The Sinister Pig - Softcover

Hillerman, Tony

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061098787 ISBN 13: 9780061098789

Publisher: Harper Torch, 2004

Synopsis

Discovering a link between the woman he loves and a political murder and a twisted conspiracy, Navajo tribal police Sergeant Chee joins a map-wielding Joe Leaphorn on the heels of a fleeing Washington power broker. Reprint.

About this title

Review:

The Sinister Pig, Tony Hillerman's 16th novel to feature Navajo cops Joe Leaphorn and/or Jim Chee, isn't his best book, but it's still a pleasure from the first page to the last. Its plot is almost too complex to summarise, involving the mysterious shooting of an ex-CIA agent, financial shenanigans around oil and gas royalties, disappearing congressional interns, exotic pipeline technology, and the cross-border trade in both drugs and illegal aliens.

Officer Bernadette Manuelito has left the Navajo Tribal Police for the US Customs Service, patrolling the barren borderlands of southern New Mexico. There, her curiosity lands her in a growing peril that provides much of the book's suspense--and invokes the protective instincts of Sergeant Chee, who still hasn't quite been able to tell her how he feels about her.

It's impossible not to care about Hillerman's exquisitely drawn repertory characters, nor to overlook the pleasures of his beautifully crafted and relaxed-seeming prose. In the midst of these virtues are a few warts: several sections are a little flat or awkward, and the villainous plutocrat behind it all is short on plausibility (though lots of fun to hate). But even a lesser Hillerman is still a richer, more satisfying read than most authors' top stuff. --Nicholas H Allison, Amazon.com

About the Author:

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008), an Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident since 1963, was the author of 29 books, including the popular 18-book mystery series featuring Navajo police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, two non-series novels, two children's books, and nonfiction works. He had received every major honor for mystery fiction; awards ranging from the Navajo Tribal Council's commendation to France 's esteemed Grand prix de litterature policiere. Western Writers of America honored him with the Wister Award for Lifetime achievement in 2008. He served as president of the prestigious Mystery Writers of America, and was honored with that group's Edgar Award and as one of mystery fiction's Grand Masters. In 2001, his memoir, Seldom Disappointed, won both the Anthony and Agatha Awards for best nonfiction.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Torch
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0061098787
• ISBN 13: 9780061098789
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 318