Status Updates From The Dark Wind (Leaphorn & C...

Moving fast now. But, how did Chee expect to pursue someone who had a large head start and beat him to the getaway vehicle... when they both have to follow more or less the same path down from a mesa in a rainstorm? The conclusion of this is feeling very form over function: a lot of interesting vibes and atmosphere, but the details are hand-waved over.

Exciting and all, but utterly predictable. Every answer is exactly what it seemed to be long ago. The motive, the setup, just as it seemed. This is becoming unfortunately common in these books: the feeling that they're written for a younger audience, so I don't get to be surprised by the twists. And I love the Hopi mesa setting, but the reason for getting the action there feels so contrived and unexplained.

What did I miss? The size of the LEAP from learning the meeting time, wondering why it waited a day (there's actually an answer for this in the call that set it up), and realizing who's behind it, to absolute confidence the timing has to do with the Hopi religious calendar, and that the villain will profane a sacred ceremony just to have a cool and tricky meeting location... this book's been good, but this breaks it.

This is going a little off the rails maybe. Some of what I suspected early on is coming to light. Of course someone randomly being a magician is foreshadowing. Is he setting up for a hit to avenge his son? Did he kill Musket, because he led the son down a bad path? I don't like how casual Chee gets with the under-the-table info he gets; he needs to leave people's names out of his reports when he's working quietly.

Realized while reading it that I'm enjoying this one and glad I'm not even at the halfway point! The last one felt a little repetitive and like we spent 75% of the book knowing where it was going while the story progressed like we weren't supposed to. This one stays more focused on Chee, takes us to interesting places (Hopi mesas), and feels more adult mystery, less YA adventure. Reminds of Dance Hall a little!

If Chee thinks the feds drove up the wash and only stopped briefly at tributaries, how would their tracks not be visible when he went to track the hidden vehicle? Does he *not* truly think they did that then? He knows they didn't, and that's the point? He knows they're the ones who did the hiding maybe? And again, is Cowboy Dashee involved?