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    The Fly on the Wall
    The Fly on the Wall
    The Fly on the Wall
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Fly on the Wall

    Written by Tony Hillerman

    Narrated by Erik Bergmann

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Ace reporter John Cotton is a fly on the wall, seeing all, hearing all, and keeping out of sight. But the game changes when he finds his best friend’s corpse sprawled on the marble floor of the central rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Suddenly Cotton knows too much about a scandal centered around a senatorial candidate, a million-dollar scam, and a murder. And he hears the pursuing footsteps of powerful people who have something to hide . . . and a willingness to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 11, 2013
    ISBN9780062284792
    Author

    Tony Hillerman

    TONY HILLERMAN served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and received the Edgar and Grand Master Awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian’s Ambassador Award, the Spur Award for Best Western Novel, and the Navajo Tribal Council Special Friend of the Dineh Award. A native of Oklahoma, Tony Hillerman lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until his death in 2008.

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    Reviews for The Fly on the Wall

    4/5

    36 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was a fun, fast read. It might be a bit dry for readers who are not interested in political thrillers and state-level politics, but it is well thought out and well paced. Mr. Cotton is a bit more naive than I would have expected, given his resume, but had he been quicker to figure out that his life was in danger, the story might have been quite a bit different.
    • 5/5
      Tony Hillerman shows his amazing flexibility once again! Great read!
    • 4/5
      This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The plot is good, the characters believable. You may need to be a follower of the news industry because Hillerman digs deep into his career as a journalist to write this book. It is set in an era that is hard to believe now, once existed: late night rifling of file cabinets, afternoon dailies competing against morning dailies and traveling incognito. You might be curious if you weren't around then and if you were it's a fun, nostalgic walk. There is also a great sub plot of journalistic ethics. And, of course, if you are a fan of Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police series, this is a chance to check out his writing before he started that series. I should also add that I read the 'Armchair Detective Library' republication and it was a pleasure to read, excellent binding and high quality paper.
    • 4/5
      This mystery is the second one published by Hillerman, after his first mystery set in Navajo country, The Blessing Way.In the Fly on the Wall, John Cotton is a statehouse reporter and has just filed his story when a colleague comes into the pressroom. Merrill McDaniels, known as Mac, comes into file his story, but he’s a little drunk and Cotton offers to file something for him and tell his editor he went home sick. Cotton tries to get him on home but Mac says he’s celebrating breaking the story of a lifetime. Cotton doesn’t really believe him, but Mac heads on home. A few minutes later a man enters and rummages through Mac’s desk looking for his notebook, telling Cotton that Mac forgot it and sent his friend for it. A few minutes later Mac is found dead.So begins Cotton’s at first desultory investigation into the big story Mac was working on. He finds Mac’s notebook, traces back the other man’s investigation, and wonders what Mac could have been excited about. When another reporter is killed driving Cotton’s car, Cotton at first thinks only it was an accident. He keeps digging, looking for the story while the other reporters are covering Governor Roark’s political future, Senator Clark’s plans, and small struggles over legislation. Then Cotton begins to have enough pieces to put together into a small puzzle, and he gets another warning, this one unmistakable in its meaning.This is a masterfully plotted and steadily paced mystery that brings forward all the details of a major scam, how the players hide themselves and their cronies, and how easy it is to fool the tax payer, the reporters, and other politicians. Hillerman offers one surprise after another, and even the last two pages brings a stunning reversal. Hillerman was a journalist for many years, and his skill and experience show on every page.
    • 3/5
      Convoluted suspense tale. Sufficiently murky and danger-laden, albeit confusing.
    • 2/5
      The ending of this book was underwhelming. Some political themes that have not gone stale in 40 (!) years. Good buildup of the situation, but unsatisfying resolution (or lack thereof) to several plot threads. The last chapter drags. I am assuming this is one of HIllerman's first works (c. 1971). I love the Leaphorn/Chee books and have read almost all of them. If you like those books, don't bother with this one. I'll have to go read a Leaphorn/Chee book now to remind myself how good Tony Hillerman can be.
    • 4/5
      For a guy who makes his living with words, John Cotton is pretty canny about staying alive. The most interesting thing about this novel is the tension between two idea: one, that the general public deserves the unbiased facts and two, that the ends justify the means - you can't rely on the public to make the right choice. In the current political climate, it certainly appears that the news media has chosen in favor of the second idea. And I find myself coming down in favor of the first. The ends don't justify the means for me.
    • 3/5
      This is an enjoyable book. The plot is good, the characters believable. The story involves digging through paperwork to figure corruption. The story has been bypassed by technological advances since it's 1971 writing. That said, it's a convoluted suspense tale. Yes, it's a non-Navajo story set in a nameless state capitol. It shows a lot of research that went unused in subsequent Navajo books for which he is famous.
    • 5/5
      Unlike Hillerman's Navaho mysteries, this story takes place in D.C. The main character is a news reporter who is originally from out west. He is uncovering the truth about a story as well as the truth about the story of a woman he's attracted to. What really is his job as a reporter? Throughout his seeking he finds himself in mortal danger where he uses his wits and luck. He's a man without super powers. The plot is intriguing and the characters are rich. I very much enjoyed this book.
    • 4/5
      Excellent political thriller revealing how journalists can dig through apparently trivial data to reveal corruption in high places. I particularly appreciated the philosophical discussions about what constitutes ethical journalism and reporting all the facts versus what should be kept confidential for the greater good in politics: can we trust the electorate to be wise enough to judge? At times the convoluted details of how the scam was achieved escaped me, but that didn't detract from the suspense. Very believable scenarios that are probably just as relevant today. Lost one star because [spoiler warning] during an airplane trip, the clever journalist was portrayed as a dummy when he started detailing exactly where he was headed for a fishing trip. The subsequent antics lacked realism after the gritty city detective work that came across as genuine. I would recommend this despite that shortcoming to any reader who enjoys political murder stories and suspenseful thrillers.
    • 2/5
      The Fly on the Wall is not one of Tony Hillerman's better books. In fact it was difficult to follow to wonder what was this book all about. Okay there is really a fly on the wall. This book is not recommended hence only two stars.