Spider Woman's Daughter

Absolutely delightful in every way.

It's normal to be nervous when a new author takes over a beloved series from an old author, even if the new author is the old author's child. I've seen it go terribly wrong before, but I don't think I've ever seen it go so fantastically right before.

Tony Hillerman gave us rich, detailed, accurate characters that we fell in love with over years of gorgeous writing; Leaphorn, Chee, the Dinetah (which, the way he wrote it, was a character in itself). But the thing Anne gives us is the female perspective that was utterly missing from Tony's books. Tony wrote about female characters, but only insofar as they existed to further the character arc of male characters. There was a moment of irony in this book, show more where a character mentions that "he never really knew Emma well." We readers didn't either; her tragic death only served to add to the Leaphorn mystique.

But Anne? Anne gives us female characters with texture and depth, existing in the world of Navajo women and their rich contributions to family, culture, art. We learn so much about family dynamics, about female intergenerational dynamics, about the passing of artistic skill down family lines, about being a Native American woman in an intensely sexist world (law enforcement). The writing of the character of Bernadette Manuelito (who, again, in Tony's books, only exists as a prop to male characters) is brilliant, executed with skill and attention to craft.

I loved this book as an editor, and as a dedicated and adoring reader of the series since its inception.

If you haven't read the original books yet, DO NOT start with the new ones. Start from the beginning; it'll make you appreciate these all the more. show less

I stumbled onto Anne Hillerman’s book, SPIDER WOMAN’S DAUGHTER, and felt instantly at home. I did not realize that she was writing ‘Leaphorn & Chee’ mystery novels - carrying on the excellent series begun by her father, Tony Hillerman.
Ms. Hillerman did a fine writing job - crisp, concise writing with many references to the Navajo language and culture and belief systems, and a plot with many twists and turns.
I like that Officer Bernadette Manuelito (now married to Jim Chee) had a large role in the mystery. Indeed, she was a catalyst in solving the mystery.
I like the title very much and the reference to Spider Woman being the teacher of weaving to the Navajo. Bernie’s mother was a master weaver and I hope Bernie might be show more artistically inclined, also. There are references to the loom set up outside Jim Chee & Bernie’s trailer.
I was a big fan of the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mysteries and read and reread every title. I am thrilled that the series is being revived. I feel like I know these characters personally and have gained an insight into Navajo culture.
The next title by Ms. Hillerman is ROCK WITH WINGS soon to be published. I have already preordered a copy.
Thank you. show less

Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman is a continuation of the Navajo Mysteries which ended with The Shape Shifter and Tony Hillerman's death. Whether or nor Anne Hillerman has more mysteries planned, I don't know, but I hope so.

Bernie Manuelito, back on the job after her honeymoon, runs into Joe Leaphorn while having breakfast. She watches him head back to his car, where he is shot by someone in a passing truck. To say Leaphorn and Chee are back, as the book description does, is a bit misleading. Leaphorn is there in that he's the victim of a brutal crime and is now fighting for his life.

I as I predicted in my review of Shape Shifter, Anne Hillerman has made Bernie her authorial insert. Sure, Chee is still there to provide a show more different point of view, but this is the first time we really get into her head. We also see her family: a sister who is an alcoholic; a mother who is slowly slipping into dementia.

Do the characters still feel like themselves? Yes. Was the mystery challenging and satisfying in its resolution? Yes. Would I read the next one if one were published. YES! show less

Tony Hillerman, after years of penning excellent mysteries featuring the thoughtful Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and the impetuous Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police, ended his career with the inferior The Shape Shifter. Hillerman’s daughter, Anne Hillerman, continues the series with her first novel. I was doubtful about Spider Woman’s Daughter and the odds that a debut novelist could come close to matching the Edgar Award-winning author, but I’m happy to say that Anne Hillerman has returned the series to its former glory.

In the novel’s first few pages, an assailant shoots the retired Leaphorn and leaves the latter in a coma. Chee and his wife, fellow officer Bernadette Manuelito, unofficially cooperate in uncovering the show more identity and motive of the would-be murderer. The novel’s style varies only slightly from Tony Hillerman’s own; only a quibbler would bother to complain. Like her father, Anne Hillerman weaves Navajo customs, legends, and history throughout the novel, and I enjoyed learning about the remarkable Hosteen Klah and his weavings. And, as with so many of her father’s stories, Ms. Hillerman’s tale picks up threads from a previous Leaphorn-Chee novel, the Macavity Award-winning A Thief of Time, although you don’t have to have read A Thief of Time to understand and enjoy Spider Woman’s Daughter. Ms. Hillerman pens as suspenseful an ending as many of those of her Edgar Award-winning father.

