Shadow of the Solstice

A new Anne Hillerman mystery is always something I look forward to reading.  Her latest, Shadow of the Solstice (#1,345) did not disappoint.

Two separate happenings have occurred in the Navajo Nation: a body has been found in a restricted area containing uranium waste, and one of Darlene Manuelito's clients is mysteriously missing on a day when they had an appointment, a most unexpected and worrying thing.  Each event will set off a chain of discoveries with enormous impacts on the Navajo community.

Jim Chee is suddenly thrust into a leadership role when his chief suffers a heart attack in the middle of a briefing on an impending visit from the Secretary of the Department of Energy.  Providing security and access for her will be a major headache as well as an honor.

Meanwhile, Bernadette Manuelito has been answering nuisance complaints from Navajo neighbors complaining about a cult who have rented a spot on a local ranch to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice.  The owners are concerned about an unauthorized sweat lodge the cult members are building as part of the festivities.  The Yazzis think it's a death trap and want the police to check it out and prevent the cult from using it.  Bernadette finds she is in over her head when she goes out to the remote site to investigate.

Darlene Manuelito isn't able to reach either her sister Bernie or her brother-in-law Jim Chee about her missing Mrs. Raymond.  When Mrs. Raymond finally leaves a message with her daughter, it turns out she and her grandson are in Phoenix.  How and why she got there are still unknown, but the more Darlene and Mrs. Raymond's son Greg find out, the more worried they are until they decide to go find the missing pair on their own.  What they discover puts them all in danger...

There are some big issues covered in this story affecting the Navajo and other tribes in the Southwest, both environmental and criminal.  It seems this book will be a turning point for Jim and Bernie as well as Darlene.