Search - The Blessing Way (Joe Leaphorn Bk 1)

I went on a tour of the Navaho Nation, Monument Valley, and the Canyon lands. It was beautiful and my tour guide suggested picking of a book my Tony Hillerman because of his true descriptions of the area and the Navaho customs. I enjoyed the descriptions of the slot canyons and other things that I had seem on my tour. However I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the storyline of the book. It kept me guessing all the way till the end. A great book to read whether you have visited this area or not.

The Blessing Way, March 10, 2006
Reviewer: Tom C. "Tom, an avid reader of mysteries and more, from California" (Elk Grove, California)
This is the first entry in the Joe Leaphorn Novels by Tony Hillerman. I prefer to start series at the beginning, however, I started this series with the Sinister Pig. That book was very enjoyable, so I started at the beginning with this novel, The Blessing Way.
First things first. This novel is not great based on the mystery plot at its center. What gives this novel its "great" status is the way in which it introduces the uninitiated to the Navajo Way. This book made for a very enjoyable read. Although it certainly lacked the complexity of a John Dunning novel, or the eloquence of an Elizabeth George novel, it did stand out on its very own merits. Hillerman does an excellent job of describing the dry and arid landscape. He paints an excellent picture. I was also impressed with the tension in one of the chapters in which the suspense was riveted up a couple of notches.
This book was a great first in this series. I look forward to the rest.

When Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police discovers a corpse with a mouth full of sand at a crime scene seemingly without tracks or clues, he is ready to suspect a supernatural killer. Blood on the rocks...A body on the high mesa...Leaphorn must stalk the Wolf-Witch along a chilling trail between mysticism and murder.

Lots of suspense...easy, enjoyable (but a little spooky) read.

An excellent book, as usual. Mr. Hillerman was a great author and treated the Native Americans with respect in each of his books -- this one is no exception. Makes for a great read!!