The Ghostway

Leaphorn & Chee #6

by Tony Hillerman

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+! 

The sixth installment in New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series—an electrifying thriller of revenge, secrets, and murder.

“One of the best of the series.”—New York Times Book Review

Old Joseph Joe sees it all. Two strangers spill blood at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat. One dies. The other drives off into the dry lands of the Big Reservation, but not before he shows the old Navajo a photo of the man he seeks.

This is all Tribal Policeman Jim Chee needs to set him off on an odyssey that moves from a trapped ghost in an Indian hogan to the seedy underbelly of L.A. to an ancient healing ceremony where death is the cure, and into the dark heart of murder and revenge.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Native American, Westerns, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Tony Hillerman, who was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, was a decorated combat veteran from World War II, serving as a mortarman in the 103rd Infantry Division and earning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart. Later, he worked as a journalist from 1948 to 1962. Then he earned a Masters degree and taught journalism from 1966 to 1987 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he resided with his wife until his death in 2008. Hillerman, a consistently bestselling author, was ranked as New Mexico's 25th wealthiest man in 1996. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too modern for me. Involves a trip to Los Angeles and a shantytown development. Needless and uncharacteristic time is spent on antagonist development, including a horrific scene where he breaks into a mansion and leaves a macabre scene behind. I missed the Hillerman gentleness of earlier mysteries; the focus on our protagonists and the development of their lives, the sharing of different southwest Native American cultures, the drawing of the southwest landscape.

Many, many thanks to Fredrika for identifying the book where this review belonged!

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chee strolled along the fence, looking at the five who lined the porch. This was a side of white culture he'd never seen before. He'd read about it, but it had seemed too unreal to make an impression - this business of penning up the old. The fence was about 6 feet high, with the topmost foot tilted inward. Hard for an old woman to climb that, Chee thought. Impossible if she was tied in a wheelchair. Los Angeles seemed safe from these particular old people.

Another fun, quick read from Hillerman in Navajo Mystery #6.

Jim Chee tries to solve a shooting and tries to save a 17-year-old girl from a murderer.

There's not much to say about this.

I hate Jim Chee's girlfriend, Mary Landon. The previous book was blissfully Mary-Landon-free, but now she's back in all her annoying glory.

Chee took a courtesy sip. He drank a lot of coffee. ("Too much coffee, Jim," Mary would say. "Someday I will reform you into a sipper of tea. When I get you, I'm going to make sure you last for a long time.")

I can't believe she's trying to make Chee stop drinking coffee. What a jerk.

It would be a good day of good weather, he thought, and the thought reminded him of how impressed Mary Landon had been (or pretended to be - it didn't really matter) with his grasp of weather patterns.

"Just like the stereotype," she'd said, smiling at him. "Noble Savage Understands the Elements."

"Just like common sense," Chee had told her.

I don't understand why he's chosen to be with this woman or what on earth he sees in her to make him "love" her.

She's also claiming that if he really loved her he'd give up being a Navajo cop and join the FBI and live in the white world with her and raise their (non-existent) children as white. UGH. Chee's just about having a panic attack over this because he was training to be a medicine-man and there are fewer and fewer Navajo medicine-men each year and his culture and his way of life is super-important to him, and this woman is just demanding that he just give it all up.

If I ever met her I'd have some choice words for her, believe you me.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am finding this second time read of The Ghostway a complete delight
The "mystery" is good.
The tension is compelling.
The venue is very interesting.
And, the "Navajo way" is presented in its many facets.

Hillerman does a masterful job of quickly giving us the “mystery,” the “nature” of this area under the jurisdiction of the Navaho Tribal Police, and the personality of Jim Chee who works out of the Shiprock subagency office of the Navajo Tribal Police and is central to this story. (And Joe Leaphorn isn’t in this one).

This may be the novel where Hillerman decides to give Chee his full attention. There is a romance that may take Chee from the Navajo community. "But she was right. How could you compromise it? Either he stayed with the Navajo Police or he took a job off the reservation. Either he stayed Navajo or he turned white. Either they raised their children in Albuquerque, or Albany, or some other white city as white children or they raised them on the Colorado Plateau as Dinee. Halfway was worse than either way."

Chee’s instincts are what set him apart…."Chee was instantly aware of this departure from the normal, as he always was of any deviation from the harmony of the expected."

…. and they are not always well received…."“You want me to be careful,” Chee said. “I want you to turn on the brain,” Largo said. “See if you can pick up the girl. If you run into anything that bears on what happened to Gorman, then you back off. Tell me. I tell Sharkey. Everybody’s happy.” “Yes, sir,” Chee said."

The trail takes Chee far from home…even into the Los Angeles metropolis. The people he seeks and the puzzle parts aren’t fitting together until the last moments. Excellent.


Here is a sample to test whether you would be interested or put off by Hillerman's style:

"The first seventy miles, through Teec Nos Pos, Red Mesa, Mexican Water, and Dennehotso, was easy enough going over the snow-packed asphalt of Route 504. Beyond Dennehotso, reaching the winter hogan of Frank Sam Nakai involved turning southward off the highway on a dirt road that wandered across Greasewood Flats, dipped across the usually dry Tyende Creek Canyon, and then climbed Carson Mesa. Five miles down this doubtful route, Chee decided it wasn’t going to work. The air was still cold but the hot sun was turning the snow pack into mush. He had put his chains on before he left the highway, but even with them, the truck slipped and slid. As the day wore on it would get steadily worse until sundown froze it all again. He made it back to the highway and made the hundred-mile circle back through Mexican Water and southward to Round Rock and Many Farms and Chinle, and then the long, slippery way to the south side of Black Mesa past the Cottonwood Day School and through Blue Gap, to an old road which led to Tah Chee Wash. It was as bad as the road south from Dennehotso but, from where the passable stretch ended near Blue Gap, much shorter. Chee drove down it in second, at a cautious ten miles an hour. He’d drive as far as the melting snow would allow, walk in the remaining miles, and walk out again when the cold darkness turned the snow into ice and the mud into frozen iron."

And

"“I am born to the Turkey Clan,” she said. “My mother is Bentwoman Tsossie of the Turkey Clan and my father was Jefferson Tom of the Salt Dinee.” She spoke in a rusty old-person’s voice, giving Chee the rest of her clan genealogy, mentioning relatives and clan connections, a litany of names of her extended family and its ancestors. Chee recognized a few of them: a woman who had served long before he was born on the Tribal Council, a singer of the Mountain Way Chant whom his own father had sometimes mentioned, and a man who had been, long, long ago, a tribal judge. When she had finished all the formalities and offered him a bottle of cold Pepsi-Cola, Chee accepted it, and sipped from it, and allowed the proper amount of time to pass, and then put the bottle on the floor beside his chair."

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The land and The People are one. In the heart of Navajo country, a lone basalt tower rises over 7000 feet from the flat desert floor. It was birthed in fire 30 million years ago, and shaped by wind, water and sand. The Dinee, the People, are likewise stamped by history. Without memories of their myths, their lineages, the landmarks filled with sacred meaning, their language and the way to hozro (harmony and beauty), identity is eroded into nothingness.

All of Hillerman's mysteries add enough cultural detail to make the connections of Navajo thinking come alive. In this book we view the sad remnants of the Tazhii Dinee (Turkey clan). Most of them were relocated to California by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bentwoman is both ancient and blind. Her daughter is also quite aged. The daughter's nephew is Hosteen Ashie Begay. Hosteen Begay's nephews are Albert and Leroy Gorman. Hosteen Begay's graddaughter is Margaret Billy Sosi. Stark contrasts are made between family members who have retained their Dinee identity and those who have lost it.

Navajo Police officer Jim Chee contemplates his own identity throughout this book. He has been offered a position with the F.B.I. Accepting it would make him a permanent inhabitant of the white world, the world of Mary Landon with whom he is in love. “Either he stayed with the Navajo Police or he took a job off the reservation. Either he stayed Navajo or he turned white. Either they raised their children in Albuquerque, or Albany, or some other white city as white children, or they raised them on the Colorado Plateau as Dinee. Halfway was worse than either way. Chee had seen enough of that among displaced Navajos in the border towns to know. There was no compromise solution.” (p.10)

These thoughts fill his head as he searches for Albert Gorman, injured in a deadly shoot-out, but more important, involved in the death of an F.B.I. Agent. Lt. Largo is unusually animated as he recites his customary warning to Chee. Don't screw up.

Chee tracks down Albert and dutifully leads F.B.I. Agent Sharkey and county sheriff's deputy Bales to Hosteen Begay's hogan. Up among the rocks Albert's body has been buried in the Navajo fashion and Hosteen Begay is gone. The logic is obvious. Begay's abode is now a “death hogan,” unfit for habitation. In any case, Begay probably would have already moved his sheep to lower pastures ahead of the anticipated winter storms. Yet, Chee cannot help but notice problematic details, unarticulated details that engulf his senses.

His natural curiosity is unleashed when Margaret Sosi is reported missing. The Albert Gorman investigation is off-limits, but he knows that Margaret Sosi, Albert's niece, know something and finding her is his case. His search for her takes him to Los Angeles where he is confronted with an alien and toxic landscape: “Chee pushed open the door to admit the outside air and got with that the aroma of warm asphalt. There was also the smell of smoke, the perfumed smoke of desert burning that drifted down from the fire over the ridge. Through that, faintly and only now and then, he could detect an acrid chemical taint – the bad breath of the city.” (p.174) Is this the landscape of his future should he choose Mary over the Dinee?

This was a satisfying mystery filled with cultural contrast. Chee's personal dilemma has led him to a crossroad. The problem I had with the book is the character of Mary Landon, introduced in People of Darkness. She lacked the sensitivity to understand Navajo culture and never felt like a serious romantic interest for Chee.

Once again, Hillerman's other character, Joe Leaphorn is missing. Leaphorn is a significant contrast to Chee and is a vital element in future books in this series.

NOTES:
Information about the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Urban relocation plan: https://www.archives.gov/education/le....

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't seem to concentrate on reading right now so I am zipping through audiobooks.

This is a Jim Chee story & a good one, although I prefer them set entirely in New Mexico/Arizona. This one has a lot of the action & bad guy characters in Los Angeles. Although Jim Chee even noticed the Los Angeles landscape, although, of course, it couldn't compare with his Navajo scenery. I liked how Chee memorizes landscape and goes back in his mental bank of beauty to refresh his soul. Navajo culture seems based on memory, not writing, on kinship, not work.

A re-read for me, although original reading was so long ago that the whole plot seemed new.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, published in 1984, takes readers into Navajo country where Hosteen Joseph Joe, an elderly Navajo man, sees Albert Gorman, a Navajo who lives in Los Angeles, shoot a man in the Wash-O-Mat and then drive away although he also was seriously wounded. Jim Chee, an officer with the Navajo Tribal Police, is asked by the FBI to help find Gorman. Before this case is solved Jim Chee will travel to Los Angeles and, as usual, find himself torn between the traditional culture of the Navajo people and the beckoning white world. Chee is studying to become a yata'ali, or Navajo healer/shaman, but his girlfriend, Mary Landon, is trying to convince him to apply for a job with either the FBI or the Bureau of Indian Affairs and relocate to Washington, D.C. I was particularly interested in the information presented in this book about Navajo culture and religious traditions, especially the rituals involved with preparing a person for death and preparing a body for burial. Hillerman also describes in detail the ritual of the Ghostway, which is a ceremony to cleanse an individual who has come into contact with a malevolent ghost. Tony Hillerman's respect for traditional Navajo culture shines through this book and makes readers eager to learn more about the challenges of reconciling traditional Navajo culture with the intrusions of the modern world.