I was initially disturbed that narrator George Guidall, who narrated all of the other Leaphorn and Chee books, wasn’t back on the Audible Audio Edition of this book; however, the new narrator did a competent enough job to resolve my resentment.

Spider Woman’s Daughter probably doesn’t rise to the level of Dance Hall of the Dead or Skinwalkers, but the novel is definitely worthy. I hope that Ms. Hillerman proves at least as prolific as her father, who wrote 18 novels. I highly recommend Spider Woman’s Daughter, both to longtime fans and those new to the series. show less

First, a confession: I was not a fan of Tony Hillerman.

For some of you this means I am an unwashed hooligan, not worthy to hold a book in my clearly pitiful mitts, but there it is.

I think I failed to become a fan because I read one of his books before I could fully appreciate it. Given I cut my teeth on Erle Stanly Gardner and Nancy Drew, it's not surprising it took me a while to recognize and appreciate more subtle, elegant writing.

I confess this terrible flaw for one purpose: I read and loved Anne Hillerman's Spider Woman's Daughter and not because it's a continuation of her father's work.

I met Anne briefly at Bouchercon in Raleigh NC when she participated in the Book Buzz promo event. As a reader it was as close to heaven as I've show more been outside Powell's City of Books or the New York Public Library: authors, two at a time, come to you and tell you about their books.

Anne actually gave me a copy of Spider Woman's Daughter. I was polite of course, but set it aside because (must I confess this terrible sin again?) I wasn't a fan of the Hillerman titles.

Fast forward to this weekend, March 2016, some five months later. I'm knee deep and unfocused rolling in the back of my head eyeballs into edits on a 400 page novel. It's one of those edits that fills up your mind to the point you can't read anything else critically. And any kind of critical eye is gone anyway after revising page after page sentence by sentence.

These are the times one needs a perfectly written, totally captivating books. And not books that are too grim or depressing. And right now, nothing that has to do with politics.

I have more than a thousand unread books in my apartment right now but I'm not sure more than 20 would have suited my reading needs at that moment.

I spied Spider Woman's Daughter in a stack of books from Bouchercon.

"Why not," I thought to myself and picked it up.

And when I lifted my eyes from the page morning had passed to afternoon, I was mortified to discover my stomach making noises that would raise the dead, and I was hooked hooked hooked.

I have no idea if Spider Woman's Daughter is anything like Tony Hillerman's earlier books featuring Leaphorn and Chee. I have no idea if she's brought in new characters or taken established ones in a new direction. All I know is this is a terrific book: captivating, well-written and utterly compelling. I feel like I learned a lot about Navajo culture, and all of it was interesting (interesting means I want to become a Navajo now!)

I loved this book. show less

It was very enjoyable for me to read Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman. I was a big fan of the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee books written by Tony Hillerman (her late father). Since his death I have missed those two Navajo Nation police officers and the unique Navajo/Hopi culture in the Arizona/New Mexico area, which includes Window Rock in AZ and Gallup, Shiprock and Santa Fe in NM. Thankfully, Ms. Hillerman has produced a wonderful new Leaphorn and Chee story that enabled me to once again enmesh myself in another criminal investigation by the Navajo police and in that unique and fascinating culture. This book focuses on Sargent Jim Chee and especially on his wife, Officer Bernadette (Bernie) Manualito, who is also a Navajo show more Nation police officer. As Chee and Manualito investigate the shooting of one of their colleagues, Ms. Hillerman methodically takes them through a complex investigation that introduces the reader to many interesting characters and many intriguing aspects of the Navajo culture and the local environment. Chee and Manualito also endure violent physical attacks during their pursuit of the shooter. Ms. Hillerman adroitly resurrected the characters and the culture that her father had created. She also demonstrated the ability to produce an engrossing story with suspenseful action sequences and a satisfying conclusion. She has written a remarkable first novel. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates mysteries/detective novels, and especially to those who enjoyed Tony Hillerman’s novels. show less

Most readers here are familiar with the backstory in Tony Hillerman's books. I'm the exception, not having read those - so, good job, bridging the gap between known characters and new ones. Great opening, too - that's why I kept reading.

But another 15 - 20% of the book could have been edited out. Too much of the mother and sister side plot, too many red-herring characters, too much of an imbalance between super-tough female cop and loving/supportive-but-subservient husband (please find another way to portray a viable marriage dynamic).

I see that this is Anne Hillerman's debut novel, and it's a good first step.