The Night Visitor

A Shaman Mystery

By: James D. Doss

Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The morning after the aged Ute shaman receives a perplexing visit from a silent, disheveled matukach "magician," Daisy's neighbor, Nathan McFain, discovers something astonishing buried in the dirt on his foundering Colorado dude ranch: The bones of gargantuan beast from a prehistoric age. It is a find of enormous scientific importance that attracts the attention of a wide variety of individuals: Noted paleontologist Moses Silver and his archaeologist daughter Delia; pillars of the scientific community Robert Newton and Cordell York; an Arkansas sharpie named Flye, an overly interested local antiques dealer… and Charlie Moon of the Southern Ute Police Department. At the McFain spread primarily to keep an eye on the disreputable Flye, Moon is curious about the strange old bones ....and wary as well. For things this ancient and rare have been known to inspire evil deeds in the past, including avarice, mendacity, and murder. And, when one of the prime players in this timeless drama vanishes without a trace, Charlie worries that his greatest fears have been realized. But while Charlie investigates the unexplained disappearance - and a very suspicious death that follows soon after - using rational and accepted police methods, his Aunt Daisy is being drawn by forces preternatural into a grimly related mystery. For craven murder is not the exclusive domain of contemporary Man - and a cry for justice from the past has reached Daisy Perika and tow, extraordinary young girls in her care, ensnaring them all in something old, dark, and dangerous.

©1999 James D. Doss (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Wonderful combination of characters and plot

Would you listen to The Night Visitor again? Why?

Yes.

What did you like best about this story?

The humor and the treatment of the supernatural.

Which character – as performed by Romy Nordlinger – was your favorite?

Daisy Perika. Undoubtedly. She's cranky but she contributes so much to the story.

Any additional comments?

Can we please have more Charlie Moon mysteries? I have the entire series in print and would like to have them in audiobook format.

Great book, lousy narrative

Doss is a great storyteller. The reader, however, knows absolutely nothing about the area or culture of the Ute or Navajo. The mispronounced words range from propanel and paleontologist to Goddard Street, Archuleta County, and la Veta Pass. These are not author generated errors but a simple lack of doing one's homework.

Too many unlikeable characters

I really couldn't get into this book. There were several story lines initially and way too few likeable characters in any of them to catch my attention.

I love this series

This Shaman series by James D Doss is a treat to read. Especially if you're from NM or the southwest. I wish audible would record more of the series. But it would be nice for the narrator to be familiar with the area so words would be pronounced correctly.

Disappointing overall

I'm a big fan of Charlie Moon and his irascible Aunt Daisy and have read & enjoyed all the other books in the series, but the library did not have this one, which is why I purchased the audio version. Unfortunately, while there are the expected & enjoyable nuggets of colorful humor, the author gets very long-winded & tedious in telling his story. Worse is the narrator who has an annoying, unpleasant, nails-on-the-blackboard voice and manner of delivery. My advice: Read the book or skip it all together.