Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Blessing Way
    The Blessing Way
    The Blessing Way
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Blessing Way

    Written by Tony Hillerman

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Homicide is always an abomination, but there is something exceptionally disturbing about the victim discovered in a high lonely place, a corpse with a mouth full of sand, abandoned at a crime scene seemingly devoid of tracks or useful clues. Though it goes against his better judgment, Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn cannot help but suspect the hand of a supernatural killer. There is palpable evil in the air, and Leaphorn's pursuit of a Wolf-Witch is leading him where even the bravest men fear, on a chilling trail that winds perilously between mysticism and murder.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJun 12, 2015
    ISBN9781490694597
    Author

    Tony Hillerman

    TONY HILLERMAN served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and received the Edgar and Grand Master Awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian’s Ambassador Award, the Spur Award for Best Western Novel, and the Navajo Tribal Council Special Friend of the Dineh Award. A native of Oklahoma, Tony Hillerman lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until his death in 2008.

    More audiobooks from Tony Hillerman

    Related to The Blessing Way

    Titles in the series (14)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Tony Hillerman's Daughter Anne On Keeping Her Father's Mysteries Alive

      May 29, 2018

      With new focus on a female character, Anne Hillerman is successfully reviving her dad's immensely popular novels.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Joe Pickett’s NEXT CHAPTER

      Jun 9, 2020

      Joe Pickett’s NEXT CHAPTER
      2 min read

    • Article

      Boston Manner

      Feb 7, 2020

      Boston Manner
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Power And The Passion

      Sep 19, 2021

      The Power And The Passion
      4 min read

    • Article

      Fiction: Wolfdreams

      Feb 12, 2022

      Fiction: Wolfdreams
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mercy Mission

      Apr 23, 2020

      Paul Gallico 1st published 1941 (illustrated by Peter Scott 1946) Frith, a shy village girl, has brought an injured goose to the deformed and solitary Philip Rhayader who lives alone in a lighthouse on the Essex marshes. A cautious friendship has beg

      3 min read

    • Article

      Mountain Time

      Jan 1, 2021

      In the air you don’t know who you are or where My own self feels it is in wind being born These are currents a man made one eighth of smokeless fire fears but chooses A path south from Anchorage to a Mountain House Ungovern the northern land to pass

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Close Encounter With A Lion

      May 25, 2023

      My Dear Baker Mrs Oswell and myself thoroughly enjoyed our stay with you and your charming wife in June. It was a true pleasure for us both to renew old times and friendship. We trust that your trip to India will be a pleasant one, and the ship you a

      6 min read

    • Article

      Ursula K. Le Guin

      Jun 15, 2018

      He was thinking of Lookfar, abandoned long ago, beached on the sands of Selidor. Little of her would be left by now, a plank or two down in the sand maybe, a bit of driftwood on the western sea. As he drifted near sleep he began to remember sailing t

      15 min read

    • Article

      Major Long Talks to His Horse

      Feb 20, 2019

      Major Long Talks to His Horse
      6 min read

    • Article

      Sam Owbridge

      Dec 14, 2022

      Sam Owbridge
      4 min read

    • Article

      Hunting Places that Inspire

      Sep 6, 2023

      Hunting Places that Inspire
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Boatman And The Bear

      May 27, 2022

      The Boatman And The Bear
      9 min read

    • Article

      When Tracks Lead to Trouble

      Nov 2, 2020

      When Tracks Lead to Trouble
      7 min read

    • Article

      On Mountains And Moments

      May 26, 2023

      On Mountains And Moments
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Best Laid Plans

      Mar 19, 2023

      The Best Laid Plans
      5 min read

    • Article

      “Properties of Thirst”

      Jul 5, 2022

      “Properties of Thirst”
      11 min read

    • Article

      Stop Hating on Adjectives!

      Jun 12, 2019

      A common admonition in creative writing pedagogy is, “Cut as many adjectives as possible.” I propose that this rule springs from mere prejudice. The post Stop Hating on Adjectives! appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Midnight Bull

      Nov 30, 2020

      The Midnight Bull
      11 min read

    • Article

      Until The Sea Closed Over Us And The Light Was Gone

      Jul 1, 2020

      —Dante, Canto XXVI But if the truth is dreamed of toward the morning—El Paso Although it was really last summer’s song,all this summer Despacito played on as slower then I turned myself to gazeupon Juarez. The summer everything hurts my eyes, a dozen

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Day To Remember

      May 24, 2023

      A Day To Remember
      4 min read

    • Article

      Arnhem Land excerpts

      Feb 28, 2018

      Arnhem Land excerpts
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Blessing Way

    4.5/5

    120 ratings32 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      A creepy, well written mystery that is a perfect October read. A great blend of supernatural and mystery.

