Anne Hillerman is a worthy successor to her father's legacy of writing intriguing Navajo-based mysteries. Tony Hillerman first introduced us to Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito, all members of the Navajo Police whose beat includes the vast Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. Anne Hillerman continues that tradition with her latest mystery, Song of the Lion (#658).
Bernadette Manuelito, now married to Jim Chee, is attending a big basketball game at the Shiprock High School. It's the alums who won a State Championship years ago versus the high school varsity squad, and a very big deal for local fans, who are legion. During the game, a car bomb goes off in the parking lot, killing an unidentified man. When the owner of the car is identified as Aza Palmer, a big-shot Phoenix lawyer, and also one of the alums playing in the big game, the search for a motive begins. In the meantime, Aza Palmer is due to mediate a conference in Tuba City debating the merits of, and a plan of action for a highly controversial resort project proposed to be built on Indian lands in the Grand Canyon. The stakes are enormous. Could that be why he is being targeted?
Bernadette's case dovetails with her husband's when Jim Chee is assigned to bodyguard duty for Palmer until the conference is over, but her digging has turned up a possible connection for Lieutenant Leaphorn to a long-ago cold case. The threads are woven skillfully in this one as we learn more about the main characters and their world. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment