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21st out of 55 books
—
41 voters
The Fallen Man (Navajo Mysteries #12)
Human bones lie on a ledge under the peak of Ship Rock mountain, the remains of a murder victim undisturbed for more than a decade. Three hundred miles across the Navajo reservation, a harmless old canyon guide is felled by a sniper's bullet. Joe Leaphorn, recently retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, believes the shooter and the skeleton are somehow connected and recall...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
September 10th 1997
by HarperTorch
(first published 1996)
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Another gorgeously crafted novel.
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A skeleton is discovered 1,700 feet above the base of a sacred mountain in the four corners Indian reservation. Joe Leaphorn comes out of retirement to help investigate the case, believed to be the rich Anglo named Hal Breedlove who fell while trying to climb Ship Rock eleven years earlier. The Legendary former Lieutenant Leaphorn doesn't believe an Indian would climb the sacred mountain, nor would one kill on it. But then when it comes to mining rights, land claims and money, well, then its any...more
For the first time I read an English story without searching every word on the internet. The story is clearly structured. The plot is quite easy to understand so I could imagine myself what words (which I did not understand as a Swiss student) meant.
I also enjoyed reading the book because it is written very excitingly and I was interested in the Navajo culture. Those parts, where Tony Hillerman wrote about the special environment in Navajo, I liked the most.
There were also parts where I did not...more
I also enjoyed reading the book because it is written very excitingly and I was interested in the Navajo culture. Those parts, where Tony Hillerman wrote about the special environment in Navajo, I liked the most.
There were also parts where I did not...more
Good, but not great Hillerman.
Joe Leaphorn has just retired and Jim Chee continues his exploration into cross-cultural dating (and difficulties). Officer Bernadette Manuelito becomes a full-fledged character in the series. In fact, this may be the best characterization of her in the series.
There are actually two mysteries in The Fallen Man . One is a cattle-rustling caper. The other is the long-dead body of a climber that is found on Shiprock (Rock With Wings). If you ask, "What's a shiprock?"...more
Joe Leaphorn has just retired and Jim Chee continues his exploration into cross-cultural dating (and difficulties). Officer Bernadette Manuelito becomes a full-fledged character in the series. In fact, this may be the best characterization of her in the series.
There are actually two mysteries in The Fallen Man . One is a cattle-rustling caper. The other is the long-dead body of a climber that is found on Shiprock (Rock With Wings). If you ask, "What's a shiprock?"...more
Jan 31, 2012
Carl
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Mystery lovers/ southwest mystery
Once again we encounter Navajo cops Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in a plot that is cleverly pieced together; Hillerman gives us seemingly odd pieces of a puzzle: a skeleton found on an unattainable ledge, a old guide shot by a sniper hundreds of miles away for no apparent reason, frustrated romances, the questionable lawyers, and, of course to make the "western" yarn almost stereotypically complete, cattle rustling! However, in true Hillerman style, there are enough twists and turns to keep any mys...more
I really love Tony Hillerman's books where he weaves a mystery into the geography of the Southwest and into Navajo culture. On my last trip to New Mexico, I felt as if I had stepped into the pages of one of his Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee novels. This is the 12th book in the series and the personalities of Leaphorn and Chee continue to fascinate me. In this outing, the remains of a man who has been missing for over a decade are found on a tiny ledge on Shiprock Mountain--a mountain that is sacred...more
I like to pick up mysteries from the library sale rack and save them for trips, hospital stays and the like. This one I read on an airplane flight. I have read several Tony Hillerman Navajo Mysteries -- I lived for a year in Arizona near Window Rock, on a Navajo reservation. This one was particularly interesting. The skeleton of a "fallen man" is found on a mountain peak which is sacred to the Navajo. It turns out to be a man who was reported missing 15 years before. Joe Leaphorn, who was involv...more
I read Hillerman's books because he brings the New Mexico to life. Few writers can evoke the cold, the heat, or the beauty of the New Mexico high desert the way Hillerman does. Fallen Man is a particularly good example. Hillerman's description of the arrival of winter is spellbinding -- I could almost feel the cold wind and see the dark clouds. The plot is almost incidental to Hillerman's wonderful descriptions of New Mexico. Jim Chee is still confused about his love life and intimidated by Joe...more
I was introduced to Tony Hillerman's books about 25 years ago. While I don't usually read this genre I have picked up Mr. Hillerman's books through the years. He uses the murders or the mystery as a platform to introduce me to native American lifestyle - especially Navajo. Having had a foster sister and a foster brother that are Navajo I have been interested in the beauty of their culture.
Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn are characters with flaws that are easy to relate to. I was disappointed when I t...more
Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn are characters with flaws that are easy to relate to. I was disappointed when I t...more
It is great when I discover a book I haven't read by a special author. This one has both Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, who is now retired, but takes on a job to find out the truth about The Fallen Man, whose skeleton is found years after he disappeared. He had climbed the sacred mountain and his body was initially intact. Had he climbed alone? Was his wife and brother in law involved in his death. Also, what was going on with the cows that disappeared. Janet Pete, Jim's fiance, is also in this book...more
This is going to be more about related issues than the actual book.
First of all, I sometimes have a tendency to avoid really popular or trendy books, books that might be sold in airports. At some point, after all the people raving about him, I told myself I needed to take a look at a Hillerman book, but it took me a long time to get around to it.
By all accounts, Tony Hillerman was a great guy. He had connections to my university, as well as two places I've worked. He spoke at a writer's confere...more
First of all, I sometimes have a tendency to avoid really popular or trendy books, books that might be sold in airports. At some point, after all the people raving about him, I told myself I needed to take a look at a Hillerman book, but it took me a long time to get around to it.
By all accounts, Tony Hillerman was a great guy. He had connections to my university, as well as two places I've worked. He spoke at a writer's confere...more
One of the crappiest books I've read in a while. It was recommended to me by someone who said I would like it because I like rock climbing. Yeah, not so much. The book has pretty much nothing to do with rock climbing. It was a lame airport bookstore mystery. The author left about a dozen untied strings at the end. The middle of the book was so muddled and confusing that I debated just throwing it out halfway through. The prose is at a 5th grade level. The humor a level below that. Tiresome and b...more
Listened to this on audio. I love any Chee/Leaphorn mystery (though I really wish Jim Chee would have gotten over all his hero hate/worship issues with Leaphorn by this one). The novel was read well, the characters acted nicely and separately. The only character that grated a bit was that of Janet Pete's--the reader made her sound a little too much like a man reading a stereotyped woman, if that makes any sense. The other women's voices were fine. But I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this editi...more
In Hillerman's suspense novel, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee return in the authors most intricate and atmospheric novel. The Navajo policemen whose exploits are brought together by the need to know how a man met his death in Shiprock, almost seventeen hundred feet above the desert floor. The Fallen Man is replete with Hillerman's trademarks--ingeniously intricate plotting, splendid descriptions of the desert, insights into a venerable culture, and fabulous characters.
A skeleton is found several hundred feet high up on a cliff where most people can't get to. Someone is rustling cattle. An old man is shot to death for no apparent reason. A lawyer firm has an interest in an old ranch. All these things have something in common, but what? Tony Hillerman has an excellent way of bringing several story plots into one conclusion. Using retired Leaphorn and Chee which has always been a good mix for me makes this a good read.
I love Tony Hillerman. All his mysteries are set on Indian reservations. 2 main characters, Joe Leaphorn, the old-time Navaho policeman, and Jim Chee, the young medicine man cop play off each other. What gives this genre it's charm is the setting. We know relatively nothing about Indian reservations and the taboos and ceremonies which affect the lives of the Hopi and Navajos today. Readable escapeism that moves.
A good puzzle and a good entertaining and thoughtful book. I wish I could get a copy in Spanish. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Ship Rock and Canyon de Chelly region, the dramatic weather patterns, and the questions about culture and different ways of seeing the world and on what basis we make our choices. Jim Chee has several women with crushes on him and I think that I would be one of them if he were a real person!