    • 4/5
      I normally never read mysteries, but this author is an exception. I saw one f his books recommended on lj years ago and went and found it and read it. I loved it. The main character is a cop on a big Navajo reservation down in the US. The stories all involve Navajo culture as part of the plot and the descriptions of the landscape make you feel like you are really there. Honestly I enjoyed the first one a bit more than this one because I like the female lead better for the side plot of romance. But I still liked this one and am looking forward to the two other books in the series that I got out of the discard pile at work.
    • 4/5
      I have been collecting the Navajo Mysteries by Tony Hillerman since I first read Talking God in college. The early Hillerman books contain a lot ethnographic observations on Diné culture and language. So much, so, that they were used as required reading for a non-western art class I took as a freshman.Although the books stand by themselves and can be read out of order, I've decided to go back and read the series in order, filling in the ones I've missed.The series opened with The Blessing Way, published in 1970. The cold war is still going strong, so is the Vietnam War. There are no cellphones, making the quarter million miles of wilderness that is the Navajo Nation a very remote location even though it sits within Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado.For fans of the later books, the older cop, younger cop dynamic is missing. There's no Jim Chee to get under Joe Leaphorn's skin. Instead, there's what I can guess is an attempt at an authorial insert in the form of a belagaana professor who specializes in Navajo culture. He gives an expert but decidedly outsider's observations.The problem though, is Dr. Bergen McKee, as an outsider doesn't have the same motivations to solve the murder as Joe Leaphorn does. And although he may know some of the different Sings, he's not actually studying them to perform them as Jim Chee tries in Talking God.But the grains of what will be in later novels is here. There are thoughts on Navajo beliefs and motivations and questions about what would make someone break from form. Differences in Navajo subcultures are discussed but not fleshed out as they will be in later books.Despite the discrepancies, some very dated material, as well as a somewhat clunkier writing style, I still enjoyed the book. I listened to an audio version performed by George Guidall. He had the perfect voice for the mystery and brought all the characters to life. I enjoyed his work so much I plan to listen to book three, Listening Woman, on CD as well.
    • 4/5
      Interesting with lots of local color and Navajo background. Surprised at how little Leaphorn appeared in the story.
    • 3/5
      The first book in this native-American series that features a Navajo tribal policeman who uses logic and his knowledge of the Navajo way of life, superstition and ritual to solve a murder.
    • 4/5
      An exciting page-turner about witches and pseudo-witches; pro Navaho people, anti-academics
    • 4/5
      I'm glad I'd read reviews of Tony Hillerman's first book in his Navajo Crime series, The Blessing Way before I started reading. It stated on Amazon and elsewhere that the first book might not be quite up to speed as the rest of the series, which I'm quite keen to read. I'd have to agree it wasn't quite what I expected at first - drier, less crime detection and more Navajo culture (not a bad thing). But about halfway through, the story really started to pick up and from then on, I was hooked. I began to really enjoy the writer's style. I'd rate the first half of the book 3.5 stars and the last half 4.5 stars. I'm looking forward to more and deeper plots involving Jim Leaphorn and settling into a nice long set of mysteries.
    • 4/5
      I always enjoy a good Tony Hillerman novel, and I particularly liked this one. It's one of his earlier ones featuring Joe Leaphorn as a younger man and without the Jim Chee character and all of his problems with women. The descriptions of the Navajo culture are very good in this one, and I loved his descriptions of the Southwest.
    • 3/5
      One of my less favourite stories from Hillerman. The plot seemed fractured and uncertain what direction it was headed. There were less interludes 'on the rez' (although a lot of southwest landscape, excellently captured) and more about non-native characters and machinations. I read this one long after reading Hillerman's later novels, so I would guess he hadn't yet developed his Navajo groove. There didn't seem much connection to the actual 'Blessing Way' cure, which made the title seem misleading.
    • 4/5
      Excellent book. The richness of the Navajo culture and heritage gave the story significant depth and texture. All the suspense is packed into the last third of the story, but its well worth the wait.
    • 4/5
      the disappearance of Luis Horseman who thinks he has murdered someone and takes off for a lonely corner of the Navajo tribal lands. Leaphorn a Navajo 'Law and Order' sets out to find him, What he finds is a body, which seems a bit odd. The death is suspicious and witchcraft is suggested. Leaphorn must sift through the facts and the fiction to understand the Navajo's death.

