Reviews

The Way of the Bear by Anne Hillerman

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travelbug18's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

eli22's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So I absolutely adored this book! I really want Anne to continue giving Bern and Jim personal mysteries along with the cases. Though Anne, please please please make your decision on if Bern and Jim will have kids! You’ve established they want kids, last book Bern brought it up

then in this book you have Bern’s mystery be a miscarriage so painful she can’t speak of it with anyone, not even Jim!

I want them to have kids cause she’s written them as wanting kids, and they deserve it!

rebelbelle13's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I write this review with a caveat- I have not read any of the others in this series. This is my first. I have to give credit where credit is due; I had no problems picking up the story and following the characters. It probably also helps that Chee and Manuelito were also out of their element- they were visiting New Mexico on an overnight trip and stumbled into a murder and missing persons case that they helped solve. The entire book happens in a 24 hour period, so certain things are drawn out and others happen quickly. Given the time period and the fact that the characters are racing to solve the case before they covered by a blizzard, there is no forensics, little to no outside help, and our MCs are left to solve the mysteries the old-fashioned way. The author mentions the importance of certain images and locations, but I really would have liked to know more about the history and culture of the Valley of the Gods itself.
Overall, the story is okay, weaving in the character's personal lives with the case at hand. The story itself could have been better, but as it stands, it's rather forgettable. I imagine that those who are invested in Chee and Manuelito and their stories would love this installment.
Side note- the narrator on the audiobook is not great, and almost ruined the story for me. She stuttered, paused, took breaths in odd places, and seemed to struggle pronouncing certain words. It amazes me that things like this are allowed on the final copy, when it's so easy to go back and fix.
I would be willing to try more from this series in the future, for sure- as long as there's a different narrator, or I might read a physical copy.

tintinintibet's review against another edition

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1.0

I’m losing the sense of place and culture, and am weary of suspending disbelief for the plot and guest stars

katel1970's review against another edition

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3.0

Why does Bernie NEVER realize who the bad guy is until they hit her over the head from behind?!

Still no Leaphorn...

leaphornlover's review against another edition

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3.0

I don't know if the Chee stories will ever be as enjoyable as the Leaphorn ones--Tony H did such a wonderful job of integating native Amerian culture with the story and the character interactions, and maybe Leaphorn was just a more interesting character. Anne H has come a long way, though, as I did not really like her earlier books. It is still the setting and the main characters that hold these stories together though, because the other characters seem shallow/poorly developed and the motives behind their actions are rather far-fetched. A pleasant, if not outstanding, read.