Mr. Hillerman's quiet regard for the Navajo way of life and thought comes through strongly. If his characters were less involving it might not work but, thankfully, they ARE involving and interesting. You want to know what makes them tick, particularly Leaphorn. His scenes of Navajo social interactions are fascinating and the whole thing is why I keep coming back to this series. He is a gifted writer.

Listening Woman ---- by Tony Hillerman c - 1993 LP/ read reg. print pbk. c - 19?? ---- Good story with a mix of humor and Mystery ---- Enjoy! ---- RichardPaul

Navajo Joe Leaphorn is a policeman trying to solve three mysteries: a helicopter which vanished, disappearance of a bank robber and his dog, and the murder of two people. By the end of the book he has solved all three. Hillerman manages to explain the Navajo ways without boring or insulting us, and he uses supense in the second half of the book to keep us reading to the last word. A good series.

As usual, Joe Leaphorn's respect for others brings him clues that blow past the impatient Feds. Hillerman's own respect for others is reflected in his representation of each of his characters. Even the bad guys are "real" people. This is a refreshing change of pace from the hate-filled pages of many murder mysteries.

Absolutely loved it. Am anticipating enjoying the rest of the books in the series.