      I really liked this novel, (4 stars), and while I guessed the "Whodunnit", the "why dunnit" was harder to guess. The action was nonstop, and so many insights into the Navajo culture and community. A truly great read.
    • 4/5
      Absorbing tale of an inexplicable killing interwoven with the hunt for a "Wolf-Witch" on the reservation. Good character development, interesting descriptions of native beliefs, and minimal passages of violence.
    • 5/5
      Navajo culture, southwest scenery, great plot and characters and of course the reader , George Guidall
    • 3/5
      Supernatural read...makes you wonder. Joe Leaphorn solves another mystery; this time a mystery within a mystery. Good read, on to the next Hillerman book.
    • 4/5
      The mystery aspect of this book was weak in many ways because it felt that he handed us the killer on a silver platter, so there wasn't a lot of guessing as to why the characters were in the dire situations that they found themselves in, but what greatly enhances the rating of this particular book is the sheer immersion into Native American culture that it contains. Hillerman does an excellent job of making these scenes feel authentic, which is important when someone is not totally related to the culture like Hillerman (Hillerman is a white male, but was raised around the Navajo culture in his youth according to additional content in the kindle edition.)

      The book tends to focus to heavily on a side character in this first book of Leaphorn, but I imagine it was because he was originally just a side character that wasn't supposed to be that prominent at all in the book but Hillerman was asked to make him a bigger character by his editor. I imagine in the subsequent novels featuring him that he has more of a role and prominence. If you can get past this fact since it is the first novel in the series then you will greatly enjoy what he produces here.

      As previously stated the mystery aspect is a little obvious and the moments are not that shocking when certain revelations occur. This still makes the mystery aspect of the book fine in my opinion because not every mystery needs to be a guessing game for the reader. Sometimes it needs to be handing them all the pieces so they can focus on other aspects of the novel, which as stated I think the Native American aspects were what needed to be focused in on in this first novel in the series, so we had a grasp on what the rest of the series would look like. It wasn't the best book I have read this year, but it was a quick read that I completed in one day, which makes it a great book in my opinion because you don't have to sit with it for a long period of time. You can just have a new experience with a new culture in the matter of one day!
    • 3/5
      3.5***

      From the dust jacket: When Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police discovers a corpse with a mouth full of sand at a crime scene seemingly without tracks or clues, he is ready to suspect a supernatural killer. Blood on the rocks … a body on the high mesa … Leaphorn must stalk the Wolf-Witch along a chilling trail between mysticism and murder.

      This is the first in the series featuring Leaphorn. Hillerman weaves in considerable Navajo lore in this very real story of murder and mayhem. The point of view switches among the characters (although not the bad guy) so we are treated to the victim, innocent bystanders, and Leaphorn each observing parts of the puzzle without clear indications as to how the pieces fit together. Oh, we do discover who the Wolf-Witch is pretty quickly, but not WHY he behaves as he does. Hillerman leaves it up to Leaphorn to explain it all in the end.

      I love Lt Joe Leaphorn. He is methodical, steady, unflappable, intelligent, pensive, courteous, a keen observer, skilled tracker and ever willing to listen. It’s this last quality that makes him such a good detective. He hears the clues in both what is said and how it is said, and even in what is NOT said.

