I ordered it. I was not at all disappointed and learned the reason for the title to be very interesting.

I have read all of the Leaphorn/Chee mysteries, I was disappointed when Mr. Hillerman passed away, and was no longer writing any more of these great mysteries.

Tony HIllerman books are always excellent reading. If you haven't read any, don't wait any longer. kWorth your time and money.

Have read most of Tony Hillerman's novels. I always enjoy his Chee and Leaphorn stories. I wish all of them were available for my Kindle Fire.

I really appreciate his writing style and love the twists and turns his stories take. The last 3 books I have not yet read in paperback I have now read on my kindle.

Officer Bernadette Manuelito is a good investigator intrepid, clever and resourceful. But it's these very qualities that seem to get her in difficulties. Now she's no longer a cop working for Sergeant Chee at Shiprock. Partly to forget Chee, who's failing to get romantic, she takes a job on the Mexican border. There she encounters some shady characters and dicey situations on a mysterious ranch stocked with exotic game animals. Chee meanwhile is occupied with a mysteriously well-dressed unidentified dead body. Leaphorn too gets involved in this case. But neither is too busy to worry about Bernie and get involved in her complications. Bernie gets a quick education on border patrolling, and so do we. There is a wonderfully despicable villain in the plot, and an unexpected hero. Chee's best friend Cowboy Dashee also plays a role. He's an Apache and prone to poke fun at Navajos, the heredity enemy of his tribe. His quips are always amusing. The Leaphorn and Chee mysteries are consistently delightful, with clever plots, tense action, engaging characters, terrific atmosphere, and always a fascinating picture of Native American culture in New Mexico. But I will add that my husband, a fellow Hillerman fan, found this book a bit weak with the contrivance of too many coincidences. I also read in a book by Anne Hillerman that The Sinister Pig gave Hillerman the most trouble of all his books, because he was less familiar with the location. I love these books so much that I'm not critical of the contrivances. But see what you think.

You cannot go wrong with a Hillerman novel! He has created real, sympathetic characters in Leaphorn and Chee, and treats the Navajo culture with respect and affection, and the plots are interesting and engrossing. Get all the books! You will not regret it.

I thought I'd already read all of Mr. Hillerman's mysteries, but somehow I missed this one. It was up to his usual standards and I enjoyed reading it. Mr. Hillerman's knowledge of and respect for Native American cultures and his thorough research means that I always learn something new.

Extremely well written book using all of Tony's characters in a very unique way. Combining several cultures, geographical areas and plots. Wish this was not his last. I will miss Tony and hope his daughter continues in his wake.

Another example of a wonderful experience through a mystery with twists and turns only possible by the pen of a master storyteller. Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn are like old true friends and I am always excited to look in on their lives and travel with them one more time. Well done.

Somewhat simple for those of us used to Elizabeth George or le Carre. Character are flat; location and native american focus interesting.

This is one of HIllerman's novels that I probably won't be re-reading. It was good but not at the top of my list. I did like it better than Finding Moon.

Okay, I'm a Hillerman fan. I always enjoy the peeks into southwestern native American culture with a good mystery woven in.

a gift to the aging grandma. She enjoys this author very much, what a bonus to find it in large print.

I love Tony Hillerman's novels. He has such a great blend of suspense, humor, and conflicts/resolution of human interaction. He represents the Navajo/Hopi view of the world as it coexists with the mainstream American culture. It's just really enjoyable to settle in with a Tony Hillerman novel.

I have ordered many Tony Hillerman books for my mother, so I am basing review on her input. She absolutely loved both of these books - she has read every one from this author and wished there were more (the author passed away in 2008). Forever Rest in Peace Tony.