[Cheesecake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chee is lead a merry dance by a teenage girl he is trying to help. He follows her to LA and meets the police there that are invested into finding the same villains.
All of this is not Chee's job, but again, his curiosity leads him where it will.
It all hinges on a photo Chee can't seem to find.
Criminals killing criminals
I'm not a big fan of POVs from the bad guys, and here we get the POV of a hired thug. It's interesting, but I kinda skimmed that part.
I loved the character of the teenage girl! She should become a navajo cop when she grows up ; )

I didn't remember the plot of this one at all, so it was like reading a whole new book, yeah!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a shooting in front of the laundromat. Jim Chee gets on the case, despite the complaints of his new girlfriend. This takes him as afar afield as California.

Too much Chee, not enough Leaphorn

[Gunnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Hillermans Reihe um die Navajo Police dürfte vielen Lesern bekannt sein. Die Reihe begann bereits 1970. Bis 2006 schrieb Hillerman 18 Romane. In deutscher Übersetzung erschienen die Bücher zumeist bei Rowohlt, nun hat sich der Zürcher Unionsverlag einer kompletten Neuauflage gewidmet. Die Romane spielen in der Navajo Nation Reservation im Nordosten Arizonas an der Grenze zu Utah und New Mexiko. Hillerman schildert dabei eindringlich das Leben der Diné und Hopi im Reservat und der großen Herausforderung im Kontrast zwischen der eigenen Kultur und Identität und der modernen amerikanischen Gesellschaft. Herausragend vor allem auch die Schilderungen der Landschaft, der Natur und Wetters in dieser kargen Gegend der USA. Möglicherweise wäre Hillerman heutzutage in die Diskussion um kulturelle Aneignung geraten, allerdings ist dem Autor auf jeder Seite die Wertschätzung der indigenen Kultur anzumerken. Hillerman wurde schon zu Lebzeiten als Botschafter wahrgenommen und erhielt vom Navajo Tribal Council den Ehrentitel „Special Friend of the Diné“.

Ich hatte bis dahin noch keinen Titel der Reihe gelesen und normalerweise fängt man ja auch nicht mit Band 6 einer Reihe an, aber „Stunde der Skinwalker“ eignet sich trotzdem als Einstieg. Hier kommen Hillermans Protagonisten Joe Leaphorn und Jim Chee erstmals zusammen und ermitteln gemeinsam in einem Fall, während sie in den Bänden vorher getrennt ermittelten. Dabei ist Leaphorn der ältere, ranghöhere Polizist, ein rationaler Mann, der mit den alten Riten nicht mehr viel anfangen kann, und Chee jung, aufstrebend und tief in seiner Kultur verwurzelt, sodass er selbst als Sänger bei bestimmten Riten auftritt.

Im Roman hat Leaphorn drei ungelöste Mordfälle zu lösen, die seiner Intuition nach irgendwie zusammenhängen. Dann wird auf den Kollegen Chee ein Mordanschlag verübt, der irgendwie auch in das Schema hineinpasst. Ein Spur führt zu dem alten Glauben an die Skinwalker, die einen Schadenszauber in Menschen einpflanzen können. Der Kriminalfall ist somit eng mit den indigenen Bräuchen und dem Glaube an Übernatürliches verbunden. Insgesamt ein wirklich interessanter und spannender Kriminalroman, der vor allem auch durch das Setting und die Figuren überzeugt.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't all that thrilled with certain parts. I didn't like the way animals were treated in this one. I guess the mystery made sense. I am not sure I followed all the logic in his final conclusions. I also question that a teen could act so decisively and successfully, against a seasoned killer, although I do see how easy it would be for that killer to disregard a teen. But twice? For such a professional, that seems unlikely. I was also impatient with how much time was spent on Chee's agonizing on what to do about his girl friend. As usual, the explanations and exposure to the Dine people was the best part. I can't wait for Joe Leaphorn to get back into the books. Chee irritates me and I'm not completely sure why.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghostway is, in my opinion, the strongest entry yet in Tony Hillerman’s Navajo Tribal Police series. I’ve listened to each of the books leading up to this one, and while all have been enjoyable, this story stood out for its compelling plot, rich cultural depth, and expert pacing.

The mystery at the heart of The Ghostway is thoroughly captivating. Hillerman strikes a masterful balance—keeping the suspense alive without ever becoming confusing or overly obscure. The narrative remains accessible while maintaining a sense of complexity and depth that kept me engaged from start to finish.

