Talking God (A Leaphorn and Chee Novel Book 9)

3 stars because it is Tony Hillerman, who I like. But this is tedious, unrealistic and disjointed. I have read the whole series, now I am re reading because I thought I would enjoy it. And comparing it a bit to Anne Hillerman. I think I picked the wrong one to re read because I was feeling nostalgic.

Chee and Leaphorn travel to Washington DC in an attempt to uncover mysteries that nag upon their souls. I won't talk very much about the plot. I am sure that if you read other reviews here you will pretty much satisfy your needs in that regards to your content. What I will say is that this novel is pretty much the same as every other Chee/Leaphorn duo in the Hillerman archive. Both of them stumble across something that isn't right, and as they work towards solving their problems, their work gets intertwined. After reading this scenario a dozen times, it becomes a bit tedious. Especially when Hillerman stretches plausibility. This work contains characters and plots that read like a fantastical comic book. The main evildoer is so typical that it is hard to take him seriously.

The only good thing about this book is the personal interactions with Chee, Leaphorn, and Janet Pete (Chee's current love interest). I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if it played up primarily personal dealings with these three characters and others along the way while playing down the tired mystery that sadly overwhelms these pages.

This book will keep you reading through the night, as two police officers join together to solve an international crisis before it erupts. Talking G-d, by Tony Hillerman is an enthralling and actions packed book that will shock, surprise, and appall you. An Indian police officer and a police lieutenant are brought together by their individual cases while on vacation. The book shows the reader what Washington, D.C. looks like through the eyes of an Indian, what ancient Indian ceremonies are like, and what goes through a killer's mind as he is committing a murder. This book is action packed and humorous. It is thrilling because it describes murders in great detail, which also makes the book scary, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is laughable because it describes what people are thinking, and at times, that can be very entertaining. In conclusion, this book has everything you can ask for. As good as this book is, some people may disagree. This book has a slow start, and just when you thought something as going to happen, the chapter either ended or another character came in. Reading through the somewhat boring beginning is worth the powerful and thrilling ending. You will feel the urge to read the rest of Tony Hillerman's books after this exciting, engaging, and masterful book.

A Jim Chee, Joe Leaphorn mystery and one which shows the character and process of both men in the crime solving. Joe Leaphorn is investigating the death of a man found beside a railroad on the reservation, written in a notebook is a name, Agnes Tssose and a ceremonial. In a separate act Jim Chee is sent to Agnes Tsosse's Night Way ceremonial to find the man, Henry Highhawk who is visiting her, he has no idea why he has to arrest him, but observes him briefly before arresting him.

There are a number of threads running through her, but in seperate acts both Leaphorn and Chee end up in Washington DC following leads - Leaphorn to find out who the dead man is, and Chee following what is happening to Henry Highhawk and the Smithsonian.

Henry Highhawk is a born again Navajo - his grandmother is Agnes Tsosse but he has only just found that out - he has been learning all about the spirituality and culture of the Navajo and has been setting up a diorama at the Smithsonian to represent the masks of the gods, but it seems he has another presentation in mind. A much more visible act to get the world's attention and to protest against the continued storage of native American skeletons and remains at the museum.

However there are other forces at work, there is something going on at an embassy in Washington which Leaphorn suspects is related but he does not understand how - finally Jim Chee and Leaphorn meet up in Washington to compare notes and it all becomes clear.

The difference in the two men, in their styles of crime solving and the process is fascinating. Jim Chee is slightly more gauche, disturbing a tramp with unexpected results, and yet having much more of a spiritual belief. Joe Leaphorn is older, and while not necessarily more astute, he is much more poised.

I love these mysteries, I noticed someone said don't read this one first. I don't know about that, I have read these all out of order but I haven't read all of them either. This is a great book, a good demonstration of their abilities and a good read which keeps you guessing until the end.