      I thought the dust jacket blurb was misleading; Leaphorn never actually suspects supernatural elements. He is all too aware that most such evil acts are perpetrated by very human killers. But he is certainly intrigued and puzzled by the appearance of the Witch, and the beliefs of the tribal people who have been terrorized (or just “bothered”) by him. In many ways this makes me think of the stories my grandparents or great aunts would tell … full of ghosts and spirits, yet also imparting valuable lessons on how to conduct oneself “the right way.” It’s a wonderful blend of the mystical with the realities of life. I’ll definitely continue reading the series.
    • 3/5
      Hillerman's # 1 with Navajo Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn. Story begins with death of young Indian man by sand suffocation. Was he killed by a witch ? Before long more bodies turn up and plot evolves into missile testing, Mafia interestsn and there are at least five dead. Story takes place in desert/reservation lands of New Mexico-Arizona-Utah region. I will read other books in this series but doubt that I'll read them all.
    • 4/5
      Good Native American mystery. Detailed. Little confusing but thrilling.
    • 4/5
      This is the first of the books that Tony Hillerman wrote about the Navajo tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. I read that in an interview Hillerman said he did not necessarily think the Blessing Way was a very good place for people to start reading the series and it is easy to see why he thought that. Many of the elements that made this series so successful are in this first book, but some of those elements are confusing and even disruptive in this first novel.In all of the books, the Navajo Way is part of the flow and texture of the story. The history and the spiritual beliefs of the Navajo are not just informative in future books but part of the understanding of the people and the motives for what happens within the mystery. In the Blessing Way though, this is used excessively and it is often times disruptive to the flow of the story. One example is the use of the songs that the Navajos sing/chant. In this book there are 8-9 occasions where Hillerman gives the actual lines in the song that are being chanted. And while this may be informative, in the second book, Dance Hall of the Dead, Hillerman only does this one time. Understanding the importance of the songs and how they fit into the Navajo Way of life is very important to the understanding of all the stories. But the 10-15 lines of actual verse that are being chanted in each of the songs impedes the flow of the narrative and is not effective either in advancing the story or in understanding the Navajo people. Another of the oddities about this first book in the series is that Joe Leaphorn is really not Joe Leaphorn yet. Not as we know him from future books. In fact he has a little of Jim Chee in him in this book. You can almost feel Hillerman struggling with the conflict between the analytical side of Leaphorn and the spiritual needs of Leaphorn. Hillerman would quickly learn to let Leaphorn be Leaphorn - be a policeman first and foremost – very analytical and focused on the mystery. Hillerman brought Jim Chee into the series in the fourth book and the spiritual side of the Navajo Way could be explored much more effectively through him than trying to do both through Joe Leaphorn. Joe Leaphorn just couldn’t do the Jim Chee part very well in this book. Leaphorn even sings a Navajo song in the later part of the book. He would never, ever have done this in later books. It seems odd to hear him try and do it in this story. That’s what Chee would have done. Not Leaphorn. But the strangest of all the oddities in the Blessing Way is that Leaphorn is really only partially the focus of the story. There is a white professor, Bergen McKee that is actually much more in the center of the story. He is the one that is in the middle of the major action scenes and it is his perspective that the reader follows during almost all of the critical parts of the story. This in some ways makes sense on Hillerman’s part. He uses a white professor in the story to indicate that he is not trying to pretend he is a Navajo, but rather is telling his story as a white man venturing into the Navajo world. The problem is that even though McKee is a very credible character, as is the white, female graduate student that he becomes romantically linked to, the story ends up being focused on their actions, their thoughts, and their perspective, not on the Navajo perspective. It was smart on Hillerman’s part to try and use a white protagonist in this original story, but it was ten times wiser on his part to abandon McKee in future stories and focus on Leaphorn and Chee. Because the strength of the whole series is the exploration of the Navajo Way through the eyes of the Navajo people.
    • 3/5
      The Blessing Way is an odd story. It is difficult to follow. The title doesn't seem to match the story which deals with Navajo beliefs in witches and people taking advantage of their beliefs. There are murders, researchers, and a group looking for easy money. Because of the ambiguity of the story only three stars were awarded here. Not one of Mr. Hillerman's better stories.
    • 3/5
      The first of Hillerman's Leaphorn/Chee mysteries, set in and around the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, The Blessing Way reads exactly like a first novel. The narrative is clunky and the mystery weak, resulting in a short novel that plods along. A wanted man wandering in a deserted area of the reservation crosses paths with a legendary Navajo witch and meets his demise. His body is discovered leading Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police to investigate in his own way - relying more on getting to know potential witnesses as friends and fellow Navajo, rather than using typical police investigative techniques. Interestingly, Leaphorn is not the main character here - that would be Professor Bergen McPhee who is studying Navajo supernatural folklore and stumbles into the criminal plot. The tribal lore is excellent, as are the descriptions of the vast Southwestern expanses, the buttes, washes and arroyos. But the mystery is fairly thin and the motive seems pretty far-fetched. Thankfully, the series would only get better from here.
    • 4/5
      This was my first read of a Tony Hillerman novel and it did not disappoint. The stark, economical prose is perfect for the story's atmosphere, capturing the stark, elemental beauty of the Southwest landscape that serves as the backdrop for the tale. I really enjoyed the way Hillerman depicts the collision between the traditional Navajo philosophy and the harsh realities of living in contemporary America. The mystery was compelling, it kept me guessing, and Leaphorn and McKee made me care deeply about the outcome.

