Talking Mysteries

If you're a Tony Hillerman fan, I urge you to find this book. The bulk of it is an interview of Hillerman by Bulow, about Hillerman's work, how he came to set his books in Navajo country, how he writes, a lot of great stuff about the process of writing that should be of interest even if you're not a Hillerman devotée. There's also an essay by Hillerman on similar themes; a short story, a "Jim Chee mini-mystery"; and several drawings by Ernest Franklin, originally intended for one of Hillerman's books. This is a great glimpse into how an author works, where his ideas come from, and how he makes those ideas flesh.

I quite enjoyed the interview with Tony Hillerman - he was self-effacing, interesting, and funny. The short story included in this volume is familiar to those who have read "The Blessing Way". Don't read until after you have read the novel! The introduction by Ernie Bulow was annoying - I had this feeling that he saw himself as the great "Navajo expert" and Mr. Hillerman was just using the culture as window dressings. So he came across as condescending. Still - the whole thing was a short read and gave a little glimpse into Mr. Hillerman's intents and processes in writing his series of novels.