The Ghostway

English language

Published Feb. 12, 1992

ISBN:: 978-0-06-100345-5

(1 review)

The Ghostway is the sixth crime fiction novel in the Joe Leaphorn / Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series by Tony Hillerman. It was first published in 1984 and features Jim Chee. A gunfight at a laundromat in Shiprock NM brings Los Angeles problems to the Navajo reservation. The novel was reviewed positively at its publication. "The tension between the Navajo way-of-life and the tempting white-world outside. . . is central and emphatic" in this novel. The central character "Chee is developed to greater depth than before", though that reviewer felt that the three novels featuring Leaphorn (first three in this series) were more powerful. Another called this novel choice reading. Another review found that the story "moves alertly along" and is "one of the best in the series."

2 editions

jay reviewed The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman (Leaphorn & Chee, #6)

4 stars

A friend recommended this series for the pacing and the important role the landscape plays in the stories, which intrigued me. And it really delivered in these respects. The pacing is truly excellent, unhurried without dropping the reader. The description of the landscapes painted them well enough in my mind, without ever having been in any similar ones. The glimpses into the life and inner worlds of the protagonists were convincing and interesting. The unraveling of the mistery felt engaging and natural, despite the small red herrings.

Books I really love are usually ones that concern themselves with the big questions. This isn't that—not that it leaves them out, it's just not what the book is about. It still was a pleasure to listen to, and made me think about how I acquired this taste and how useful it is at my present point in life.

I listened to …

A friend recommended this series for the pacing and the important role the landscape plays in the stories, which intrigued me. And it really delivered in these respects. The pacing is truly excellent, unhurried without dropping the reader. The description of the landscapes painted them well enough in my mind, without ever having been in any similar ones. The glimpses into the life and inner worlds of the protagonists were convincing and interesting. The unraveling of the mistery felt engaging and natural, despite the small red herrings.

Books I really love are usually ones that concern themselves with the big questions. This isn't that—not that it leaves them out, it's just not what the book is about. It still was a pleasure to listen to, and made me think about how I acquired this taste and how useful it is at my present point in life.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by George Guidall.