Reviews

I mostly listened to the Audible version of this novel. I swapped back and forth with the kindle edition. This is Anne Hillerman's best novel yet. I loved it! Leaphorn, Manuelito, and Chee are narrators as well as a couple of other characters. I enjoyed having several mysteries going at the same time. Some of them turned out to be related, another not. That is the mark of a good mystery to me. Some of the issues relevant to this mystery are missing indigenous women, domestic violence, alcoholism, gambling addiction, the problem of aging for both the older people and children of those who are aging, mental illness, children who were adopted off the reservation before that practice was stopped, underfunded schools, and the lack of running water for many on the Navajo reservation. Weaving is highlighted as an artform in this book to my great delight. Once again, thank you to Anne Hillerman for keeping the stories of Leaphorn, Chee, Manuelito, and all the rest of our beloved characters going. I love how they all care for each other and have each other's backs in their work lives and personal lives.

dberl0725's review against another edition

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5.0

A school explosion, a missing woman and a woman seeking her roots brings our three heros together again for another adventure!!
Fantastic as usual. I've been reading about Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito for 44 years and can't get enough!

nb61's review

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adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

3.25

Good mystery lots of character development of Hillerman’s main people. Some questions left at end. See notes on paper.

angiec's review against another edition

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3.0

First, let me say that I have read and loved every book written by Tony and Anne Hillerman. I am so grateful that Anne took up her dad’s legacy and continued with his characters. In this latest book, the legendary Lieutenant has accepted two very different PI jobs. One is helping locate the biological parents of a “Lost Bird”, a Navajo child who was adopted, perhaps illegally, and raised by white parents. The other is locating a missing woman. The missing woman, just happens to be a former employee of a school that just blew up and the wife of the school janitor. The investigation of that explosion and subsequent crimes falls to Bernadette along with the FBI and other local jurisdictions. So there are a lot of threads here; way too many in my opinion. These plot threads look like a ball of yarn after the cats have been at it, a gnarled mess. Add to that a storyline involving the son of Lt. Leaphorn’s housemate and another one with Bernie’s mother and sister, and there’s just a little too much going on here. The dialogue is not tight, too many inconsequential things and other very important clues that seem to slip through the cracks. The main characters are true, the scenery, as always, is perfect. There’s just a little too much and the wrap up involves a twist that I didn’t see coming. I blame the editor. With a little bit of editing help, the plot could have been tightened up, the side quests minimized a bit and I’d be giving it 5 stars instead of 3. For me it was just frustrating, especially when I love these characters so much and want to read about them more.

ghostowngranny's review

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Anne writes as well or even better than her father, Tony Hillerman. Decent characters, real-life scenarios, believable conclusions, often untidy, just like real life. Plus I always learn a little more about present day Navajo life than I knew before. I've been to the trading posts described and have traveled many of the roads where this story takes place.

cassvest's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

queensansa's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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