In a bit of a departure, this story is framed. It also takes place in a relatively short period of time. Leaphorn plays a very minor part in this story (sadly). I liked seeing Chee & Bernie - what they were both thinking about in terms of their coming marriage - what they were worried about and what they were hoping for. The mystery included a bit of interesting history (a horrific crash over the Grand Canyon in the 50's). ( )

this is slight work from a master, although it profits from a grand Grand Canyon setting. though it's always nice to hear what Leaphorn and Chee are up to, of course. ( )

A disapointing book: I've read all the previous Chee-Leaphorn books and I've thoroughly enjoyed them. Up until now. Hillerman's previous books were sometimes a bit clumsy but the story and Navajo culture kept me involved. This time, the story simply became too tedious and the errors in the text became too irritating. A little over halfway through this book, I stopped reading it and I never returned.

Not since reading "Finding Moon" by Hillerman have I been so disappointed. In "Finding Moon", it appeared Hillerman lost interest in the story and ended the book abruptly. In "Skeleton Man", Hillerman began the book with a confusing first chapter and continued to confuse. For instance, the character Tuve said he traded a military entrenching tool (a type of shovel) for his diamond and, in the story told by the old storekeeper, the cowboy traded a knife. Later in the book, however, Tuve was referred to as trading a "fancy jackknife" for the diamond. I think Hillerman confused himself. Also, the basis of the book seems to be flawed--I, like a previous reviewer, thought DNA could be traced through generations rather than just from parent to child. And, worst of all for me as a Hillerman fan, the Chee and Leaphorn characters simply bored me to tears in this book.

As stated, I did not finish the book. At some point I decided my time was worth more than "Skeleton Man" had to offer. Very disappointing.

Decent enough story, but the true appeal of the Chee/Leaphorn mysteries are their details about Navajo and Hopi life, culture, and myths, and this one has very little of any of that. I'd recommend any of the other books in this series, but you can stay away from this one. I have a feeling this (17th) is the last of Hillerman's Chee/Leaphorn stories, and even if it isn't, it's probably the last one I read. The story is a little too convoluted, and its solution pretty predicable. Too bad, I've always enjoyed these characters... ( )

Written when Mr Hillerman was 80, this is one of his last novels. It is a light read with an imaginative story line... mildly entertaining, and there's nothing wrong with that. :-) ( )