Mar 04, 2010
Kathy Petersen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
x-feb-10-thru-jan-11,
read-mysteries
I really only read this because it was included in the bag of "thrillers" that my husband and his friends pass around. It turns out to be the best of the Hillermans that I've read. What fantastic landscape, and what an enjoyable journey through it, as Lt. (Acting Lt., that is) Chee and the recently retired Leaphorn make sense of the death of the man whose skeleton is nestled a crevice of the sacred mountain.
I was in the mood for some light reading and have been disappointed by most of the mysteries I've tried lately. I've seen Tony Hillerman's books on the shelves for years, but for some reason this is the first one I picked up. The plot was well-structured and the characters were interesting. The violence was not overwhelming but there was still some suspense. The best part of the book was the setting.
A skeleton is found several hundred feet high up on a cliff where most people can't get too. Someone is rustling cattle. An old man is shot to death for no apparent reason. A lawyer firm has an interest in an old ranch. All these things have something in common, but what?
Tony Hillerman has an excellent way of bringing several story plots into one conclusion.
Tony Hillerman has an excellent way of bringing several story plots into one conclusion.
If you want to read a book that will keep you guessing, interested, amped up, and you just can not get enough of it, then this is your book. This book has the most amazing description words, you can almost imagine it in your head. This is one quote where I could imagine it in my head, "Even the body was perfect for the purpose. A little smaller and slimmer that Buchanan's. Just bone, sinew, and muscle, without an ounce of surplus weight, moving like an insect against the cracked basalt." That is...more
For some reason, I have a hard time connecting with Hillerman's books. After 40 pages of this one, I still hadn't been hooked. Too many characters and scenarios had been introduced and I wasn't intrigued by any of them. As far as I'm concerned his one saving grace is his vivid descriptions of New Mexico...sounds beautiful!
This book is a job well done. the characters are very well done and compelling. The story is full of twists and turns but one that will not let you go.
This is an excellent read - my first of Reginald Hill.
Mystery readers will enjoy this one.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
This is an excellent read - my first of Reginald Hill.
Mystery readers will enjoy this one.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
Excellent Hillerman! Enjoyed every minute of this one.
My only regret is that I did not read his books in order. Certainly each stands on it's own, but they make a little more sense if read chronilogically.
I especially liked the rock climbing references, as my two sons are both avid climbers out west!
My only regret is that I did not read his books in order. Certainly each stands on it's own, but they make a little more sense if read chronilogically.
I especially liked the rock climbing references, as my two sons are both avid climbers out west!
This was chosen for my book club. I had read several of Tony Hillerman's books in the past and enjoyed them. I liked this one too. There was a little predictability in the plot and love story but these things are not the reason I like this series of books. The main draw for me is the insight into the Navajo culture. We see the culture from several perspectives, predominantly through the two main characters. Jim Chee, though younger, is more traditional and spiritual in his beliefs. Joe Leaphorn...more
Another gripping mystery in the Four Corners area, but without the Native American religious aspect as Leaphorn & Chee work together to solve an old case. Hillerman's evocation of the desert Southwest rings true and Leaphorn is a fascinating character who makes an interesting ethical choice in this novel.
Wow - what a read. This is perhaps one of the best of Hillermans yet. It held me spellbound and I found myself turning my night light on so as not to disturb hubby at 3 in the morning to keep reading and see what was happening next and every page!
I read this years ago, but had forgotten the plot. I discovered I enjoyed the whodunit mystery all over again especially since Leaphorn and Chee were equally involved. Reading and attempting to visualize the four-corners area causes me to think I'll visit there someday.
I like books that contain a little practical information about something I would never, ever do - like rock-climbing something precarious from which a fall would most definitely kill me. And of course, I like mysteries. Combine that with also liking books that contain a little cultural anthropology, and that all means I was set to like this book from the get-go. This wasn't necessarily my favorite, but I did enjoy it.
This was my first time reading Tony Hillerman. I'm not usually a fan of mysteries/crime drama, but I'll admit, this was a fun read. I got through it pretty quickly. And it kept me guessing until near the end. Good fun read!
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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, wh...more
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