'sinister pig'...

... refers to a French barnyard term. 'Le cochon sinistre' is a pig that will eat all it can, then guard the food source to prevent any of the other farm animals from having access to the trough. This mean-spirited animal cannot consume any more, but refuses to allow any of his fellows from getting to the food.

A 'pig' is also the term for a vessel that can be inserted to clean a long-distance pipeline, that would be used for transporting crude oil or other petroleum products across great distances. The small cylinder was originally covered with pig bristles to clean corrosion from the inside of the pipe when there was no liquid flowing under pressure. More modern versions have sensors that provide information about the condition of the interior surfaces to alert maintenance teams of leaks, or other problems that need attention before the pipe line is put back into service.

In order to garner your attention for reading further, I did not start with the fact that this is a book review. I read a (recorded) book while driving to Tallahassee and back today, a mystery by an author I have enjoyed over the years who writes about Native Americans in the four corners area of the southwest. Two characters that repeatedly turn up in his stories are: Navajo Nation tribal police officer Jim Chee and his boss, now retired, Lt. Joe Leaphorn. I have read a number of the books by Tony Hillerman, following these two law men across the landscape of the reservations, deserts and mountains of the southwestern US. Well developed characters, interesting story lines that incorporate much lore, history, of the Navajo and Hopi people.

"The Sinister Pig" involves drug smuggling through an abandoned pipeline that has been diverted from is original purpose to provide fuel for a copper smelting operation in northern Mexico. The 'pig' is a politician from DC who is so greedy, powerful and corrupt he believes he is above the law, determined to dispose of anyone who opposes him. In the manner of that barnyard porker  who refuses to step back and allow fellow animals to feed when he is satiated... this man is determined to circumvent the law regardless of cost in human life.

Hillerman brings a number of players into this story, and does  not use the two lawmen as the main actors. The descriptions of the landscape are memorable: he does a masterful job of painting the word pictures that clearly describe the mountains and landmarks of the area. Though often thought barren and lifeless, his versions of the desert with plants that survive in such an arid climate are beautiful to imagine: cactus, sagebrush, cottonwood trees tough enough to endure the lack of rainfall. He lived in the southwest for many years, and was well acquainted with the deserts and mountains, as well as the people who have lived there for generations.