Rating: 
Summary: Close to Hillerman, and closing
Review: *Spirit Sickness* is the only book I would recommend to someone who said to me, "I've read all the Leaphorn/Chee books; now what? Isn't there anything else like them?" In this genre that combines mystery fiction with American Indian themes, Thomas Perry, with his superior writing skills and (sadly, now retired) Seneca heroine, Jane Whitefield, and Kirk Mitchell, with his rural western settings and duo of American Indian cops, are the top contenders for Hillerman's crown when the master decides to retire. (And yes, I know about Doss, the Thurlos, Stablenow, etc. Different league.)*Spirit Sickness* is a PG-13 Hillerman novel with a touch of Ellroy/Harris nastiness spicing things up. The crimes are more graphic than anything Hillerman would subject us to, and there is a bit of graphic sex as well. The villain is a violent psychopath--a type that only appears, and briefly, in one of the Chee/Leaphorn books. But the action is fast and furious, the conflict and attraction between the two cops exciting and engaging, and overall this is a solid, satisfying read. For a complete discussion of the "Indian mystery" genre, check my web site.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good thriller
Review: After her last case, FBI Special Agent Anna Turnipseed is placed on convalescent leave. The Indian is unsure whether she can return to her field job. The legendary Bureau of Indians Affair Investigator Emmett Parker worked with Anna on that investigation that has left her so shook up. Emmett wants Anna to join him on future cases although he hates her department, writing them off as bunglers. In Window Rock, Arizona located on the Navaho Reservation, a police officer and his wife are found cooked to death inside a police car. Parker is assigned the case and pushes Anna into working with him on the task force. Although afraid, Anna accepts the assignment and accompanies Emmett to the sight of the double homicide. In the background, the Gila Monster, a human using the form of a Navaho myth, plans to eradicate more cops before going after his final targets. Fans of Tony Hillerman and the Thurlos will want to read SPIRIT SICKNESS, a thriller that captures the cultural identity of the Navaho Nation. Kirk Mitchell is a talented storyteller who creates characters that seem real though not particularly likable. The subplots bring the main story line together with no lose threads, remarkable as that seems, because this compelling tale is rich with sidebars. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!
Review: First of Mr. Mitchell's books I've read, but for sure not the last. Well written and intriguing plot. A "don't put it down" kinda book. Thank you Mr. Mitchell for the excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read!
Review: First of Mr. Mitchell's books I've read, but for sure not the last. Well written and intriguing plot. A "don't put it down" kinda book. Thank you Mr. Mitchell for the excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Spirit Sickness
Review: I found the book to be very well written. The characters were beleivable. Having some Native American heritage in my family, I found it easy to relate to the two main characters.The story line was consistant without diverging off into a lot of subplots. It was hard to lay the book aside once I started it.
Rating:
Summary: A very gripping read...
Review: I read 'Ancient Ones' and the prequels, 'Spirit Sickness' and 'Cry Dance' in one week-end, that is how un-put-down-able I consider these books. The last book kept me up well into the night. To comment on the much debated comparisons to Tony Hillerman: I am a great fan of the Leaphorn/Chee series, but personally, I am finding I prefer Mitchell to Hillerman at this point. I find Mitchell's books faster paced and more complex, therefore more gripping. With Hillerman, it got too easy to guess who the bad guy was. It was always (or almost always) the white one. With regard to the relationship between Parker and Tunipseed, I think it ads a great deal to the story and in no way detracts from the plot. This level of character development is rare in these types of books, and I find it a refreshing change. It makes them real, flaws and all, as opposed to being two-dimensional cookie-cutter crimefighters. Strangely, no one seems to have a problem when Hillerman's main characters are involved in relationships. I wonder if it is the child abuse angle that is making people uncomfortable here. In any case, I am looking forward to seeing how Emmett and Anna's relationship evolves in the fourth book (I hope the author has plans for a fourth book in this series, if not more!).
Rating: 
Summary: Mitchell is no Tony Hillerman
Review: If you've read every Tony Hillerman Navajo nation mystery at least twice and hunger for more tales of the "Big Res," you might try to read this book. But be warned that you'll be disappointed. Mitchell tries hard and seems to know his geography and Navajo stuff, but the story and characters seem contrived and artificial. You want his story to succeed -- but it doesn't. He just doesn't have the finesse, the inventiveness, and the story-telling ability to carry it off.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying and Mature Page Turner
Review: Mitchell has taken the emerging Indian Reservation Mystery genre and transported it beyond the cliches. This satisfying novel is mature on several levels: plot development, character development, sophistication and depravity of the villians' human motives (as well as those of some good guys, too). This is a good page-turner with fresh twists on the "torn between two worlds" modern Indian/cop conflict. The believably sketched heroes are delightfully flawed and vulnerable--though their stamina occasionally stretches credulity. The settings of the multi-layered but comprehensible plot move us on and off the rez with gritty, believable reality. Mitchell creates credible characters without any of the tired Indian-as-misunderstood-and-victimized-mystic trappings that reduces some other novelists' efforts in the genre. Mitchell even manages to transcend the usual, cliche conflicts between tribal police departments and federal law enforcement agencies while maintaining a realistic sense of bureaucratic functioning. And get this, not every bureaucrat is wooden and incompetent! The inventive plot evolves with taut exposition and the believability that's born of both familiarity and homework. You'll be surprised at some developments, and smugly proud of your powers of deduction in predicting others. But you'll never feel cheated. All in all, this is a tale as fresh, stimulating, and welcome as a spring rain over a desert in the four corners.
Rating:
Summary: This guy is good
Review: Mitchell is a great teller of stories. His mysteries have a harder edge than Hillerman and he does a great job with the traditions and landscape. I read Hillerman because I want to be transported to the wide open reservation. I read Mitchell for the same reasons, but his stories tend to be a little more intense and there are times when that is very welcome. Mitchell's characters of Parker and Turnipseed are every bit as memorable as Hillerman's Chee and Leaphorn. If you like Hillerman, you will also like Mitchell ... a lot.
Rating:
Summary: This guy is good
Review: Mitchell is a great teller of stories. His mysteries have a harder edge than Hillerman and he does a great job with the traditions and landscape. I read Hillerman because I want to be transported to the wide open reservation. I read Mitchell for the same reasons, but his stories tend to be a little more intense and there are times when that is very welcome. Mitchell's characters of Parker and Turnipseed are every bit as memorable as Hillerman's Chee and Leaphorn. If you like Hillerman, you will also like Mitchell ... a lot.
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