Iain > Recent Status Updates

Still feeling like a slow start, with a lot of the mopeyness of the last one carrying over. Big changes have happened and they're significant, but also that story advanced entirely offstage between books, so it's not a journey we've accompanied Leaphorn on, we're just having to sit with the mopeyness of the aftermath as we're told what happened while we were away. It makes for dull reading.

Here we go on another adventure with Marlowe, this time in the early spring.

Seems to me that the song played on the flute has partially revealed the killer in the first chapter, since he knows the victim. I hope this was an intentional clue, and that we're not going to spend the entire book trying to figure out what's already obvious, as in previous books.

The final details are a little different from what I'd figured on, but they're simpler, and I suppose a more down to earth and reasonable explanation of motive and justification. But basically it's how it's looked the whole time: who and how have been obvious, and now we know why.

And Leaphorn has also realized, from what little Chee was able to tell him, about what's going on. It's too late though, they're putting together the pieces that have been obvious for most of the story.

Finally things are coming to a head and Chee is starting to realize what's been obvious.

"This conversation hadn't opened any doors to what that might be. Or had it?" Frikkin of course it has! Omg. Irma was involved in a land rights dispute, believed the person all clues point to had fudged records in some way, had engaged in open hostility with him, and he is a privileged semi-outsider who came back to become prominent. Then Irma is killed. We've had connection, now motive has just jumped at you.

"Now he had what he needed to solve this puzzle. He had no idea how. But he knew himself. He knew he would solve it." Over 70% in, everything still keeps pointing to the answer that seemed obvious in the opening chapters. Every new clue points to it. The obviously vital link that Chee initially withheld was indeed vital. Story is fine, but the mystery is frustratingly more obvious than the characters realize.

Finally getting some real conversation and possible connections. Mary continues to be an unseen ghost in Chee's head, lecturing him on how "exotic" but dumb she thinks his culture is. Fortunately, we're also getting a bit of Chee seeming to have second thoughts. There aren't many women in these stories, but as soon as Chee interacts with an attractive Navajo lady the relative flaws of Mary rise to his attention.

Mary Landon continues to be in these stories only to serve as an example of bad behavior. When Chee drinks the rinse water from his coffee cup instead of wasting it, she has to let him know how weird she thinks it is, and calls it a cultural anomaly. As if it's conserving a resource that's the anomaly, not having the privilege of endless water in Wisconsin. She makes me like Chee less.

Wow the beads are the only solid connection they have between killings, 60% through the book. The beads Chee was reluctant to mention because he's a bad cop and a petulant child now that Leaphorn's sharing screentime. And after all this I'm still saying it's that doctor from the beginning.

This time a short B&W story by another author, but with beautiful Darwyn Cooke art reminiscent of the animated series. Didn't go anywhere, and it was thematically too similar to Ego, but it was nice when taken as just a few pages of stylized comic art.

More predictable silver age silliness. A story about Superman's face getting disfigured in a mysterious way, starting with Clark receiving a new press card made of metal for some nonsensical reason. Of course an explosion caused the card to brand his name across his forehead. Look at the cover and first page and the story's all over but the nonsensing. I see next will be 2nd consecutive story focused on ugliness.

Back to Leaphorn getting injured already, he can't catch a break even when he gets elderly.

Returned to this after about a year and a half. Good to be back, but at the same time I immediately see why I drifted away. Lot of boring conversation between schemers, because really Gibson is using The Shadow as a vehicle for exposing mystic conmen. Lot of lived experience evident, but it drags as a pulp story.

Leaphorn is pleased he established that Wilson Sam's killer wasn't from the area. I thought we already knew that. Chee saw a small silhouette shooting at him, then found a bone bead. Bistie also had a bead in his wallet, so Chee feels relieved and is letting his guard down, even though Bistie is too big and it makes no sense. A bead was also found in Endocheeney, but Chee still hasn't told Leaphorn that. Dumb.

Another dumb short story from the annual.

40% and not that into it. Leaphorn back as worried husband and eccentric cop (for being competent mostly). Chee as the young jerk who can't do his job and cooperate even when it's to his own benefit. Long time since it felt like we got closer to answering anything. No reason not to still think my guess at the beginning was correct.

Some ok but kind of perfunctory and surprise low stakes stories, and then a pretty bad annual. But meh, it's ok.

The nerfing of Jim Chee. We've had three books of Jim working through mysteries mostly on his own, and while his record of actually resolving them himself wasn't great, there was a sense that it was due to difficult circumstances more than incompetence. Now Leaphorn's back and described as a "hotshot," and Chee is the dumb and kind of petulant officer who doesn't share info that's finally a link between cases.

At last Leaphorn and Chee have met.

Don't know if this will prove to be a spoiler but at 15% in it looks like the ambitious doctor/spiritual diagnostician is using the influence of his position to weaponize the superstitions of his patients and send them after his enemies. He's put a hit-by-witchhunt on Chee.