I enjoy Hillermans books. He adds twists u don't see coming. I also enjoy the cultural lessons. Good reading, enjoy

Hillerman not only takes me back "home" with his descriptions of both the Four Corners area of the United States, but also displays wonderful character development that runs true throughout his Navajo mysteries. I also find the interweaving of the "sacred" mythology of the area and the native peoples, brilliant, without comparison. He honors the people and their ways as well as spinning a wondrous story that keeps the reader tantalized, wanting more!

I have the paperback collection of Tony Hillerman's books and pass them around to friends to read. Since they are not on my shelves all the time, I wanted to acquire the e-book versions in order to have them on hand for me.

I like all of the Navajo novels that Tony Hillerman has written. The characters and the plots and the vivid descriptions of the land and culture are facinating.

Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police and his retired partner Joe Leaphorn investigate related cases involving people and drug smuggling across the US-Mexico border and Indian oil-gas production fraud. Their relationship with the Federal authorities again focus on the arrogance and incompetence of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI. Their colleague Bernie Manuelito, formerly with the Navajo Tribal Police and now with the Border Patrol, is instrumental in discovering the tie between the dope smuggling and people smuggling, with exploitation of Mexicans being smuggled into the US. The Navajo officers, with help from an Apache colleague put the pieces together to find the link between the fraud and border cases and the murder on tribal land that pointed to both.

I am a fan of Tony Hillerman and have read a lot of his books so my review is naturally prejudiced and that is not bad. The book lives up to his usual standard of excellence and was fun to read while at the same time giving me an opportunity to look into the way of the native americans in a very positive and insightful manner. I did not read it expecting anything other than to be entertained so cannot comment on anything but his ability as a storyteller -- great storyteller.

Informative as to oil pipeline maintenance and function. A good read. Hillerman respects the Indian Nation and is as comfortable to be with as a favorite chair in front of a slow burning fireplace.

Having lived in the 4 corners area for a few years and working with the Native Americans for several years makes his books great for bringing back memories of the area and the great people who live there 1

This is a terrific book, and I am so glad that Tony Hillerman's books are being re-issued. He was a wonderful author, and really gets to the heart of Native Ameruican culture. He is definitely one of my favorite authors!

This book came quickly and was in the condition stated. Having spent some time with the Navajo people, it is refreshing to read a work that gets it right about our Native American friends.

If you're thinking of buying The Sinister Pig to get your Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee fix, you might want to look for another Hillerman novel. This book centers on Chee's new love, Officer Bernadette Manuelito, once a member of the Navajo police force. As the book opens, Bernie, as she's called, has transferred to the Border Patrol. She's miserable because she misses Chee, but he had never told her how he felt about her, so she left . . . Well, it's an old story. Meanwhile, Chee is agonizing about her being gone, but doesn't want to pick up the phone and call her or go to see her because she might tell him to get lost or . . . Yeah, an old story. With this kind of start, a reader might think it's going to be the old saw about the man rescuing his lovely girlfriend, realizing how much he loves her, and they live happily ever after. Well, not quite. Getting to the end of this tale, however, is far from a straight line as Hillerman concentrates on one plot point, then another, then another. It would seem that he heard about how the "pig" is used to clean pipelines and decided it would make a good story. It certainly is the centerpiece of this story. Oh, that and a hit man who . . . Mustn't give that away either. For all its seeming shortcomings, The Sinister Pig provides bits of Leaphorn and Chee for diehard Hillerman fans to enjoy and descriptions of New Mexico to ponder. It's short and a quick read, more a novella really, while not fully satisfying, not terribly disappointing either.

