“Tony Hillerman is such a good storyteller that the subtle dose of social anthropology goes down very easily. I have enjoyed this whole series, and found it helpful to have the AAA map of the Four Corners area on hand while reading (it's one of their skinnier maps, that you have to ask for specifically). It's worth the effort, though, because Mr. Hillerman really puts you there. The Leaphorn/Chee books, of which this is the first, definitely come under the heading of fiction, but you come away with such a strong sense of place and an appreciation for the Navajo way of life that it's sometimes hard to know where reality ends and fiction begins. The metaphysical threads running through it add an element of intrigue, without becoming tediously deep and mysterious. The love of my life started in the middle with Sacred Clowns while living in Albuquerque, then read The Blessing Way and stopped there, having enjoyed them, but didn't get sucked into the series the way I did. I think perhaps it was the pacing that deterred him, but I find them addictive. Perhaps the key is to begin at the beginning. ”