What I continue to appreciate most in Hillerman’s work is his authentic and respectful integration of Navajo culture. Rather than being window dressing, the traditions, beliefs, and landscapes of the Navajo people are woven into the very fabric of the story. In this installment, the theme of “ghost sickness” and the ceremonial practices surrounding it add an emotional and spiritual dimension that elevates the mystery and deepens the reader’s understanding of the characters and their world.

Jim Chee continues to develop as a protagonist, and his internal struggle between traditional values and modern responsibilities adds a compelling layer to the story. His journey feels personal and culturally significant, not just procedural.

If you’ve been following the series, The Ghostway is a must-read. And if you’re new to Hillerman, this book showcases exactly why his work has earned such a loyal following. Highly recommended.

[Philip Reari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good installment that spends a lot of time in LA where the story gets bogged down in some superfluous white man activities.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent yarn from Tony Hillerman. "The Ghostway" features Jim Chee on the case looking for a lost granddaughter, and a witness who is in the witness protection program. Things start off with a bang with a shooting outside of a laundry mat. With one man down and another hit, the investigation is on. Chee to his chagrin ends up having to go to Los Angeles to track the girl. Shortly there Chee ends up in the hospital with a concussion thanks to one of the gangsters in Los Angeles. It's in the hospital where Chee realizes he really does love Mary Landon, and wants to marry her. Hillerman's unusual characters are a blast to read about. Jim Chee is a character that's impossible not to root for as he gets abused in every book. Chee is much smarter, and clever than those he must deal with even though the other characters do not realize it. Hillerman's outstanding visuals from along the Arizona/ Utah borders, and parts of New Mexico paint a gorgeous view of this country. Certainly I'd highly recommend this 5 star classic. Written in 1984 this one will live forever. Tony Hillerman's are an important part of Americana that must be enjoyed by all. Pick them up and jump right on in.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am slowly working my way through Hillerman's books. The Ghostway has Jim Chee looking to find out who killed Albert Gorman, what happened to his brother, and dealing with a runaway girl from a private school. Somehow they all seemed tied together but Chee is struggling with how, or why.

I wasn't all that sure about Chee when he was first introduced, mostly because he was so conflicted about his place in the universe - should he stay on the Navajo reservation or should he take a job in the white world. He is still struggling in this book but I now see how that struggle is developing his character

There was a good mystery wrapped up in all the inner reflections of Chee, and he even got to travel to Los Angeles in this one.

Now that I am comfortable with Chee I'm looking forward to more of his books, but must admit I'm waiting for Joe Leaphorn to come back sometime.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Hillerman delivers another gem of a mystery. Jim Chee struggles with the pull of his tradition set against the love of a woman who is not Navajo. I thought the Leaphorn books couldn't be matched, but Chee is able to carry the book on his own. I'm enjoying revisiting the series and filling in the gaps of the books I haven't read.

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine novel by Tony Hillerman. I just enjoy his descriptions of the four corners area. This time Chee is investigating the murder(s) of Navajo's who were relocated from the reservation to Los Angeles and return to Navajo country. A Car theft ring and witness protection play into the plot. It is a fun and fast moving mystery.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

audio Hoopla Digital Did not excite me......easy to put down I want Joe!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better. I get so totally absorbed in the stories and appreciate the writing and the plot lines. The audio version is done very well and the narrator has a terrific voice for this series.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an audio book.

I really enjoyed this installment. These books just flow for me - they aren't action packed, there aren't high speed car chases, there aren't any gun battles with glass exploding everywhere, there aren't any huge explosions hurling cars and people topsy-turvy. These are thoughtful "thinking" mysteries, where our protagonist, Jim Chee, has to reason out what happened, why it happened, and who might have done it.

In The Ghostway, Chee is struggling with Mary Landon, his girlfriend, after she expressed disappointment that he didn't apply for a position with the FBI and a possible relocation off the reservation. Which called into question his expectations of the relationship; if he hands in the FBI application, he walks the path of the white man. If he doesn't hand in the FBI application, he continues his studies to become a Navajo Singer and stays a Navajo - but without Mary.

