New 09.07.03

That headline is not about cloned raw material for baby back ribs or pork chops. It's about a bit of the technology of pipelines that figures into the plot of The Sinister Pig by Tony Hillerman. I'm a sucker for Tony Hillerman's books. I was hooked on Ellis Peters' books, but I got most of them from the library. I keep buying Hillerman's. I think it was the wonderfully descriptive way Hillerman described the land of Diné Bikéyah that first hooked me. He not only had the gift of words, but his love of the place showed up in those words. He also had an affection and admiration for the Navajos. It showed in his characterizations and respect for the culture. After reading Peter Iverson's history, I can tell that Hillerman's respect for the Navajos showed up in what he didn't write about as well. Over time, Hillerman kept me coming back to read more of his books because of his story telling and developing characters. Just about my only disappointments have been when his intense foreshadowing and careful plot development lead to climaxes that make me wish for more "explosive action." In my romantic way, I like to think that Hillerman has a better grasp on reality than James Patterson and that "explosive action" when it does take place in civilian life is explosive and quickly over. As an incredibly fortunate, sheltered white guy from Minnesota, I harbor fears I may be wrong. One of the things missing from this new book is the Navajo cultural environment. It's a good story but it takes place in New Mexico's boot heel on the USA-Mexican border. Like many of the stories along that border it involves things and people crossing the border. Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito are involved even if the action is far from the Navajo Nation. Like Ellis Peters, Tony Hillerman adds a bit of romance to the mix. Some of that romance, by the way, is far from typical and involves a couple older than I am. I had my doubts about a key motivating element of the plot, but several news reports that came out while I read the book made things a bit more believable. Oh, and pigs? They are the "plugs" used in pipelines to separate batches of gasoline from batches of fuel oil from batches of diesel fuel. (You didn't really think they emptied and cleaned out the pipelines before sending through a new product? I'd never given it any thought.) The main animals in the story are oryx. That's a kind of African antelope. You'll have to read the book if you want to figure out what those critters are doing in southern New Mexico. I liked the book a lot and recommend it -- like all the others of Hillerman's books I've read. And I've read all of them except for Finding Moon, his story set in Vietnam and based on his battle experiences in World War II. Hillerman's books are available in the library if you want to find them. I keep buying them because I'm impatient and have read all the ones in the library.

• Sandra Dallas' review of The Sinister Pig in The Denver Post
• Chapter one of The Sinister Pig posted by The Denver Post
• A review of The Sinister Pig from Buffalo Medicine Books