The Fly on the Wall

By: Tony Hillerman

Narrated by: Erik Bergmann

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Ace reporter John Cotton is a fly on the wall, seeing all, hearing all, and keeping out of sight. But the game changes when he finds his best friend's corpse sprawled on the marble floor of the central rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Suddenly Cotton knows too much about a scandal centered around a senatorial candidate, a million-dollar scam, and a murder. And he hears the pursuing footsteps of powerful people who have something to hide... and a willingness to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

©1971 Tony Hillerman (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Great story line

This was a very well written story! I very much enjoyed this book it is very professional.

Sorry I Listened To This Book

I have listened to all of Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee novels and enjoyed them thoroughly, so I figured I’d give this novel a listen.

It didn’t start out too bad and kept my interest, particularly due to wanting to see how the story would resolve itself. This is where I became disappointed; to begin, this story involves politicians and a Senate race. One side skims money from road projects and kills to keep it from being reported, but the story gets printed anyway. The reporter who investigated and wrote the story turns out to sympathize with the criminal (Democrat) when he finds out his motives are to fund a campaign against the opposite Party (Republican). Well, when the criminal realizes the story is printed, he goes to the press conference that the Republican is holding, and shoots him dead, with the plan that he would do everything he could do to keep his shooting in the news so that the paper could hide the corruption and cover-up murders. The story ends with the reporter deciding to help bury the story he investigated and reported on.

Cheap moralizing that since the Democrat was on the side of the Angels (in the writer’s mind) that multiple murders and government corruption are okay and justified.

Could have taken the last chapter out.

Great Mystery

Lots of twists and mystery. Super "who dun it". Definitely did not figure it out.

Another exciting Hillerman book!

Hillerman did write other novels then just the Leaphorn and Chee series. It was exciting as expected. The technology was dated i.e. No cellphones and printed newspapers but still makes for a great read/listen!

Well written in a me before cell phones

Well written. What a different world today. Younger readers won't even know of the UPI AP competition, a time before cell phones, and when cities had two (or more) daily newspapers, and a morning paper and an evening paper (like the Philadelphia Daily Inquirer in the morning, and the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in the afternoon.

A suspenseful political mystery thriller well written by Tony Hillerman.

😅

Intriguing and well read.

Hillerman was a master at building suspense without resorting to the current common practice of using unnecessary graphic detail. This story deals with political intrigue, mysterious accidents, misappropriation of funds, and shadowy figures seeking to silence reporter John Cotton. Erik Bergman's excellent reading keeps the listener engaged in every scene. Very enjoyable!

LOVED IT!

This is a great book. I am on my 2nd round of reading all of Tony and Anne Hillerman books, and thought I wouldn't enjoy anything non-Native American. But, WOW. This one is terrific! Even the second time around. Highly recommended.

Fly on the Wall

Not the best Tony Hillerman, but --as usual-- a very good and informative read,esp. if you're interested in Navajo country and culture.

Disappointed - I dislike journalists even in books

I have listened to several Tony Hillerman stories and just figured all of them would be good. This one is about a journalist, and I just do not like journalists I guess. Plot was fixated on facts, and it kept reporting them again and again...yawn. Journalist is a pretentious idiot. Character building was not even on the radar I guess. Luckily I hated the criminals as much as the journalist - they are all a bunch of pretentious political hacks.

Poorly plotted

Poorly plotted, even accounting for it being written in 1970. Too many missed arguments and opportunities. Too many not believable actions.