Magpie Speaks

Navajo Nation Series, Book 5

By: R. Allen Chappell

Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab

Dreams tell old man Paul T'Sosi he's dying. So why is Navajo trickster Magpie trying to tell him a far more terrifying secret?

Hungry for revenge, Ma'iitsoh Dine', the Navajo Wolf, is out for blood. Summoning his darkest powers, the Witch of Ganado circles tribal investigator Charlie Yazzie's young son and close friends. Some may survive the witch's evil vendetta, but others will die to settle an old score.

Critics describe R. Allen Chappell's writing as "embedded and close to the ground", with an intuitive knowledge of the Navajo people and their land. Magpie Speaks, the follow-up to the widely acclaimed thriller Mojado, cements Chappell's legacy and puts him at the forefront of modern-day Navajo mystery storytellers.

©2016 R. Allen Chappell (P)2016 Tantor

Description of the rez

I like the book. I always manage the learn something new about the Dina culture. I am half Navajo. Reminds me of my grandmother and great grandmother.

Must read!

Another great read by R. Allen Chapell. I cannot wait to start the next!

The detailed research!

Sometimes the narrator had a different emphasis on certain phrases than I would have but all in all he did a fantastic job!! It was so easy to tell the distinctions between the characters. So well done. The description in this authors writing is wonderful!

The Best Yet!

I just finished listening to the first five books in this series. This was the best yet, although I've liked them all. I hope that the last five books are also released as audiobooks.

Loved the series

Loved exploring a new world
Interesting and enlightening
Doesn’t look like there is more - but deserves a thorough search

Not Quite Hillerman But Promising

Would you listen to Magpie Speaks again? Why?

Probably not for a while.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. Edwards' evil was palpable and pervasive theme. In contrast, Alices emergance and eventual redemption was an unforseen wild card.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Unfortunately, if you grew up on Guidells' pronunciation and inflection, Schwabs' seems a bit shallow. However, I'm no judge of which is more correct.

If you could take any character from Magpie Speaks out to dinner, who would it be and why?

???

Any additional comments?

Having been thru all Tony H several times, one is left with a void. Anne H. will hopefully continue her series but here we have a new family of characters to enjoy as they grow and develop under the authors pen.

love the characters

I really enjoy this series of books. the author incorporates Navajo cultural traditions and beliefs into compelling story lines. I also appreciate the well developed characters that the reader feels they begin to "know" and we get to see them as they deal with eachother in the storyline. I am especially intrigued by the internal dialog of the characters, especially with respect to how they view traditional beliefs versus "the beligana" world and the difficulties of incorporating themselves and these beliefs into the wider American southwest society as a whole.

Love this series!

The mystery, the culture, the characters have all brought me back to read or listen to all the books in this series.

Stimulating

I have enjoyed reading this series about the Navajo and book five continues to delight. This story is more about Navajo mythology than the prior books. Two of the Navajo tricksters play a key role in the story, the magpie and the coyote.

Paul T’Sosi thinks he might be dying. Paul is a Hatalii, a Singer as the Navajo call their Holy Men. He has been working hard to protect his family and now Charlie’s new son from a curse. Edward Bitsinnii is Paul’s half brother, who also studied to be a Singer. Edward instead turned the power toward evil and is known as the “Witch of Ganado”. He put a curse on Paul and his family including Ponyboy. Paul’s granddaughter Alice has returned, she is dying of a brain tumor. All this is intertwined about a series of murders and the curse. Chappell builds the suspense mixed with the mythology and kept me on the edge of my seat.

The book is well written and researched. The story is a character study of the Navajo culture. Chappell also includes the Navajo attitude and mindset between the old ways and modern life. The author includes many Navajo words in the story as well as Navajo history. The book is fast paced and easy to read. The reader can just enjoy the murder mystery and learn more about the Navajo people in an exciting and easy manner. Chappell creates a surprise ending to the story. Kaipo Schwab does an excellent job narrating the book.

This was fun

I like this story but the backstory on Thomas should have been corrected. I like Paul very much. He’s a good Chaii!