Hillerman has carved out his own niche in the American mystery genre, that of the Southwestern Navajo reservation, and it is one I return to again and again with the confidence of receiving pleasure and edification (Hillerman, not an American Indian himself, nevertheless qualifies as a world class expert on the ways and folklore of these people and he renders them beautifully and cogently for his readers). He is no literary mystery novelist on the order of a James Lee Burke or P.D. James or Joseph Hansen, but he is a more than solid storyteller who creates a world unlike that most of us have ever visited. He has his weaknesses - stilted dialogue and often one dimensional characterizations - but they are more than compensated for by Hillerman's uncanny sense of place and pace.
With that said, let me warn you not to start with TALKING GOD if you have never read Hillerman, first of all because he uproots his famed protagonists Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee from their normal bailiwick and transplants them in Washington, D.C., as they attempt to unravel more than one mystery that all seem to lead back to Indian burial rituals and illegally unearthed remains and conflict with foreign governments. It's a good book, solid and compelling for the most part and it features a truly frightening villain, maybe Hillerman's best bad guy up to that point, but we miss the "Res" and the natural mystery of its landscape and the wonderful way Hillerman makes it come alive.
So wait on this one and start with DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD or THE BLESSING WAY. TALKING GOD will come as a later treat once you have properly acquainted yourself with the mystery and magic of Hillerman's peculiar world.

Don't know how many books Tony HIllerman has written but I have read a few of them and have enjoyed them. This book is not different. It brings together two characters who work together to solve a mystery, and what a mystery. It is a good read for those who like mysteries.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May Concern" and "Tell me about the United Methodist Church"

In this, the ninth Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee mystery, Tony Hillerman moves some of his action outside his favored Navajo nation to the streets and museums of Washington DC. In "Talking God," Hillerman's police duo combine their skills once more for a riveting Hillerman police procedural. Both men are pursuing different crimes, and both end up in the nation's capital in an exciting run. Chee is in Washington to arrest Henry Highhawk, a Smithsonian curator and native American, for plundering the bones of their ancestors; Leaphorn is looking for the identity of a murder victim. As always, Hillerman provides much local color, culture, and socio/economic dynamics of the Navajos, many of whom are grasping quite desperately at maintaining a balance between their history and the present day sets of values. At the same time,"Talking God" is a compelling, gripping read in true Hillerman fashion. ([email protected])

Joe Leaphorn is called out to look at corpse found near railroad. The question who he is and how it place aroused he curiosity. The answer takes him to Washington, DC. Jim Chee has an arrest warrant Henry Nighthawk. He learns that Nighthawk will be at an Yeibichai (Talking God). Jim arrest Henry who is immediately bailed out. Jim Chee has vacation coming and goes the nation capitol. He meets Joe Leaphorn there and cases are brought together skillfully. The ending is unusual. The data on the Navajo culture is informative.

I LOVE the books written by Tony Hillerman!! The characters are so real given the way the author describes the ordinary events of their lives, but the characters have so much depth. The language is not harsh or trashy, so does not distract the reader from the story. Reading about Jim Chee and Leaphorn is rather like eating potato chips - just can't get enough of them! Talking God takes the reader on an interesting journey as you follow each officer, untangling a part of the puzzle on their own - ending up under the "same brush" in Wash DC. The author's story endings are very good because they bring the reader gently down and sets you back into the world and leaves you with the desire to read the next story.

While I like the Navajo characters Chee and Leaphorn, I think the author needs to stretch a bit. His action is after the fact, most of the time, and too much takes place in conversation. While his dialog is commendable there is too much of that and too little immediate action. When I buy Hillerman's books I don't want to read about Washington DC, I don't. I want to read about Arizona and New Mexico and I think his work could be meatier in terms of landscape and culture. I know I am going against the tide but I am not prompted to purchase more of his work. I liked Thief of Time (3.5 stars)a bit more, however, but both books left me wanting more background, more culture, and far more vivid descriptions of the landscape than dry swirling snow (again, still, whatever) and/or dismal drizzles (again, still, whatever). I wanted vivid descriptions about those desert areas, I wanted to smell the desert dust, feel the blaring sun, visualize the land formations and know the quiet patience of the culture. I want to be able to see what I read. Hillerman is capable, Chee and Leaphorn manage to be ordinary guys you love, trust, believe who have more feelings than they ever express but so does the desert and the scenery out there. With Hillerman's niche so certainly linked to a particular land and culture, both of which are dramatic and beautiful, I felt the work was lacking, formula driven, yawnable. I think landscape should be as important as plot and character for these books. Three stars. A good read, yes, but not great.

