The Dark Wind

This series continues to delight me. The reason - all of the information about the Navajo, Hopi, and other Native American religions and cultures in the Four Corners area. It seems to me that the mystery part of this novel is secondary to the informative part about all the folk beliefs and religions and how they intersect and the impact these beliefs have on the people in the story. This is also the first of the five books I have read in this series in which the protagonist is smacked in the face with racial prejudices from those higher up in the food chain than he. It was so sudden and unexpected that as a reader it shocked me. This becomes part of the story as well. One other thing that the author does well is set up the character of show more all the characters - the good and the bad. This is important, because in order for Chee to make sense of his cases he has to find the "reason" behind them. Once he has that the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together for him. That is why the descriptions of the Navajo Way have to be in the book and are so integral to the story. Those parts are what makes these novels so timeless and have helped them to age well. I can't wait to read more about Chee and hope to soon be far enough in the series that Chee and Leaphorn work together. show less

One of the best for plot development and the mysterious method of the crime. Jim Chee is a strong character in this novel. Lost a star due to a serious flaw at the end. [Spoiler alert]: a glaring omission in the dénouement when two dealers turn up at a rendezvous, and one sneaks off presumably to cover eventualities as the heayweight. Except that's all that we ever hear of this character. He never reappears when the bust happens. The final scene was very Tony Hillerman, though, which always pleases me in its irony.

A nighttime plane crash, a shipment of cocaine gone missing, and an attack on a windmill coincide with the finding of a mutilated body and Sergeant Jim Chee tries to figure out how it all ties together. The mysteries in this series are good, but what I really enjoy about them is the insight into the various Native American cultures that is presented and this installment has a lot of that, so it's one of my favorites. I especially liked how Hillerman, who knows a lot about Navajo culture, introduces a little bit of Hopi culture as well, via the "Cowboy" Dashee character, but doesn't make any claims on being an expert - it's a good storytelling device to have one character being educated on a topic so that the reader can find out at the show more same time. I loved this series the first time I read it and am finding it equally interesting the second time around. show less

This was all Jim Chee, and he spent most of the book prowling the desert alone, defying his boss's orders, trying to solve a mystery that wasn't their jurisdiction, and getting crosswise of the DEA agents whose case it was. Naturally, he was frequently in peril of losing his job, or his life, and it was all terribly convoluted, but much of the action was in Chee's head as he attempted to apply concentration techniques taught to him since childhood by a respected elder. The best parts of this book for me were the details of Hopi and Navajo culture (differences abound, and members of the two tribes go about things differently...also, they do not look alike, a point made more than once!), and the fine points of tracking, at which Chee is show more better than the Feds by several orders of magnitude. For anyone who has watched the excellent Robert Redford/George R. R. Martin production by the same name, featuring Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito, there is virtually no connection between this particular Hillerman entry and that mini-series. show less

A nighttime plane crash, a shipment of cocaine gone missing, and an attack on a windmill coincide with the finding of a mutilated body and Sergeant Jim Chee tries to figure out how it all ties together. The mysteries in this series are good, but what I really enjoy about them is the insight into the various Native American cultures that is presented and this installment has a lot of that, so it's one of my favorites. I especially liked how Hillerman, who knows a lot about Navajo culture, introduces a little bit of Hopi culture as well, via the "Cowboy" Dashee character, but doesn't make any claims on being an expert - it's a good storytelling device to have one character being educated on a topic so that the reader can find out at the show more same time. I loved this series the first time I read it and am finding it equally interesting the second time around. show less

No follow up to some of the personal issues of Jim Chee (like the FBI question)! But really good mystery. I enjoyed how all the disparate threads that Chee was working on came together at the end. No mention at all of Leaphorn, but a lot of interaction with Capt. Largo and Cowboy Dashee was introduced. Interesting information about the Hopi-Navajo joint use issue, as well as an outsiders peek into the Hopi culture. Very enjoyable read.

The typical Hillerman mystery involves Navajo culture; either an action meant to look Navajo or something which disturbs the Navajo Way of harmony with the universe.

There’s always conflict between the White people (men) who have strict rules and believe they know what’s best for everyone, especially the Native Americans. They are usually portrayed as arrogant buffoons who know absolutely nothing about the case or the people against whom the crime was committed.

Sometimes, there’s conflict between two Indian tribes, which is usually resolved by being respectful.

In The Dark Wind, Jim Chee is handed three cases, which all become entwined with a fourth. The fourth is a small plane crash right in front of Chee while he’s on stakeout show more waiting for the vandal of the windmill, part of a complicated political gesture by the BLM towards the Hopi Nation.

The plane crash is most decidedly not assigned to Chee, the white FBI, and his captain, make that clear. He is to stay away from it. So as he goes about his days driving long distances to chase down clues, he does his best to not get involved in the crash and what turns out to be missing cocaine worth about $15M.

It becomes obvious that the federal agents are up to no good and keep trying to set Chee up for the fall over the missing drugs. The brutality of these thugs made me wince as they tossed Chee’s small travel trailer he calls home and smack him around. At first, I thought they were just stupid, prejudiced white men. Later, it’s revealed that’s only part of their makeup.

While trying to identify a Navajo John Doe discovered by some Hopi men gathering sacred spruce for a ceremonial, Chee encounters the trading post’s owner, Jake West. West performs magic tricks, which Chee mulls over throughout the book, trying to solve how they’re done. This proves to be a crucial key to the solution of the missing drugs and the dead bodies which keep piling up.

What keeps me re-reading Hillerman’s mysteries (this is at least my second time through) is the use of Navajo culture and sensibilities to solve the crimes which are jurisdictionally complex. I read them to re-visit a part of my life in which I was surrounded by Native Americans of several nations, and maybe for a better understanding of my own life.

I also read them because they expose me to other ways of thinking, relating and solving problems. The Navajo Way is explained as keeping in harmony with the universe, and making course adjustments as necessary. show less