The Collector: A Navajo Nation Mystery

Navajo Nation Mystery #9

by R. Allen Chappell

When the local trader is found murdered the only clue points directly at Lucy Tallwoman. The FBI sweeps in to discover a decades-old trail of deceit and betrayal as the darker days of Lucy’s past come back to haunt her. The family decides they need help…and fast. Caught up in a chilling plot to control the burgeoning trade in Native American art Investigator Charlie Yazzie finds himself dangerously out of his league as two billionaire collectors struggle to dominate the market. It soon becomes clear the only thing that will make Lucy’s work more valuable...is her death. In a last-ditch stand against imported killers is there no one Charlie and his friends can trust? Will it fall to a stranger to intervene and is it really a stranger?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Native American

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2019

About the author

R. Allen Chappell, the author of eight novels and a collection of short stories, grew up with the Navajo, went to school with them and later worked alongside them, forging enduring friendships along the way. "Those friendships," the author says, "became the inspiration for this series."

Reviews

[Irena Pasvinter]

Another gripping mystery set on Navajo Nation reservation, with the same ensemble of familiar local characters and a few newcomers, to stir the action up. This time it's Lucy Tallwoman, the traditional weaver, who finds herself at the epicenter of obsessive interest of wealthy art collectors with questionable practices and dangerous henchmen.


Ye'ii tapestry, Navajo, Native American, ca. 1920-1930, wool, dyed and natural color yarns. 61 x 92 in (154.9 x 233.7 cm), McNay Art Museum(Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

It was a quick and enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

[ShirleyS]

Lucy Tallwoman, an expert Navajo weaver and Thomas’s significant other, is accused of murder! How can that be, I ask you?

What follows is Charlie Yazzie, Thomas Begay and Harley Ponyboy’s effort to help the FBI and the tribal police to straighten out this fine mess.

Very enjoyable.

[Gary George]

R. Allen Chappell just keeps getting better. From the moment we see Lucy Tallwoman at her loom, we know we’re in for a treat from a writer who understands Navajo art and its appeal across far-flung parts of the globe. And when Charlie Yazzie, Harley Ponyboy and Billy Red Clay appear on the scene, we know there will be spice and more than a dash of impetuousness added to the stew. Throw in an FBI specialist in art theft and art fraud, and everything comes to a boil. This complex and satisfying picture of those who live the Big Rez in the traditional way will reward all those who love novels set in the gorgeous, scenic, and sometimes dangerous four corners area.

[Linda]

Allen has written another excellent book. The reservation has a very serious problem with unscrupulous people always trying to cheat the Native Americans out of their art work. Most of this story is taken up with the white people involved in a scheme to corner the market. The story is beautifully written and the characters are real. The dialogue is excellent and at times you feel you are the fly on the wall ease dropping on them. Well worth 5 stars. A book you don't want your life getting in the way by making you put the book down.

[Jessica Ashley]

An excellent addition to an excellent series

I really enjoy the characters and locale of these stories. The five stars are because the Author holds true to those and weaves a believable tale . I hope He can do it again.

[Alice McGuire]

Great series

R Allen Chappell knows the Navajos and their culture. This understanding adds immeasurably to his stories, which also have wonderful characters and interesting plots. Keep on writ !!!

[Rosemary]

The Collector - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Lucy Tallwoman is a Navajo weaver par excellence, whose amazing tapestries, rugs etc are highly sought after as collector's pieces, in R Allen Chappell's latest Navajo Nation Thriller series, that you will grow to love if you don't already.

Unfortunately her tranquil way of creating is rudely interrupted by the murder of her friend and agent, Trader Johnson, who took care (with his wife Queenie) of Lucy's financial and business affairs, leaving her free to pursue her craft. It soon becomes apparent, with the encroachment of the FBI on the Reservation, that this killing is not an isolated incident. Alarmed for her elderly father Paul T' Sosi, her husband Thomas Begay and their two young children more than herself and agrees that staying with a relative while the men investigate and try to catch killer is a wise move. It seems the killer - and his employer - will stop at nothing to eliminate artisans like Lucy, whose creations' value will reach stratospheric heights following their untimely deaths! Who would be so calculating and merciless?
You'll have to read The Collector by the outstanding Western adventure writer R Allen Chappell to find out - it'll be a wild ride, but SO worth it!

