Solving a Stalled Case
Most of the mysteries I read involve solving cases that are currently happening. Occasionally, I get caught up in a case that has gone cold, usually from years ago. But Listening Woman, the third Joe Leaphorn Mystery from Tony Hillerman, involves solving a case that is a few months old. Yes, it’s stalled when Joe gets involved, but I found that difference interesting.
The case involves a brutal double murder. An old man was brutally murdered in his hogan on the Navajo reservation along with a teenage girl, the niece of a listening woman who was there to try to diagnose the man’s problems. The old woman herself was left alive. Sadly, since she is blind, she saw nothing.
While Joe wasn’t on the case initially, he picks it up several months later and tries to piece together what happened. His conversation with the woman leaves him with more questions. But as he digs, he begins to figure out what her words mean. Can he solve it?
Actually, Joe is working on several older cases as this book opens, although this one is his focus. As expected, everything comes into play, although I must admit it felt a bit unfocused at first since the events seemed completely unrelated. Fortunately, the resulting tale felt logically constructed without any of the events feeling forced.
And the last third is a rush. I’m not going to say any more than that, but you won’t want to put the book down from that point on.
Once again, I feel like Joe is a bit of a mystery to us. We’ve learned a little about his backstory over the course of these three books, but we never see him outside of work at all. It’s a different style of storytelling, than most of what I read from contemporary authors no matter the sub-genre. This isn’t to say that I don’t feel like he’s a real character, he’s just a character who has focused on his job. He’s also the star of the book. The rest of the characters don’t get enough page time to be developed too much, but they are developed enough to make the story work.
One thing I do like about Joe is that he has a knowledge of Navajo myths and legends. He takes them seriously while still looking for a logical, human answer to the crimes he is facing. It’s a nice way to bridge the gap between the culture of the world he’s policing while also giving us human villains. It’s all done with respect, too.
George Guidall is continuing to narrate the audiobooks at this point in the series. I’m glad because I enjoy his work.
It’s easy to see why Tony Hillerman’s books are so well
loved. I’m enjoying finally reading them
myself, and Listening Woman is another good entry.
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