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People of Darkness
Tony Hillerman Book Review

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Plot Summary of People of Darkness
"This is one of many in a series created by Tony Hillerman. Jim Chee returns as Navajo tribal policeman, working out of Shiprock, New Mexico. He is temporarily assigned to Crownpoint when a strange request comes in. Mrs. Vines wants him to recover a stolen box from their house. Her husband is sick and the hospital and she wants it back before he returns home, hoping he'll feel better if his belongings have been returned. The box holds keepsakes to the family, but supposedly nothing of monetary value. So why are other people after it? Maybe it has nothing of monetary value, but perhaps it holds a secret someone wants to stay buried? After a man kills a peyote chief of the mysterious "People of Darkness" clan, Chee believes this to be true. Especially when the assassin starts taking shots at him too. With the help of his new friend Mary Landon, a local teacher, Chee finds himself researching a 30 year old mine "accident" in which some local natives were excavating a uranium mine. The mine accident seems to hold the key to the current situation. Chee and Mary will dodge bullets at least two more times before they find out what the tie is and who is really guilty."
BethG, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of People of Darkness
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - local police w/ IQ of a houseplant - solving long-past murder
Kind of investigator - American Indian mystery
Crime Thriller Yes
Crime plotlets: - search for valuable art/artifacts
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - crazed boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - wealthy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - revenge
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West
Desert? Yes
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Unusual forms of death - poisoning
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to People of Darkness
The Dream Stalker by Margaret Coel
The Drowning Man by Margaret Coel
The Gin Girl by River Jordan
Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman
The Ghost Walker by Margaret Coel


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Tony Hillerman Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Dorothea Lotter  

SCHOLARS:
David Gordon  Tena van't Foort  BethG  Chuck Nugent  Di Bingham  Jacky  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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