Rating: 
Summary: "The mole, his hunting place is darkness."
Review: -
"The mole, his hunting song is silence."Sgt Jim Chee of the Navaho tribal police is asked by the wife of Benjamin J. Vines to retrieve a mysterious box stolen from her husband's safe while he was away. When mister vines returns he tells Chee that it was all a mistake and hands Chee a check. We all know Chee can not let this lay still so the mystery leads him to people that use a mole for their talisman "The people of Darkness" and it appears that something (or someone) is killing them all off. The mystery is fair and Tony Hillerman does not hide clues or surprise suspects to the last minute so it is not too hard to guess most of the plot or who the good guys and bad guys are. We are introduced to the Navaho concept of witches and Mary Landon who will play parts (if she survives) in future novels. In the process we get a vivid description of the four corners and other areas near buy. In People of darkness he picks up a Lota Burger and I have eaten a few of them my self. In future books we will be introduced to the Navaho Taco. For the anthropologist in us he describes many sings and ways.
Rating: 
Summary: The ending came way too soon.
Review: I was very disappointed in Tony Hillerman with this book. It was good up until maybe chapter 30. It seemed as if he was in a rush to finish the book, leaving a very undetailed and boring ending. I do not recommend wasting your time reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fast and Entertaining Read
Review: Lt. Joe Leaphorn was author Tony Hillerman's first detective, created for the 1970 novel THE BLESSING WAY. He was a truly original figure: a Navajo employed as a law enforcement officer on Native American lands in the Southwest and a man with both a deep respect and understanding of the ways of his people. The character Jim Chee does not differ greatly from this mold--but he does have one significant advantage. By the time Jim Chee appeared in this 1982 work, Tony Hillerman had learned how to create a tightly woven novel, something that was not always the case in the early Joe Leaphorn books.
THE PEOPLE OF DARKNESS introduces Jim Chee, a young reservation law enforcement officer who struggles to find balance between the traditional ways of the Navajo and the cultural incursions of the white man. In this particular novel, Chee is summoned by a wealthy woman to investigate a theft; the circumstances are, however, extremely unusual--and as he slowly peels through the various layers of deception Chee finds himself tracking members of a cult-like religion with ties to a tragic accident more than three decades in the past.
This is one of the better Hillerman novels. As always, the author is extremely respectful of native American tradition, and he paints a fascinating portrait of traditional beliefs and patterns of behavior. Unlike such novels as THE BLESSING WAY and LISTENING WOMAN, the plot is tightly constructed and winds back upon itself in such a way that one can honestly consider it a mystery novel--something that cannot always be said for a Hillerman work. Well written, PEOPLE OF DARKNESS is a fast and entertaining read. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: This book is not just a mystery.
Review: The book is a story of a murder. The story is about a policeman, Jim Chee,who is Navajo and shows the reader into the life on the Navajo reservation. It is a great book which keeps you reading not only to find out about the mystery but to understand Jim Chee's views on the world of the Navajo and the world of the White Man.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hillerman's best
Review: The title refers to the members of an underground Native American Church peyote cult whose totem is the mole, "the predator of the nadir." The mystery involves the attempted murder of a dying man, the disappearance of his corpse from the hospital morgue, a uranium mine, a fatal oil-well explosion 30 years earlier, and the theft of a keepsake box filled mostly with black rocks. This novel has the distinction of featuring the scariest, most chilling villain of the series: an emotionless, psychopathic, methodical killer for hire who leaves nothing to chance. The suspense builds as the point of view alternates between the killer's and Navajo policeman Jim Chee's. "People of Darkness" is one of the best in a literate and very entertaining Southwestern series. For other well-written American Indian-related mysteries, try James D. Doss' Shaman series and Margaret Coel's Arapaho series.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hillerman's best
Review: The title refers to the members of an underground Native American Church peyote cult whose totem is the mole, "the predator of the nadir." The mystery involves the attempted murder of a dying man, the disappearance of his corpse from the hospital morgue, a uranium mine, a fatal oil-well explosion 30 years earlier, and the theft of a keepsake box filled mostly with black rocks. This novel has the distinction of featuring the scariest, most chilling villain of the series: an emotionless, psychopathic, methodical killer for hire who leaves nothing to chance. The suspense builds as the point of view alternates between the killer's and Navajo policeman Jim Chee's. "People of Darkness" is one of the best in a literate and very entertaining Southwestern series. For other well-written American Indian-related mysteries, try James D. Doss' Shaman series and Margaret Coel's Arapaho series.
Rating:
Summary: Excelent
Review: This book is a real page turner. I liked the story. It helps to know what an amulet is. If you don't it doesn't make a bit of sense.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This book is my favourite of all of Tony Hillerman's work. The plot is perfect,it is full of action and the landscape is fabulous .
Rating:
Summary: Introducing Navaho Policeman Jim Chee
Review: This is the fourth book in Tony Hillerman's masterpiece "Navajo Detectives" series and one of the best of the whole series. In the first three books Lt. Joe Leaphorn is the main character. "People of Darkness" introduces Sgt. Jim Chee, a younger and more complex man who is torn between the white man's world - and a career in the FBI - and the Navajo way as a "singer" or shaman. Also introduced in this book is an appealing, peaches-and-cream Wisconsin girl, Mary Landon, as a mild love interest for Chee. A bomb goes off in a hospital parking lot, apparently aimed at killing a man who is already dying of cancer, a box containing little of apparent value disappears from a rich man's house, and an oil well explosion thirty years back has some connection to these events. This is vintage Hillerman: a story than ranges over vast areas of time and space. The villain in "People of Darkness" is one of Hillerman's best: a cold professional with the vulnerability of a battered child. Hillerman's strengths are authenticity and atmosphere. Elements of Navajo culture, religion, and folkways are woven into the fabric of his novels. His landscapes are harsh and spectacular. Nature is magnificent, but also menacing. In this exotic setting, the supernatural seems almost possible and little chilly fingers tickle your spine. If you are an urbanite, you may not like Hillerman; but if you are drawn to big, blank spots on the map you will likely love him. Not the least of his accomplishments is that he has probably taught more people about the Navajo -- and generated more interest in Navajo culture -- than any other writer.
Rating:
Summary: Introducing Navaho Policeman Jim Chee
Review: This is the fourth book in Tony Hillerman's masterpiece "Navajo Detectives" series and one of the best of the whole series. In the first three books Lt. Joe Leaphorn is the main character. "People of Darkness" introduces Sgt. Jim Chee, a younger and more complex man who is torn between the white man's world - and a career in the FBI - and the Navajo way as a "singer" or shaman. Also introduced in this book is an appealing, peaches-and-cream Wisconsin girl, Mary Landon, as a mild love interest for Chee. A bomb goes off in a hospital parking lot, apparently aimed at killing a man who is already dying of cancer, a box containing little of apparent value disappears from a rich man's house, and an oil well explosion thirty years back has some connection to these events. This is vintage Hillerman: a story than ranges over vast areas of time and space. The villain in "People of Darkness" is one of Hillerman's best: a cold professional with the vulnerability of a battered child. Hillerman's strengths are authenticity and atmosphere. Elements of Navajo culture, religion, and folkways are woven into the fabric of his novels. His landscapes are harsh and spectacular. Nature is magnificent, but also menacing. In this exotic setting, the supernatural seems almost possible and little chilly fingers tickle your spine. If you are an urbanite, you may not like Hillerman; but if you are drawn to big, blank spots on the map you will likely love him. Not the least of his accomplishments is that he has probably taught more people about the Navajo -- and generated more interest in Navajo culture -- than any other writer.
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