The Blessing Way

Excellent, excellent, excellent! This is the first book I have read by Hillerman and it was wonderful! I will be reading the entire series! Beautifully narrated, very illustrative of the Navajo culture and the geography of the Southwest. I highly recommend this book!!

i have read Tony Hillman several times before and always truly enjoy his books. I am a big western, American Indian fan which is probably why I like his books. I do like his direct simple writing style and the culture of the reservations and the people that live there .

Recommended by a friend because of the interest I have in spirituality shown by communities. Good story. Loose in the front end, loose in the back end, but worth reading. I wonder if the author develops more skill as the series progresses....

I read these books many years ago. Great Mystery series. Great introduction to the Navajo Nation and Navajo culture. Just visited the Navajo Nation for the first time and went to many towns and cities and drove the roads that are locations in the books. Very special.

Re-reading this after many years brings back fond memories of a terrific book but at the same time I am reminded of Hillerman's passing. I am indebted to him for awakening in me a passion for the Southwest and its indigenous people. Great book with wonderful characters. Tony, you'll be missed.

This is the first Leaphorn novel, and an engrossing introduction to Joe Leaphorn and the Navajo Tribal Police. Hillerman writes of the Navajos with great respect and affection, and his explanation of Navajo culture gives us a taste of the beauty of their life. Plus, the Navajo cultural insights are necessary to solving these excellent mysteries.

A solid mystery book which involves the fascinating subject and study of Navajo sand paintings. if you are looking for a mindless, simple interesting mystery, this is a good choice with limited time investment.

I should not review this because no matter what Tony Hillerman writes, I will love.

I cannot express how much I love these Navajo Tribal Police books. I could read one a week for the rest of my life. Learning about the Big Rez, and these two fictional policemen and their families, makes me hunger to visit the Four Corners region.

Mr. Hillerman explains about various ceremonies and cultural beliefs, and tribal attitudes and lifestyles, all of which ring true. I would like to read more about the cities in the Reservation, but they are destinations rather than places.

Needless to say, I highly reccommend this series.

Narrated by George Guidall, I nearly gave this book back to Audible. He was a very boring narrator. But I got used to him and near the end, he started using some expression in his voice. I had the Kindle version but wanted to be busy with my hands while listening. I didn't want to follow the text. So I stuck with it.

Two things against this book before I even got started so take this with that grain of salt. First, it doesn't fit with my goal of reading women authors/women main characters. Second, I'm not much on mysteries. Most mysteries are murders. You know, I think better mysteries are those we live with every day. 'Where'd I leave my keys or glasses?'

Since my friend gave me the CD of the next in the series I wanted to read the first book before diving in. I had ordered this from the library but the store told me I already had the book, so I canceled the loan.

I know this is a popular series and the plus is how well this author presents the Navajo people. Take a look. You might love it.

This was Hillerman's first book set on the Navajo Reservation. It was fun to go back and read the early book, to see how from this starting point Joe Leaphorn has evolved and become a much more complex character and it was fun just being back on the Big Res. Plus I really appreciated the added material at the end--the interview with Hillerman, etc. Knowing he went to a Navajo school as a kid put him, as the writer into context for me.

Read this one and "Listening Woman" back to back. I really like the easy style that Hillerman has. His descriptions are vivid, and if you haven't been to this part of the country, you get a sense for the vast space covered during the course of the story, as well as the beauty of the desert. I'll be reading Hillerman until I've read every one of his books.

It's a fascinating story that doesn't come together till the end (the ending is a bit short). What I like about Hillerman's books are his word descriptions of the Shiprock area. He makes you feel life on the reservation, his images of it's massive countryside and subtle colors .

This is one of Hillerman's best. The entire series of Leaphorn / Chee mysteries offer a wonderful been of detective story, cultural study of the Navajo people, and perceptive exploration of the Arizona landscape. This is one of the best. If you want to learn about Navajo culture or simply enjoy the beauty of the southwestern landscape, read the book.

I have read all of Hillerman's books. Without exception, they are excellent reading. I learned so much of Arizona and of the Navajo way of life but told in an interesting way, woven into the fabric of the stories. Every book was good reading and this one equally so. I highly recommend it.

Hillerman writes the best of the best when it comes to true pictures of the Western indian; and how the law and order handles the mysteries and secrets of the various tribes. This is the second time around for this book for me and was still just as fresh.

A friend who thought i should know more about the Navajo recommended this book. While following a well-written mystery, the reader learns much about the Navajo culture. Two for one money ... not that the Navajo would care about the money.

This is the first of the Leaphorn books (I think) and sets up the rest of the series. There is a lot more detail about Navajo culture and customs than in later books. The plot is exciting and intricate and moves along at a steady pace.

This is an interesting book culturally. The culture is shared in an easy natural way. The reader becomes immersed in the environment and the cultural aspects. The plot is good. It moves along smoothly. There is not a lot of torment or character searching of self. But the characters have depth. The book is optimistic. This is a new novel. A pleasure to read. I read it in one day.

Interesting read, keeps one riveted, and while one could anticipate the perpetrators, it was not likely one would guess the motive until the very end. I particularly enjoyed the detailed description of one of the Navajo protection/cleansing rituals.