Meanwhile, an elderly Navajo witnesses the murder of Albert Gorman, and the death is linked to an FBI investigation stemming from Los Angeles. Chee is asked to help in the investigation, which leads to a missing girl and her missing Grandfather. The search for both lead the reader through an exploration of white culture as seen through the eyes of a Navajo - specifically, Chee's eyes as he struggles to decide to stay Navajo or become white.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Navajo concept of the Ghostway and death rituals: how a hogon is abandoned upon the death of a person because the chindi is trapped inside, the burial rituals of a Navajo, and the Ghostway cleansing ritual to rid a person of the Ghost Sickness. All of this was so well interwoven into the story that it was a pleasure to read. I thought it added so much to Chee's dilemma about which path he should walk.

My only tiny complaint with the book was all the driving, and, upon reflection, perhaps even that contributes to the over all feel of how large and remote the southwest is. Still, a bit too much car time for the main character. But, my quirk.

So far, I highly recommend this series.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reread this for old time's sake and for the popsugar challenge and I have to say this one didn't hold up as well as one might like. It's fun to read something in the days before internet/gps/DNA in crime solving. On the other hand way too much time is given to Chee's personal drama.

Let's deal with this drama first. Even when I read the whole series back in the 80-early 00s, I preferred the stories where Jim is with Joe Leaphorn as it feels more balanced. Joe isn't in this one. Jim's signature in these books is he is not just a detective but also a shaman in training. The Navajo culture is paramount to him and he loves his homeland dearly. So naturally he's fallen in love with Mary, a white woman teaching on the rez and wants him to join the FBI and leave. A good chunk of this short novel is Jim having imaginary conversations with Mary about the pros and cons of them staying on the rez and starting a family vs joining the FBI and doing the same. It's overwhelming and boring after a while. We got the idea several chapters ago.

This case takes Jim to Los Angeles where he's very much a fish out of water. A non-reservation raised Navajo comes to Shiprock and is murdered. What Chee can't figure out is why the man's elder relative didn't taking the obviously dying man out of his house to die outside because in Navajo belief if someone dies inside their chindi (the evil part of their soul) will be trapped in the house which much be ritually abandoned. This was a great house so why not take him outside? Why is only half the after-death ritual been observed? Where is the old man?

That's what his young granddaughter wants to know too. Chee is supposed to be finding her, Margaret Sosi again after she runs off on him, heading to L.A. after clues to her grandfather. He's not supposed to be looking into the dead man as that's the FBI's concern. Well it's not his fault the two cases intertwine right?

The story is good but it could have used some Mary editing. I still very much like Chee. Always did think he deserved better than Mary.

[Heath Lowrance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really glad I gave Hillerman another shot, because I really enjoyed this one. The mystery was solid, just complex enough to keep the brain synapses crackling but not so much that the thread was lost. Lots of good Navajo lore, weaved into the story in a really tight way.

Starts with an altercation in the parking lot of a laundromat in Shiprock that leaves one man dead and another wounded, on the run. Tribal Policeman Jim Chee initially teams with the Feds to find the missing man, but when the corpse is discovered outside a Navajo hogan, prepared not-quite-right for the afterlife, Chee chases a trail that leads from the Reservation to L.A. and back again, all while dealing with is own personal issues of identity.

Jim Chee is a great character-- quiet, reserved, a careful thinker (his Navajo name, after all, is Long Thinker), and interestingly vulnerable. The only antagonist we spend any time with is Vaggan, an enforcer for hire, and he is equally interesting: a ruthless health nut who, in his spare time, prepares for the end of the world. And the seventeen year old Margaret Sossi, searching in vain for her missing grandfather, could easily have been spun off into her own series.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman.

This is a mystery among the Navajo people with Sergeant Jim Chee , their lawman. There's a shootout at the Shiprock Wash-O-Mat. Old Joseph Joe is shown a picture of a man by the victim before he dies. That's the only lead Jim Chee has to begin his search into the who did it and why.

This was my first Tony Hillerman book and I didn't know what to expect. I listened to it on CD narrated by George Guidell who did another terrific job of bringing life to the characters.