[J.J. Rusz]

R Alan Chappell’s Navajo Nation series is mature enough now that its engaging characters—Paul T’Sosi, Charlie Yazzie, Lucy Tallwoman, Harley Ponyboy, and others—bring any mystery to life right from the start. That’s certainly true of “The Collector,” which focuses initially on Tallwoman in her role as an accomplished weaver. But when the local trader who serves as Lucy’s agent turns up dead, she discovers that native artists like her are being ill-served by people supposedly representing them.

The story moves briskly from there. But for much of the novel, locals are supplanted by less interesting criminal outsiders. The conclusion of the book feels hurried and unresolved too. Lucy as an artist seems almost ignored and that’s a missed opportunity, given how “The Collector” opens.

But these are quibbles about a series with much to offer. I enjoyed this book and look forward to Chappell’s next.

[Patti Hamer]

Richly Satisfying

Campbell's writing improves with each book in the series. Characters are well-defined without extensive histories that impede the progress of the story. Local color, Navajo culture and tradition, along with life on the reservation flow naturally through the narrative so one feels enlightened not 'educated.' The only weakness may be the author's desire to wrap all the loose ends following a dramatic climax, but that does not detract from the pleasure of a few hours spent with Charlie Yazzie on a murder mystery in the evocative Southwest.

[Beverly Bradley]

Great read

Still my favorite author. He can make you
think you know what the outcome will be and find out you. Are not even close. Keep on writing.

[Dinah Miller]

I enjoyed the story. As always this author doesn't disappoint with his description of life on the Navajo Indian Reservation and their personalities. Now I start the third book in the series.

[Bonnye Reed]

Kindle Unlimited
Lucy Tallwoman is the star of this one, and as usual, she handles it quite well. Already her hand-woven Navajo Blankets are top of the line in the international market. But when her agent is murdered, it soon becomes apparent someone has attempted to corner the market on her rugs, sold around the world to collectors and often re-sold again as the years go by - just tracing their current owners is difficult, and it soon becomes obvious that one group of collectors are in the market to double the value of her work - as happens when any excellent artist dies. Guarding Lucy becomes a full-time job for several of her friends and family, and it is up to Charlie and the boys to keep her safe and find the conspirators behind her impending death.
I LOVED the cover of this one. Outstanding!
REVIEWED on December 4. 2024, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes & NOble, and BookBub. Not available for review on Kobo.

[Eileen Lynx]

A bit different than the previous books in the series but still a good story.

[Karen McCormick]

Intriguing story

I have not read any of R Allen Chappell's series and of course started with the newest in the series. I am hooked. This was an excellent story filled with intriguing characters. The portrait of life on the reservation was so realistic I felt the daily routine. Great writing style. The story was unique and told in an unusual way. I look forward to reading the whole series.

[Tamara]

Great Southwest Mystery!! I didn’t want it to end.

I have enjoyed every book in this series and look forward to the next book. My attempt to read this one slowly, was unsuccessful. I hope the author is working on the next book. The sooner the better!

I know the characters well after reading each book in the series. They are likable and quirky.

[Cheri Ramirez]

Over too soon!!

As al system I am sad when such an enjoyable book is over. Me. Chappell once again brings the dangerous doings ln and around the Navajo reservation to his devoted readers. Will I tell you the story line- no. Read, be surprised and enjoy- worth your time and money.

[Tracey S Choat]

Great series

I've read this whole series and will continue to read if there are more books written by this author. I love learning of the Native American culture and the main characters are Navajo.

[Jean Abshire]

Wonderful Book

Allen Chappell really captures the feeling of being back in the Southwest with its people, politics, weather, and food. Every one of the books in this series is a great read.

[Lee Jackson Coffey]

Continues to nail it.

I thoroughly enjoy the mix of characters and multitude of complex situations this series of books represents. Author's ability to change focus of the action is a: delightful and b: difficult. One more outstanding book in a series of books.