I love all his mysteries. I would have finished reading this one in one day if it wasn't for pesky chores getting in the way! Too bad Tony Hillerman died in 2008. When I get to the last Chee and Leaphorn novel I will need something for withdrawal symptoms. I learn a lot about Navaho culture in these books. I have grown used to all his regular subsidiary characters like Deputy Cowboy Dashee and Chief Largo. They are like old friends to me.

This review is written in response to others which seem to want to keep this great writer in a familiar box.
I've read nearly every Hillerman book. Talking God appeals to me most because here, Tony Hillerman has added a level of conflict and interest not found in his other books. Variety is the spice of life and "Talking God" reflects the talent and versatility of this great writer. It's a captivating work, miles ahead of most contemporary mysteries because Hillerman's characters resolve conflict with a fresh view life from a Native American perspective. Read it for yourself.

The dead man beside the train tracks near Gallup wore an elegant suit of clothes and narrow leather shoes more suitable to the city than the middle of the desert. The FBI agent called Joe Leaphorn in to search for tracks.

Jim Chee was just doing what he was told. He went out to the back of the Big Rez to the healing sing for old lady Tsosie to arrest a white man calling himself Henry Highhawk. The charge was grave-robbing, something no true Navajo could stand.

This book is not typical of Tony Hillerman's mysteries. For one thing, most of the action takes place in Washington, DC where both his Navajo cops are terribly out of place. For another, the plot runs along thriller lines. The denouement is spectacular, fun and set in the Smithsonian. Could there be a better or more baffling place to hide a body? Hillerman has created a memorable hitman and the "accidental" working out of justice is not to be missed.

Tony Hillerman died Oct 26, 2008 at the age of 83. This is not his best book, but it still beats many thrillers written today!

Jim Chee must arrest Henry Highhawk for returning the bones of his ancestors to the tribal lands in Tony Hillerman's TALKING GOD. Henry's problem is that the bones were part of the collection of the Smithsonian where he was employed.
Joe Leaphorn is investigating another case of a murder whose victim was striped of his identification.
It isn't long until small threads of each as indicate that Nighhawk may be wanted by others who have no interest in police procedure.
Nash Back, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS.

This is another of Hillerman's series about the work of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Cree, two Navajo police officers whose efforts often overlap. I do highly recommend it, but I should point out that much of it is set in Washington DC, not in the high desert of New Mexico.

As always Tony Hillerman entertains and informs. Following Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as their separate investigations intertwine is, as always, a compelling read. Unfolding the mysteries while walking in their Navajo shoes increases my reading enjoyment every time. I always look forward to this journey.

As always Tony Hillerman entertains and informs. Following Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as their separate investigations intertwine is, as always, a compelling read. Unfolding the mysteries while walking in their Navajo shoes increases my reading enjoyment every time. I always look forward to this journey.

I have been reading the Navajo mysteries for the first time, in chronological order. I was sad when each ended, and could barely wait to get the next one from the library...until this one. The plot is convoluted and far fetched with a LOT of holes, and I found the setting ugly and depressing, especially the character of the hit man. (This is the second hit man Hillerman's given us who owes it all to his unhealthy attachment to a disfunctional mama. Hmmmm...) I skimmed the last 4 chapters because I was tired of both the book and the setting...I just wanted it to see how it ended and be done with it because I was not enjoying the experience as I usually do.

So as other reviewers have advised: don't start here!

Hillerman does a fine job of blending a police procedural with the sometimes conflicting perspective of Native America, and specifically Navajo, cultural viewpoints. Educational as well as entertaining.