Kibi W. (Kibi) reviewed on 3/14/2006 + 582 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Entertaining But Utterly Implausible, December 13, 2004
Reviewer: Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA)

First published in 1978, LISTENING WOMAN continues Tony Hillerman's "Joe Leaphorn" novels, a series set on Southwestern Native American lands and featuring Lt. Leaphorn, who investigates crimes on the reservation. In this instance, an almost-deadly encounter with a killer during a traffic stop leads Leaphorn to the scarcely populated and remote Short Mountain district.

As always, Hillerman's portrait of the Navajo people remaining on the reservation is filled with the fascination of folklore and legend; his plots, however, remain a sore point. LISTENING WOMAN begins extremely well--but before all is said we had everything from highjacked helicopters to kidnapped Boy Scouts in a credibility-straining combination, not to mention a blood and thunder conclusion that seems more akin to The Lone Ranger than any remotely plausible reservation crime.

As for mystery, as is often the case in Hillerman's work the label is misapplied: there is none at all, and LISTENING WOMAN would be better described as crime fiction or perhaps better still as action-adventure. For all the flaws, however, it is an entertaining and quick read that fans of the series will likely enjoy.

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