A deadly bombing takes Navajo Tribal cops Bernadette Manuelito, Jim Chee, and their mentor, the legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, back into the past to find a vengeful killer in this riveting Southwestern mystery from the bestselling author of Spider Woman’s Daughter and Rock with Wings.
When a car bomb kills a young man in the Shiprock High School parking lot, Officer Bernadette Manuelito discovers that the intended victim was a mediator for a multi-million-dollar development planned at the Grand Canyon.
But what seems like an act of ecoterrorism turns out to be something far more nefarious and complex. Piecing together the clues, Bernadette and her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, uncover a scheme to disrupt the negotiations and inflame tensions between the Hopi and Dine tribes.
Retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn has seen just about everything in his long career. As the tribal police’s investigation unfolds, he begins to suspect that the bombing may be linked to a cold case he handled years ago. As he, Bernadette, and Chee carefully pull away the layers behind the crime, they make a disturbing discovery: a meticulous and very patient killer with a long-simmering plan of revenge.
Writing with a clarity and grace that is all her own, Anne Hillerman depicts the beauty and mystery of Navajo Country and the rituals, myths, and customs of its people in a mystery that builds on and complements the beloved, bestselling mysteries of her acclaimed father, Tony Hillerman.
Anne Hillerman’s writing is a seamless continuation of her father’s characters. More please.
Anne writes in her own voice, but stays true to the characters and environment created by her late father. Love this series and LOVE her writing. More please!!!
Neither Hillerman ever disappoints…father may be gone but daughter carries on the wonderful stories.
Informative about Navaho beliefs and society, even language. I’d like to see Leaphorn progressing more rapidly, but of course that’s not realistic. Interaction between Bernie and Chee is slow. Good book, but needs more of author’s father’s pizazz.
Anne Hellerman has picked up on her father’s work and continued to weave intricate and intricate stories of the Navajo and the Four Corners area. Bravo!
I had read other books by this author’s father and absolutely loved the characters. I was a little apprehensive about a different author taking over some of the characters but she writes as beautifully as her father. I could not have been happier with this book.
How wonderful for the fascinating Tony Hillerman characters to live on through his daughter’s writing. The stories provide interesting insights into Navajo culture and the interactions among the various northern New Mexico races and tribes – while at the same time exploring the modern world’s clashes with ancient ways.
I love this series. First written by her late father, now she carries on with more attention to the female detective. Highly recommend.
I love the Hillermans’ books, first her father Tony, and now Anne. The characters have dimension and are totally believable. I highly recommend.
Enjoyed it thoroughly.
She is getting better!
Great as expected.
The desert setting is enthralling, especially realistic in the cold of November. Readers will shiver with imaginary chill as Chee and Manuelito chase down the perpetrator in the dry desert cold of oncoming winter.
Good for those of us who miss the Tony Hillerman books. She does a good job and tells a good story. It focuses on Bernie with quite a bit of Chee and some Leaphorn.
Anne Hillerman is growing into the large shoes left by her father, as evidenced by the maturity of this book. She’s giving us insights into Navajo life in the 21st century while spinning an entertaining tale that caused me to stay up much too late in order to read “just a couple more pages.”
I liked her Dad’s books and was prepared to be disappointed, since authors who continue a series are inevitably disappointing. But Anne Hillerman is a wonderful writer. Dare I say I like her work just a tiny tad bit better than Tony’s?
Authentic portrayal of the area and culture
I have read all of the Hillerman series. She continues on wit the tradition. There is so much to learn about Native cultures.
The Hillerman books, no matter who writes/wrote them, have always been well produced and provide a window into an American culture that is too often handled with a superficial gloss rather than a real look at the past and the present.
A very good read!