The consensus on Amazon clearly seems to be that The Sinister Pig is one of Hillerman's lesser works. In some ways, I'd agree. It's certainly different, in important respects, from his other mysteries set in the Four Corners region. Primarily, it lacks the anthropological focus that's helped to make Hillerman's mysteries so unique and enjoyable over the years. The Native American cultures, which provide surprising depth to the characters as they negotiate their identities up against their traditions, and which also establish the cosmic setting in which the events of the novel are understood, are only hinted at in the novel. Not even the title is drawn from Native American mythology; it's a term borrowed from the oiling industry. So, there's no doubt that a large part of the formula that has produced Hillerman's success is lacking. That's worth knowing going into the book. But that said, I still enjoyed The Sinister Pig, just for different reasons than normal. The book is pretty well-plotted, as is usual for Hillerman. I've really thought that some of the the complaints against the plot I've read (i.e. having a good idea of the who masterminded the crime early on) were oversold, since those elements tend to appear in other Hillerman novels. The Sinister Pig's plot, though not as complex as always, is perfectly sensible and features a fine red herring. Mainly, though, I enjoyed the book because the rest of the series has taught me to admire and care for Hillerman's characters, especially for Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito here, and The Sinister Pig features important progress for them. That's the main thing that's different about The Sinister Pig. Hillerman has always used anthropology and myth to augment and enrich the mysteries, and that's gotten him his audience. Here, however, he'a a little more traditional, using simple romance, instead, as the special extra ingredient. That switch will leave many Hillerman fans less satisfied with this volume, and The Sinister Pig is also not the place to begin reading Hillerman. But I certainly thought it was fine for a change. I enjoyed it as a solid and light little mystery that also brought about some pleasant developments for two of my favorite characters.

Tony Hillerman's THE SINISTER PIG reads like a half-hearted effort to fulfill a contract, not to tell a good story. Some great threads are inherent, but the unravel instead of weave. The reader is bounced from the border where Bernie Manuelito is now working to the Four Corners for a murder. The strongest theme is embezzlement of tribal funds, but here Hillerman waxes lightly. Okay, but not his best. Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS.

THE SETUP An apparently retired CIA agent (Gordon Stein, aka David Slate) is hired by a U.S. Senator to investigate how a natural gas pipeline system has been used to cheat Native Americans in the Southwest of $4 billion annually in royalties. He is murdered on Navajo land in the extreme northwestern corner of New Mexico. Navajo Tribal Policeman (Sargent) Jim Chee is assigned to assist the FBI in the investigation. In the meantime Bernadette Manualetto has resigned from the tribal police, because she is annoyed with Chee for not pursuing her, and has joined (implausibly) the Border Patrol, and thus is stationed in the extreme southwestern corner of New Mexico, along the Mexican border. She observes some odd "goings-on" on the large private Tuttle Ranch on the border. That's the setup. COMMENTS Earlier novels in the series were very "economical", with a few well developed characters, and straightforward filler-free stories. With the previous novel, "Wailing Wind", and even more-so with the "Sinister Pig". Hillerman is (unfortunately?) entering the mainstream of police mystery novels, with dozens of named characters, most throw-away (i.e., that appear on one or two pages, never to be heard from or of again, with no particular significance to the novel); and complex plots. The stories are no longer about Native Americans, but rather are about "white people" who coincidentally interact somehow with Jim Chee, et al. The fascinating expositions on Native religion and philosophy is over, except for thin references. Fortunately, Hillerman is sufficiently talented to keep up with mainstream mystery writers. But I, for one, miss the earlier character-centric and Native-centric novels. CAVEATS The novel is unnecessarily confused by two premises: 1) The first is that pipelines were being used in the rip-off of Native American royalties. That simply makes no sense---the routing of petroleum in pipelines is irrelevant, just as irrelevant as the highways a petroleum tanker truck drives on. It is in the accounting that any rip-offs of Native American royalties could have taken place. 2) The second premise is a cocaine importation scheme. It looks like these two storylines were intended to converge, but don't. Other evidence of rushed, poorly-edited writing, are redundancies, such as the multiply repeated explaination of the functioning of pipeline pigs. Readers are teased with the promise of a delicious expose of political corruption, then perhaps a scheme by Al Queda to smuggle nuclear weapons into the U.S., but are finally left with a few sleazy druggies. Certainly, when you start turning over rocks, the slimy creatures you find are not necessarily the ones you were looking for, but, in the final analysis there was no adequate reason for the murder of Slate/Stein. Moreover, unless I misread the book, the illegal-alien family which Bernie rescued had immigrated on rumors that a copper smelter on the U.S. side of the border would be reopened. (The fictional smelter closely corresponds to the Hildalgo Smelter, which was closed in 1999. ironically the company town of Playas was purchased by the U.S. Government for an anti-terrorism training center). Then the closed smelter is described as being located in Mexico, and is the origin from which "pigs" are transported to the Tuttle Ranch on the U.S. side of the border. Huh? THE VERDICT A good read in a great series, but unnecessarily confusing. > Click on Stoney just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

