Seldom Disappointed

What a privilege to have one of the most popular American novelists read us his memoirs while offering a look into the sources from which characters such as Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee emerged. Tony Hillerman reads without haste, allowing us lots of time to savor memories we may not share with him, but feelings we do. His warm and avuncular voice gives just the right delivery to his subtle humor and reveals a side of his personality not found in his mystery novels. No anecdote is better than that of the first book agent, who told him, "Fine, but leave out the Indian stuff." Although this is highly recommended as a family book, young readers will underestimate the valuable wisdom being imparted. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

October 1, 2001
Correction: Due to an editing error, our review of Tony Hillerman's Seldom Disappointed (Forecasts, Sept. 24) erroneously stated that Hillerman's brother, Barry, died in WWII. In fact, he survived the war and lived for many decades. PW regrets the error.