The plot of a murder mystery is scaffolding; the real fascination lies in the characters, the atmospherics, the dialogue, and, often, in what we may learn as we read. (See my earlier reflections on detective fiction.) Tony Hillerman's series featuring Navajo detective Joe Leaphorn is strong on what we learn about life on the Rez and on the tension between Navajo traditions and modern life. The novel SKINWALKER (a word meaning "witch") from 1986, earliest book in the series that I've read, introduces Leaphorn to a more traditional-minded detective named Jim Chee. Their complementary characters are interesting.
More interesting for me is the rhythm that Hillerman keeps up by shifting focus from one man to the other in alternating chapters. Each is picking up pieces of the puzzle, and sometimes not sharing what they learn -- so that we may know more than the characters do when they're heading into danger. In one chapter only, Hillerman also lets us see a killer planning to do Chee in. Hillerman discloses appearance, motivation, and the thought process that leads to strategy -- then drops the character until the trap is sprung. While it gets a bit tedious to read in chapter after chapter some variation of the idea, "Hmmm, this 'skinwalker' superstition is doing a lot of damage to our Navajo community," we can't help but feel suspense once we know about the killer. It stops being "whodunnit," and becomes "uh-oh, is this part of the trap?"
A foreword by novelist Sarah Paretsky mentions Hillerman's method. He does not write an outline for the whole book, but only "four or five moves ahead." It seems like a good idea, allowing for spontaneity.
Detective Novel Skinwalker Shifts Focus for Suspense | Fiction
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