Spider Woman's Daughter

A Leaphorn & Chee Novel

By: Anne Hillerman

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

Anne Hillerman, the talented daughter of best-selling author Tony Hillerman, continues his popular Leaphorn and Chee series with Spider Woman's Daughter, a Navajo Country mystery, filled with captivating lore, startling suspense, bold new characters, vivid color, and rich Southwestern atmosphere.

Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette Manualito witnesses the cold-blooded shooting of someone very close to her. With the victim fighting for his life, the entire squad and the local FBI office are hell-bent on catching the gunman. Bernie, too, wants in on the investigation, despite regulations forbidding eyewitness involvement. But that doesn't mean she's going to sit idly by, especially when her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, is in charge of finding the shooter.

Bernie and Chee discover that a cold case involving his former boss and partner, retired Inspector Joe Leaphorn, may hold the key. Digging into the old investigation, husband and wife find themselves inching closer to the truth...and closer to a killer determined to prevent justice from taking its course.

©2013 Anne Hillerman (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Great story

This is a truly great story with a very talented narrator. Both capture what I believe to be a Navajo spirit and sensitivity in the heart of a young woman who strives to be the best she can be. She feels that she has failed to live up to her own standards at every turn yet she gives her heart selflessly to all she encounters. To me, her character shows what it means, to walk in beauty.
The talent of the narrator brings each character to life. Her dialect is as I recall from my friendships with the Navajo I went to school with a long time ago.
The author has carried Tony Hillerman's gift forward and brought her own insight into the development of the characters of Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. She has done well.

A good direction.

If you could sum up Spider Woman's Daughter in three words, what would they be?

Anne is taking her father's characters in a direction all her own in a good way. Readers still get Jim Chee, Bernie and Leaphorn with Tony's daughter at the helm with her own direction which is a great fit.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Christina Delaine sounds identical to Siri. Her take on a Navajo accent would prevent me from pursuing further Anne Hillerman audible products.

Good, Solid Mystery!

What did you love best about Spider Woman's Daughter?

The Legendary Lieutenant I was so concerned he would succumb to his wound. The suspect was so hard to track down.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Spider Woman's Daughter?

The beginning of the book grabbed me and didn't go until the last page.

Which scene was your favorite?

In the burning storeroom. The twist in the escape was cleverly written.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Navaho police thriller!

Great continuation of Tony Hillerman's legacy.

Anne Hillerman has done great justice to her father work . I am thankful to be able to continue to enjoy the stories of these great characters that Tony Hillerman created. I look forward to the stories to come.

Disappointing but not awful

Simplistic story with too many stereotypes.

Ridiculous Lothrio FBI agent.

Villain that dialogs her crime and motivation in detail when she has the heros tied up (really).

Bernie is the primary character but portrayed as a wimp with a lot of self doubt that she successfully overcomes. I don't think this is consistent with the much stronger Bernie developed in prior stories. Really did not like her as a hand wringing wimp early in the story. Yes she overcomes her self doubt, just don't think she would have started off there.

All in all disappointing but I will give Anne at least one more shot at growing into her Dads legacy. I still love the characters and it was good to see them again.

will listen to another of her books.

A little to predictable but will listen to another of her books before making a final judgment. She continues with many characters that her dad used and I liked that.

No George Guidall

Would you consider the audio edition of Spider Woman's Daughter to be better than the print version?

No

What other book might you compare Spider Woman's Daughter to and why?

Any of Tony Hillermans

How could the performance have been better?

Stop trying so hard for different character voices. It was painful to listen to at times

Any additional comments?

Am glad the series is being continued-and well also. But, please reconsider the reader. I understand this book is from a woman's perspective and "should" have a woman reading it-just not this one.

Accents

I kind of knew it had to do with pottery when I begin the book. What else do we have of value but ancient stuff. I know it had to do with fake pots. Really good continuation of the series. The Native accents were spot on but when Natives go to the university their accent isn't usually as pronounced. Then again coming back home may have renewed their accents. I'm Native, rez based, so I have observed these things.

Don't be so hard on the narrator. I'd like more!

What did you love best about Spider Woman's Daughter?

Anne Hillerman did a very credible job in furthering the Joe Leaphorn series. The interweaving of the strands of Navajo heritage, native American antiquities, and a state of the art crime thriller came together well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joe Leaphorn has always been my favorite Hillerman character. However, in this writing and given the circumstances of the plot, Bernadette and Jim clearly evolved as true crime fighters and major characters

What aspect of Christina Delaine’s performance would you have changed?

Previous reviewers seemed to be pretty hard on this narrator. I have to admit that in the early portions of her narration it was difficult for me to really appreciate Christina's role in portraying the various characters. However, I told myself that the Hillerman brand is worth the time to give Christina's efforts my attention and, in the end, I wasn't disappointed. Christina's narration became more realistic and enjoyable as the book progresses and it was unfair to assess her portrayal of Hillerman's characters in the shadow of George Guidall. Christina did an excellent job overall and I look forward to her future collaborations with Anne Hillerman in keeping the Leaphorn, Chee, and, now, Manuelito adventures alive.

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to more of Hillerman and Delaine collaboration in the series.

How to pick a better voice actor

Voice actor made the characters sound like little kids. Over exaggerated native American male voices made it difficult to listen.