[Robert Fox]

Good reading.

I recommend this book to everyone.





Very good reading. Interesting to read. Depiced Navajo life in New Mexico. Very good 👌

[Carolann Hiller]

Great Series

The characters in book eight are like old friends. Murders are connected by Lucy Tallwomans exquisite weaving and proof of hording of Navajo arts. No one is safe.

[Josephine M Morris]

The Collector

I always enjoy these books. Good author. New Mexico is a fascinating place to me in any case, which makes the books and people in them more interesting.

[Virginia Adi]

storycrafting needs work--characters are good

[Deb]

Charlie Yazzie and his friends find themselves drawn in to the murder of a trading post operator when their friend Lucy Tallwoman is questioned by the FBI. The trading post operator had represented her in the sale of her increasingly famous rug weaving. Although Lucy has an air tight alibi for the time of the murder, her friends are all worried that she is in danger. When the wife of the trader also disappears, the FBI and the Tribal Police both go looking for ties to a criminal art theft ring which has involved the deaths of several Native American artists, thus driving the price of their work higher. While Lucy is being guarded, it becomes increasingly clear that two competing organizations may be trying to corner the market on her blankets. Lots of information on art dealers and collectors is included in the plot and quite a few bad guys lose their lives before the case is closed.

[Dan Sexton]

Wanting More!

Growing up, we poked fun at the never-ending "soap operas" our mothers were addicted to viewing. I recall my mother dreading to miss "her shows" while we took a short family vacation. The day we left, the main character was going into the kitchen to make coffee. After vacation, mom tuned in to try to catch up on what she had missed. The main character was just coming out of the kitchen, having made the coffee she started nearly a week earlier! In R. Allen Chappell's books, I am happy to report that, while still addictive, the pace moves much faster. You will enjoy the series and I recommend reading them in order. This one is the latest in the series, but hopefully not the last!

[wayne peters]

Review of this book.

Well written, with research into the way of the Navajo people and how they would act in these situations. The ending was a total surprise. The story flowed smoothly, and was full of intrigue. This story led the reader down several paths, full of false leads. The story was captivating, and the suspense was high. Excellent writing by the author kept the interest high and not quite sure if the reader was on the right path to figure out who the villian or villains were.

[Jacqui H. Travis]

The mystery plot was somewhat vague and rambling, but I love the characters in this series and the descriptions of their lives on The Res.

This story did give an insight into the dark underbelly of the international black market in Native American artifacts and arts & crafts, and the exploitation of the artisans. There was also an interesting passage on how Lucy Tallwoman crafts her handmade blankets, from raising her own sheep and processing their wool, to crafting her blankets on a traditional wooden loom.

I'm a collector of Native American pottery and jewelry, and I've often wondered what the ratio was between what the artisans are paid for their crafts and artwork, compared to the price at which they are sold by agents and dealers. The facts are sad, troublesome, and unethical.

[Avis Gill]

This is the 9th book in the series and when a local trader is found dead, and the only clue points to Lucy Tallwoman, the family decides they need help…and fast. Lucy’s youthful indiscretions come back to haunt her—as the FBI weighs in and brings unknown family ties into play.
As traditional weavers the T’Sosi’s growing fame makes them the target of two deadly factions.
Investigator Charlie Yazzie stands with his friends in the face of a chilling plot to control the burgeoning market in Native American art. Who can they trust? And who are not what they seem?

[Tom feux]

I wish the authors of my favorite mysteries would go small and resist the temptation to create international criminal syndicates, drug lords with infinite resources, etc. Those elements are not in this episode, but there were elements that distract from the character development and the more intimate glimpses into their lives. I like the style and characters but would prefer the story was toned down a bit. I will continue the series.

[Ski Croghan]

What a great book!!!

This is one great book! Who killed the trader who sells Lucy's blankets? And now his wife is missing too! Who is trying to control the products created by Southwestern art objects? Is the Begay family in danger? Who is this beautiful FBI Agent who claims Charley was her tutor in college and he can't remember any thing about her? The answers are in this outstanding book. Highly recommended.