Tony Hillerman could have been a writer of political thrillers, had he not opted instead to focus his career on his celebrated series of Navajo Tribal Police mysteries. Published in 1971, The Fly on the Wall is his second novel, one in which the author drew on his experience as a news journalist. What an excellent contribution it is! I listened to it as an abridged audio recording, and found it compelling.

Joe Cotton is a news reporter who learns of major corruption involving kickbacks on state highway construction projects. His reporter colleague who first uncovered the corruption dies in a bizarre episode before he can report it. Then, another reporter is killed while driving Joe's car, and Joe begins to suspect that he is a target. I found three scenes to be downright gripping. In one, Joe is tracked through the wilderness by a hitman in the mountains of New Mexico. In another, he is targeted by two killers in the deserted Capitol building in the dead of night. And in a 3rd, he is held at bay with a shotgun by a politician concerned that publication of the corruption will ruin the governor's chances at re-election. Insofar as I could tell from the abridged audio version, the tale is masterfully plotted and entirely believable. It does reflect its time frame. Reporters type their stories on typewriters and send them in via teletype, and there are no cell phones, faxes or computers. I found the ending to be unsatisfying and less credible than the rest; but that didn't take away to much from the bulk of the story.

The audio recording is supplemented by haunting theme music that contributes to the mood of the story. The story is read by Mr. Hillerman himself; and while that feature has its merits, he isn't entirely skillful in this role (he doesn't read with expression, and the pacing was sometimes off).

I enjoyed this story a great deal, and am inclined to seek out the printed book version. ( )