With Tony Hillerman's "Hunting Badger," I'm beginning to wonder if this is the onset of the series sailing over the Selachimorpha. There are three things in the book that worry me. First, as a trivial thing near the beginning, we've got this:"The little hatch Chee had cut into the bottom of the trailer door clattered behind him on its rubber hinges, which meant his cat was making an unusually early visit. That told Chee that a coyote was close enough to make Cat nervous...."Chee doesn't have a cat. He sent that cat off to his first ex-girlfriend in the great white north sometime about 10 years ago (book time). He did that because he figured the bilagaana cat couldn't become Navajo enough to survive, and as a traditional Navajo, he couldn't change the cat's nature to protect it. So, not only does Chee not have a cat. He never would. And even if he did have a cat, it certainly wouldn't be "HIS" cat and he certainly wouldn't have presumed to name it "Cat."Second, there are several places where Hillerman seems to forget that he just told us something and tells it to us again. The most obvious of these is someplace after the middle of the book where Leaphorn and Chee are discussing coal mines. After a big discussion on this, they go their merry ways just to have a similar discussion the next day. This isn't just some side discussion. It's central to what they're doing.And finally (and most troubling) is the ending itself: one of the bad guys is still on the loose. This violates everything these books stand for. In every single book up to this point, every single person has gotten exactly what he deserved. To leave a bad guy hanging around loose is not a good thing. So, I'm sorry to say that I can only rate the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5 and note that I'm starting to worry about the series.Hillerman's "Leaphorn & Chee" novels are:1. The Blessing Way2. Dance Hall of the Dead3. Listening Woman4. People of Darkness5. The Dark Wind6. The Ghostway (Jim Chee Novels)7. Skinwalkers8. A Thief of Time9. Talking God10. Coyote Waits11. Sacred Clowns: Novel, A12. The Fallen Man13. The First Eagle14. Hunting Badger15. The Wailing Wind16. The Sinister Pig17. Skeleton Man18. The Shape Shifter
Storytelling At Its BestThe author introduces the reader to two Navajo detectives, Sgt. Jim Chee and his old boss, retired officer Joe Leaphorn who sees a connection to a killing of two officers, a year earlier and the shooting of two policemen and the killing of a guard at a Ute Casino, a year later. The narrative is a blend of Native American customs, which explores traditional and modern thoughts. Several of the antagonists are multifaceted with various political, environmental and social viewpoints, leading to murder, deception, betrayal, and mistrust where things are not always what they seem. I liked the working relationship and the respect that Leaphorn, Chee and Louisa Bourebonette, a social scientist have for each other and the delicate sparks of attraction that is slowly developing between Officer Bernadette Manuelito and Sgt. Jim Chee, while attempting to solve the crime. The reader is drawn into many of the characters’ world showing some of the similarities that we share as human beings, namely a phrase in the book, “operating on Navajo Time,” which in the African American culture, you sometimes hear “operating on CP Time (Colored Peoples Time). It is a well written book with many twists and turns, escalating to an unforeseen revelation.
What do You think about Hunting Badger (2001)?
'Hunting Badger' is readable and enjoyable. It's good to see that as they grow older and more mature, Chee and Leaphorn are finally beginning to develop a relationship that transcends the mentor/acolyte status they've always had and becomes--dare I say it--friendship? Also, it's a relief to see that Chee is finally ditching Janet Pete and opening his mind to a relationship "closer to home," while Leaphorn is finally acknowledging that there is a life after his beloved Emma. These are the real things that are interesting about the story, plot strands that all radiate from the wisdom of a central metaphor, the death of a central Navajo figure in Chee's life.The mystery itself is pretty routine, and the plot, always secondary in a Hillerman novel to the characters, culture, and landscape, is less important than ever. What ultimately makes this rewarding for long-time fans of the series is the satisfying direction Hillerman has established for future novels.
—Judith
I'm in a re-reading mode. Just finished Tony Hillerman's Hunting Badger. An excellent read, even if it's the second time around. Hillerman weaves into his stories tons of Navajo mythology. It's a requirement acctually, since his novels revolve around the Navajo tribal police down in the four corners section of the country.If you haven't discovered the Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn novels . . . and you are a History/Mythology fan . . . you are truly missing an enjoyable experience. The homicide cases they work are always bathed in some kind of indian folklore, and simmered in some fine deductive work as well.Good stuff, kiddos. You'll love'em.
—B.R. Stateham
Tony Hillerman is well known for his Navajo Myseries series featuring Navajo tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. One of the things that I love about this series is that Joe and Jim solve mysteries using Navajo culture, tradition and wisdom. I read a lot of Tony Hillerman's books several years ago and I was recently inspired to return to this wonderful series.This book is later in the series and Joe Leaphorn is now retired, while Jim Chee still works for the Tribal Police. In this installment, we start out with a brutal robbery of an Indian Casino that leaves two moonlighting police officers dead. Although he is retired, Joe Leaphorn finds himself pulled into the manhunt for the thieves and killers. The killers have disappeared into the vast wasteland of The Four Corners. Jim Chee is coming back from vacation and is dreading the repeat of an FBI manhunt that took place in 1998 in the same territory that yielded nothing.The pacing is slower than some of the other mysteries I've read recently, such as Michael Connolly and Robert Crais. However, the pacing fits perfectly into the story word of the Navajo characters. As stated in the book, the Navajo do not have a concept of early or late.I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed the others, although I did feel that it was more simplistic than I remember some of Hillerman's other books. If you're not familiar with Hillerman's books, I would suggest starting earlier in the series than this book.
—Jim