The author was creative as well as knowledgeable and kept me interested.

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#6 in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee "Navajo" mysteries, although this one featured just Jim Chee. Read by George Guidall, my favorite reader, so it was a delight to listen to. Chee begins to investigate a shooting death, mostly on his own since the FBI is involved and has warned the Navajo Tribal cops off. Lucky for him, he finds that the shooting is related to the disappearance of a Navajo girl that he's already been investigating. Excellent as always.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, plus you receive a lesson on Navajo Indian culture. Tony Hillerman has a brilliant a way of incorporating very ordinary things into a suspenseful story- - it makes you think any of the characters might be you!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bad guys in this one just don’t work—particularly the hitman, who’s a cartoon, and who interrupts the interesting parts of the story. But Jim and Largo and the LA cops and Bentwoman Tsossie, and, especially, Margaret Sosi make this a terrific read.

[Bryan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written on vacation and is short shrift. But if I don’t do a least a little one I’ll forget my thoughts

Chee is the hero of this one. And after several books absence he is worrying about his relationship with Mary Landon. And agonizing over the choice between the Navajo way and the white mans way. Into the midst of this he is thrown into a murder mystery that just doesn’t seem to make sense to him. Neither his Navajo learning or his white college learning seems to be helping him solve the mystery.

The story takes him to Las Angeles to really drive home the difference in cultures which I thought was way over the top. Especially how the relocated Navajos there has lost so much of their culture. But the trip does get Jim onto the path to the solution and he races back to the reservation for the final showdown. The conclusion was fairly satisfying. The only things I didn’t really like were the two chapters inside the villains head. It’s a tried and true method of storytelling often used in this genre but I prefer when it’s all from the protagonists POV.

One final bit after the main story wrapped up felt forced to me. It was the letter Mary sent him basically telling him to stay a Navajo and maybe she would too. The justification being that eventually he might regret leaving something important to him. But it works the same for her too so having her express that she might live the Navajo way with him felt hypocritical.

Anyway. I enjoy there stories and will continue reading.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

(First Read 09/1992) Hillerman’s collection of mysteries set in the Navaho/Hopi lands of Arizona/New Mexico/Utah. One side benefit of reading his stories is what the reader learns about historical and contemporary Hopi and Nava culture. Hillerman has created two attractive sleuths, former fabled Navajo tribal policeman Joe Leaphorn and current policeman and apprentice “medicine man”/ shaman Jim Chee.

Second Read (06/2025) There is a gunfight at a laundromat in Shiprock, New Mexico. This event brings Los Angeles to the Navajo reservation. In this novel, the central character is Jim Chee who develops in to a deeper and better person. Several feel this book is the best in the series. Sgt. Jim Chee finds the place where the first man drove, the hogan of Ashie Begay. With FBI agents Sharkey and Witrey, and Deputy Bales, Chee finds Albert Gorman buried near what is now a death hogan, but not the photo Joseph Joe described. Gorman was buried almost exactly following the Navajo way, save for his unwashed hair. Returning a week later, Chee encounters runaway Margaret Billy Sosi, crying for her grandfather. They talk, then she slips away. Chee next finds the aluminum trailer shown in the photo, where he expects to find Leroy Gorman, but the man there is Grayson. Margaret Sosi had shown up earlier that day, looking for her grandfather. In search of Sosi and her relatives, Chee drives 900 mi to Los Angeles. He meets two city police detectives, Shaw and Wells, who know the FBI agent Upchurch who died or was killed in trying to close a nine-year case on the McNair gang, experts in high priced car thievery and the cocaine trade, who leave no witnesses.

