A really good entry in Ordenduff's long-running series featuring "the pot thief," whose motives are perhaps questionable but whose antics are always entertaining. I liked the lacing in of Edward Abbey's understandings of the American west. The action unfolds at the University of New Mexico, where Hubie goes "back" to teach pottery. Getting acclimated to 21st century campus life is a challenge but makes for fun reading; the fun for Hubie evaporates in the New Mexico heat, though, when he becomes the main suspect in the homicide of an art class life model. This is more than just a fun mystery, it's a great send-up of academia! I recommend it.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey is the second Pot Thief mystery that I’ve read. It’s just a really good book. I read it during the readathon last weekend and I kept reading it past the end time to finish it. Hubie Schuze is fun, honest, and I would have enjoyed taking his pottery class.

I didn’t know who Edward Abbey was before I picked up the book. Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. A couple of his best known works are a novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire, both of which Hubie reads during the course of the book. He tends to think along similar lines as Abbey, it seems.

One of Hubie’s students is killed, not during his class, thankfully. I think the characters are the highlight of this book. The students are an interesting group, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. And Hubie’s regular circle are here again, they are just a great group of people to hang out with. I’d love to sit in on one of their margarita sessions.

The mystery solution itself was a little convoluted.All the clues worked out and even though the motive made sense, it just wasn’t a satisfying conclusion. But we did have the requisite “our amateur detective might get killed” scene. That’s okay though, the setting and people make up for the minor issues I had with the mystery plotline.

I love the Pot Thief mysteries and this newest one is great. They combine authentic detail about New Mexico and academic life, as one might expect, with great characters and always intriguing plots.

I also love that in each book Orenduff combines knowledge about the author or artist cited in the title. He appreciates good writing and art and shares it with us in a natural way.

This one has the Pot Thief, Hubie Schulze, teaching a class at UNM. When one of the students in the class is murdered, Hubie gets embroiled in solving the crime. There are plenty of twists in the mystery as well as in the sub-plots of Hubie's and his friends' lives as well as those of his students.

These books are such a treat!

Potmaker and archaeological miscreant Hubie Schuze is back in his eighth adventure. Hubie has adopted the Robin Hood version of interpreting federal rules regarding removing artifacts from public lands and it keeps getting him into trouble.

Hubie has been hired as an adjunct professor to teach Anasazi potmaking at the very same university he was invited to leave years ago. Also the same university where he was instrumental in sending the old department head to prison for murder. The skewering of the academic world -- both students and faculty -- is laugh out loud funny. It's no wonder the satire is so accurate when you see that author Orenduff is a former president of New Mexico State University.

But things get serious when one of Hubie's students is murdered and suspicion falls on him. He starts investigating and uncovers some secrets and a few suspects.

I have read the entire series and felt this was one of the strongest entries, although it would work as a stand alone. The setting and descriptions, Hubie's friends and cast of characters, and his relationship with live-in girlfriend Sharice are all well done and add to the narrative.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review. This was a very enjoyable read.

I always enjoy the Pot Thief mysteries but this one was a little bit of a struggle because of some of the extraneous information. Hubie has become legitimate and becomes a teacher of pottery, just like the ones he digs up! But a murder happens anyway and Hubie is accused, again. Lots of fun, lots of drama, lots of changes with the people in Hubie’s circle and in the end lots of fun.

I love this series and have read every one. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a new one will be coming out this year, and was anxious to read it. I was not disappointed.

If you like an easy read, a good mystery, characters you would love to be a part of, and humor scattered throughout, this is the book for you.

Highly recommended! Plus it's set in New Mexico!

I tend to push books I love at my friends (and, the occasional stranger). Considering the number of books I read, the number of books I push is relatively few. Sometimes, but not always, it's authors I push more so than the book, as is the case here. Mike Orenduff's Pot Thief series has been a favorite of mine since Book On. I "think" THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIED EDWARD ABBEY is the 10th in the series. It's a series that can easily be read out of order. For me, having worked in an academic environment at the university level for a whole lot of years, first at Georgia Institute of Technology and then at Appalachian State University, the latest Pot Thief resonated loudly and, at times, made me hoot out loud. Especially a scene depicting a department meeting that was ridiculously spot-on, and could only have been written by one who has attended his share of department meetings. Hubie Schuze, potter, pot thief and shop owner, is invited to teach a non-credit course in pottery making, and then as an adjunct instructor. The irony lies in the fact that he'll be teaching at the university that expelled him as a student several years previously. What ensues is interesting, and, at times, hilarious. Orenduff does not write humor in an obvious way - his is more subtle and dry. It tends to sneak up on you and it makes me howl out loud. Protagonist Hubie Schuze is a delight. He's a loyal friend, a tad naive about some things, but intelligent, philosophical and kind. The evenings he meets up with his wildly and widely diverse group of friends for 5 o'clock margaritas at Dos Hermanas are scenes I look forward to. The discussions can jump from the most arcane trivia to the political to the philosophical to what I've come to think of as cerebral slapstick. In The Pot Thief who Studied Edward Abbey, Hubie confronts head-on those who question (including the government) his ethics in digging up Native American pots. And that is not the only tough topic confronted. I loved this book. I love the series, but this one has that little something special that sets it apart - at least for me.