As a New Yorker born and bred, a city girl through and through, the only Native American settlements that have ever appealed to me are these:"Nice location," I always think. "Sunny in winter, shaded in summer, this spacious apt has great views. Exclusive gated development convenient to community gardens, grocery stores, schools, houses of worship, craft shops. High-floor unit boasts magnificent original murals and fine adobe detailing. Must see to appreciate." "Sold!"Who were the people who made...

The Thief of time is a beautifully written and observed piece. It is thriller, mystery, life, saga and page turner. Jim Chee is set on detecting just who has stolen the flat bed truck from the police depot - a theft that seems to be more about buck passing within the force rather than detection. While he is supposed to be watching a back hoe is stolen from the depot. Meantime Joe Leaphorn, only days away from retirement after the death of his beloved, Emma, is put on to a case of Grave Robbing.

Tony Hillerman's mystery series set in the Navajo Nation includes 18 books written by him over 4 decades. I used to read these with my Mom who was born in New Mexico and raised in the Southwest U.S. so they have special interest for us. It's many, many years since I've read one of these old-school mysteries and I loved returning to them in A Thief of Time. A Thief of Time is someone who steals bones and artifacts from Native American ruins, of which there are thousands in the Four Corners area o...

Navajo policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are working on two separate cases that merge in this excellent story. Leaphorn is looking for a missing woman and Chee is looking for a murderer. Hillerman does a very good job of explaining relevant Navajo traditions. This is a solid 4 out of 5 stars book.

Excellent addition to the Hillerman stories set in Navaho lands in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Both Leaphorn and Chee are in this one which, to me, makes it a better story. I think the two complement each other and add some richness to the backstory as well as to the main story of murder.Chee is brought into the story because someone steals a backhoe while he is patrolling a local business, it had complained about people breaking in and taking a truck. Leaphorn is searching for a mis...

This is an early Hillerman Novel for me and it hooked me onto this type of writing. I live in New Mexico, so I know so much about what he is writing about and where. The Navajo culture seems to come alive and you see the fine line they live between their and our cultures. The mystery seems to come alive on the reservation and high desert of Arizonia. I'm always glad when Leaphorn and Chee work together. They are a good pairing.

A really good read. If you like your crime thrillers to be smart, suspenseful throughout, characters with some depth and dashing so of humor then this is the book for you. The book takes place on a Navajo reservation and is one of a series with a Navajo detective called Leaphorn. I had recently gone through a run of fictional heroes whose ability to bear pain crossed over from the heroic into these people are some serious perverts. So it was a great relief to be left in the hands of a smart man

Visiting Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in the pages of a Hillerman mystery is the next best thing to sleeping under the stars in Navajo country, wondering if there is magic in the sky above.A Thief of Time has atmosphere to spare, and a complex plot. Leaphorn and Chee are also fleshed out more than usual in this terrific entry. Both men are dealing with personal issues as this mystery begins. Chee hasn't quite figured out how he feels about Mary leaving him because he could not leave his Navajo way

It wasn't the sort of friendship that needed answers.This was a great Hillerman novel, I really enjoyed it.This is the second book where Leaphorn and Chee are teaming up to solve a mystery. Both are going through some problems.Leaphorn is struggling to deal with(view spoiler)[ the death of his beloved wife, Emma. (hide spoiler)] This has left him a heartbroken, miserable shell of a man. He's even decided to quit the force, now just working out his last two weeks before it's all over for good. Si...

Quite simply, I loved it. Tony Hillerman moves me with his ability to write authentic characters that I can connect with and to transport me to a cultural landscape that expands my experience.

An archaeologist goes missing, and Leaphorn looks for her. Chee looks for stolen county equipment. It all comes down to artifacts.I didn't find this one as good as some of the others I've read in the series.

Thief of Time was the first Tony Hillerman novel I ever read and it remains one of the best. It starts with a wonderfully creepy scene in which a researcher into the Anasazi peoples discovers a couple of dozen little frogs who have been tethered by a string tied around their legs so they can’t hop away. Then she finds out she’s not exactly alone in the deserted ruins and well…I don’t want to give too much away. After the opening scene, it becomes a fairly typical detective story as Joe Leaphorn

Well crafted police procedural set on the Navajo reservation in Arizona/New Mexico. Not having read any of the series before, starting with book 8 left me with some questions about ongoing situations of the main characters which encourages me to read further in the series.I loved the inclusion of the Navajo thought process and rational to solve the crimes. It is so different from British procedurals and it was quite refreshing. And I loved the description of the area, having spent some time expl...

Just out of plain curiosity. I have read many of Hillermans books, but this one escaped me, so now, I am checking it out for many reasons.Oh my goodness, how I have let Hillermans writings slip past me for so long I have no idea! I received a gift card to Barnes & Noble and yesterday went to the store and really stocked up on his books.He is so talented in his writings, and so sorry he has now passed away and no longer will we be blessed with his works. But "A Thief of Time" is amazing and kept

Excellent series!Great story. Series of cultural heritage mixed with mystery and investigation is ever appealing. This series is one I highly recommended.

Loved all Hillerman books with Leaphorn and Chee.

An anthropologist who's willing to cross legal lines in order to find the truth of the past has disappeared somewhere in the canyons of the Southwest. Was she stealing antiquities? Two police officers in the Navajo Tribal Police have to sort through a series of series of improbable events to find out the truth.Some solidly enjoyable mystery reading. This one's not a hugely remarkable plot, as far as a puzzle goes, but is otherwise very well written. Where this shines is in the procedures, which

I've heard it mentioned several times that this was author Tony Hillerman's own favorite of his Leaphorn/Chee series. It is now one of my favorites of the series, too. Once the arc of the story is established, there is a satisfying combination of action and character development. The introspection of the primary characters (and some of the minor characters as well) actually complements the plot and makes the action more believable.The only thing that would have made it a more enjoyable read woul...

Love Tony Hillerman, sad he has passed away. The Four Corners Region is just mystical and these mysteries portray that and so much more. I love the relationship between Leaphorn and Chee, gives it another dimension.Great light reading.