Sgt. Jim Chee finds the place where the first man drove, the hogan of Ashie Begay. With FBI agents Sharkey and Witrey, and Deputy Bales, Chee finds Albert Gorman buried near what is now a death hogan, but not the photo Joseph Joe described. Gorman was buried almost exactly following the Navajo way, save for his unwashed hair. Returning a week later, Chee encounters runaway Margaret Billy Sosi, crying for her grandfather. They talk, she slips away. Chee next finds the aluminum trailer shown in the photo, where he expects to find Leroy Gorman, but the man there is Grayson. Margaret Sosi had shown up earlier that day, looking for her grandfather. In search of Sosi and her relatives, Chee drives 900 mi to Los Angeles. He meets two city police detectives, Shaw and Wells, who know the FBI agent Upchurch who died or was killed in trying to close a nine-year case on the McNair gang, experts in high priced car thievery and the cocaine trade, who leave no witnesses.

Chee's greatest gifts is patience. He patiently speaks with Mr Berger, resident of the old people’s home near Gorman’s place. Seeing Sosi visit the day before, Shaw saw Gorman argue with a big blond man – Vaggan. Gorman showed them the photo of his brother at his trailer. Then Gorman left. They knew he stole cars for his living. With help from Shaw, Chee gets the address for Gorman’s next of kin. Chee meets Bentwoman, the grandmother of Ashie Begay. Margaret Sosi has been there and will return there after dark. Bentwoman suggests Chee enter his hogan, as he is dead, but no one died in his home. Leaving, who should see find but Vaggan and Margaret in the empty street. Chee jumps Vaggan, Vaggan beats up Chee, Margaret gets Vaggan's gun and runs the show; she makes Vaggan drive Chee to the hospital. Shaw comes lto the hospital where Chee is recovering from head wounds. Chee recalls the arsenal in Eric Vaggan’s van. He realizes what Margaret did, but how? Shaw learns the new lawyer at DA office handling the McNair case is no good at all. Chee will pursue Margaret Sosi, who has left Bentwoman’s home.

Chee spends three days in an L.A. hospial. Chee calls Mary Landon. He is really in love with her. He re-evaluates his choice about her and his home. After leaving the hospital, Chee drives back to Shiprock, stopping at Flagstaff. The gang knew Gorman was heading for his brother. Vaggan tried to stop him, failed, so Lerner was sent to kill Gorman. Chee reports to Capt. Largo. Largo knows Leroy Gorman is Grayson in the Witness Protection Program by checking who paid for his trailer. While Chee is on sick leave, he gets a horse to find Margaret Sosi and that picture. At Begay’s hogan, Chee finds the known sacred items Begay would not have left behind. Twp dead horses are found, shot in the head, one still standing, covered with snow. The rest of Begay’s property and the corpse of Begay are found, killed as the horses were, in the head. But he has not yet found Margaret or the elusive photo. Chee visits his uncle to learn who performs the Ghostway ceremony. He learns where the sing for Margaret is happening.

Sosi is finishing the last day of the Ghostway sing to purify her from being in the death hogan, surrounded by her clan. Chee arrives during meal break just as it is about to end. Chee lets her know her grandfather is dead and asks what was on postcard... it said "Don't trust anybody--Leroy. Chee realizes the real Leroy Gorman must be dead and Grayson is part of that gang. The Ghostway ends at dawn. Chee and Margaret leave. Grayson drives away and plans to meet Vaagan in an empty hogan. They come into an ambush while on the road. Chee is forced on the ground and Margaret shoots Vaagan with his own pistol. FBI agents arrive, make arrests and return to Canoncito Reservation Police Station.

When he returns home, Chee finds a long letter from Mary, who has realized she cannot change Jim from being a Navajo, and heads home to ponder this more.

Good book, Great Audiobook, Great Narrator. Recommend this book HIGHLY!!! Good stuff!! Rate: 5 Stars ⭐️ i

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it's just me, but I felt like this book was a bit disjointed. It took me a couple of pages to realize Chee had left the Shiprock area and had gone to LA. I felt like I was missing some detail. The conclusion did wrap up everything and answer my questions, but I still felt like the story-line was a bit choppy.

[Mark Hartzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Jim Chee novel. No Leaphorn.

I thought the villain was somewhat cartoonish and not well drawn. Otherwise, crisp narrative. Not one of Hillerman's stronger efforts. 3.5 stars.

[Lotts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted a bunch of my Dad's old books and I think Hillerman was one of his faves. These are quick easy reads that I always enjoy.