      I'm looking forward to reading other novels in the series!
    • 4/5
      Well, this was a treat. I decided to reread my Hillerman before I gave them away, but I didn't have this one, so I downloaded it from the library. And I discovered that I'd never read it before! It's Hillerman's debut Joe Leaphorn mystery. We meet Joe as a young policeman, and several other members of the general cast of the series. It's clear (and Hillerman confesses as much) that Joe was meant to be a minor character until his publisher encouraged revisions, and even then, a professor doing field work has a more prominent place in the story. In typical Hillerman fashion, we are presented with a story of a witch, in this case a Wolf, as well as a ne'er-do-well young Navajo trying to hide from the law in the rough canyon lands. But the young Navajo ends up dead, and the professor ends up in the thick if it. There's a young woman, a greedy set of young men intent on making their fortunes, an Enemy Way ritual. Any more than that would be telling.
    • 4/5
      This was a really good mystery story. It takes place on a Navajo reservation. Joe Leaphorn is a Navajo cop who is able to use his knowledge of ancient traditions and culture to bring people out and gather the information he needs to solve the mystery. The real hero of this one (I'm guessing Joe's character will flesh out as the series goes along--after all the series is named after him)is a sort of has-been college professor/anthropologist named Bergen McKee. Even tho I had figured out 'whodunnit' with about 20% of the book left, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this adventure. Not only was the plot a good one, and the characters well drawn and interesting, the descriptions of Navajo life, poetry, and scenery were an added bonus. I will definitely be reading another in this series
    • 3/5
      The first of Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn books. I've read later books in the series that I enjoyed more than this one. I really like the Leaphorn character here, "blue policeman" from Law and Order and his interactions with the Navajo people but elements of the storytelling here interfered with my enjoyment of the story. Several characters here are really well done and a couple not, one exceedingly so. We are given most of the mystery up front and follow along to see if the characters can figure it out. The reader gets a few surprises also.
    • 5/5
      One of his best, I think.
    • 3/5
      For me, the beginning was a little rough. It is the first book in this detective series set on Navajo tribal lands. Hillman takes time to explain The Navajo Way, which I found fascinating (like the fact that there is no word for time" in their language), but it felt like roughly inserted patchwork. About a quarter of the way in, this smoothed over and the book read more like a traditional Murder Mystery. Plot summary: a young Navajo is found murdered on the side of the road. Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police is willing to consider the supernatural when the corpse is found with a mouth full of sand, abandoned at a crime scene high on the mesa with no tracks and no apparent useful clues next to the body. Professor Bergen McKee approaches the mystery from an academic angle. He is researching Wolf-Witch legend and becomes entangled in the investigation. The setting is beautiful. The mystery is simple, but with enough plot twists to keep the reader happy. It is a little clunky in parts, but good enough that I look forward to the next in the series.On a side note: I was peeved with my Kindle edition. I can only see the percentage read, so I was at 90% when the story concluded (the rest was filled with promos and other stuff) and that made the ending feel very abrupt to me. Not the writer's fault.
    • 4/5
      Some mysteries stand out because of an unforgettable character like Sherlock Holmes, or a distinct style like that of Chandler or mind-bending plots like that of Agatha Christie. In those areas, this novel was decent, but not impressive--what makes this novel stand out is setting. Published in 1970, the novel is set in the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico and the detective is Joe Leaphorn of the Tribal Police. The novel transported me into what is for me an alien way of thinking, a different spirituality and landscape. I have no way of knowing how accurate Hillerman is, but he certainly gave me the illusion of better knowing the way of the Dineh, their rituals and myths, when I closed the book, and the descriptions of the Southwest desert and wildlife was evocative and striking.
    • 4/5
      These are like comfort food for me -- a mystery series that my Dad loves and shared with me years ago. I do appreciate the intricacy of Hillerman's presentation of Navajo culture, and his respectful writing.
    • 3/5
      I heard a lot about this series and I decided it was time to give them a try. The PBS version of [Skinwalkers] looked really good. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. But like many other reviewers, I liked the book until the ending. I felt like things were just explained at the end, but the reader wasn't shown how the motives were uncovered. I will read the next one in the series, and hope that they get better.