Mystery Review: The Ghostway

Here's a description of the book from HarperCollins Publishers:

"Old Joseph Joe sees it all. Two strangers spill blood at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat. One dies. The other drives off into the dry lands of the Big Reservation, but not before he shows the old Navajo a photo of the man he seeks.

This is all Tribal Policeman Jim Chee needs to set him off on an odyssey that moves from a trapped ghost in an Indian hogan to the seedy underbelly of L.A. to an ancient healing ceremony where death is the cure, and into the dark heart of murder and revenge."

My Review:

After years of having my dad tell me how amazing Tony Hillerman’s books are, I finally know what all the excitement is about! Tony Hillerman weaves an exceptional story in The Ghostway: intriguing, thrilling, and thought-provoking. And once the end is in sight, it’s difficult to put down!

Navajo Tribal Police Officer Jim Chee is introduced as a character forced to make a personal decision that will determine how he identifies himself and how the rest of his life will play out. With his conflicted love life on his mind, Chee is thrust into a case that will lead him on a physically and emotionally intense journey to discover the truth—both of the identification of the murderer, victims, and other people involved in the series of crimes, as well as the identification of himself.

Hillerman’s descriptions of the western setting are powerful, seen from the eyes of a Native American law officer and the eyes of a paranoid killer. Navajo rituals and beliefs are also woven into the story in a powerful way and make for a wonderfully complex and interesting read. And a Navajo perspective on the “outside” world of the typical white man in America (such as how he treats the elders in his world) gives the story a depth that will make readers take a step back and see a familiar culture with new, and perhaps critical, eyes.

The Ghostway is a story that kept my attention and made me eager for more. There are a few swear words and not-so-pretty scenes, but overall this story is pretty “clean” and yet realistic and engaging. The strength of the main characters, the twists and turns of the plot, and the sensitive way in which the story is told make The Ghostway a must-read!

Disclaimer: This book was assigned reading for my Literature of the American West class, and this review was written and turned in to be graded by my professor. It should also be noted that this is not a Christian fiction book, which is the category of books I generally review on this blog. However, I truly did enjoy reading this, and I'm hoping to borrow some more books by this author when I get home, as my dad has pretty much the whole collection!