I own and have enjoyed all Hillerman's previous books, but this one doesn't quite hit the mark. Sorry, Tony. I can only give it 3 stars.

Among the various detective novelists writing today, Tony Hillerman occupies a pretty unique position. His series of detective novels, following first the adventures of two different characters, Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Jim Chee, in separate books. Later, Hillerman combined the two characters, and has been chronicling their combined adventures for a good long time now. He's added supporting characters, including a series of girlfriends for Chee, a wife who died and then a lady friend for Leaphorn, and colleagues like the inimitable Cowboy Dashee, who's appeared in the background of several of the books. This latest entry in the series isn't the strongest, but it is interesting. Someone's been killed on the Reservation, and before anyone can investigate, the FBI shows up and closes down the investigation, announcing the improbably verdict of "hunting accident". Chee doesn't buy the explanation, and both he and Leaphorn take to investigating on their own. Meanwhile, a former colleague of theirs, Bernadette Manuelito, has gone to work for the Border Patrol. While there, she discovers things which seem to link into the investigation on the Reservation that Chee and Leaphorn are running. I enjoyed this book well enough. It's not Hillerman's best, but it's a good story and reasonably well done.

Hillerman again skillfully leads his readers through convoluted mysteries while painting verbal pictures of the American West. He switches tantalizingly between the reader's favorite characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, portraying the Navajo lifestyle as he leads us through the passages of a complex maze of clues. Just as we finally discover the name of the story's villain(s), we discover to our dismay that another journey with this authorhas ended.

I really love Hillerman's books. He is one of my favorite authors. That said, everyone lets a stinker once in a while, and this is Hillermans. My first impression was that Hillerman had gotten so old and feeble that he couldn't write any more. This impression was later corrected, he's as good as ever. So, if you like Hillerman, don't expect much from this one. If you have not read Hillerman, don't start here - please. He is a very good author and all of this other books are far superior to this one.

This is the first book I read of Hillerman's and I loved it. I have started at the beginning of this delightful series and Hillerman does not disappoint. Great read.

The best I can say is the audio book kept me awake on a long drive. The book barely resembles the early Hillerman ones I remember, and is sort of a mix of generic Crichton-Grisham political/crime suspense with a little romance and a little New Mexico flavor thrown in for old-times sake.

Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito gets to be the hero. If you like Tony Hillerman, you'll like this one.

Great, as are all of Tony Hillerman's Navajo stories. Off the Reservation and into the modern world.

Characters you don't care about, exposition instead of action, Leaphorn and Chee MIA for much of the story...this one has it all. I gave it a generous chance for five chapters, then called it quits because it was uninteresting and uninvolving. Rob Schmidt BlueCornComics.com

I had not read Mr. Hillerman in awhile. I was on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and ran out of reading material. I picked up "The Sinister Pig" and was very glad I did! It felt like I had returned to some old friends (Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn). The plot involves murder, oil, drugs, and politics. A great, quick read.

I have read most of Mr. Hillerman's Chee/Leaphorn books and enjoyed all of them, even the early ones that lacked the depth of his later works, but this book left me cold. Every character of worth Hillerman created had to have spot in this book, and many didn't fit well. This was too contrived to hold interest.