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A review by kbranfield
Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman
4.0
Cave of Bones by Anne Hillerman is a perplexing mystery with several cases to solve. This 22nd installment in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series can easily be read as a standalone.
Tribal police officer Bernadette "Bernie" Manuelito is only supposed to be giving a talk to the participants of the Wings and Roots program. However, she quickly becomes embroiled in a case in which teenager Annie Rainsong goes missing and staff member Domingo "Dom" Cruz who is searching for her, has also disappeared. Annie eventually returns unharmed but Dom is nowhere to be found. Since Annie is prone to exaggerating, no one but Bernie believes her claims that she found bones in the cave she took refuge in overnight. Bernie is soon swept up in several seeming disparate investigations involving the Wings and Roots program, Dom's search and rescue and possible grave robbing of Native American artifacts.
Bernie's husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, is in Santa Fe for training and he grows concerned for his sister-in-law Darleen who is attending a class at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is worried that she might be in trouble with her boyfriend Clayton "CS" Secody whose furtive actions make Jim suspicious. Equally dismaying is the discovery that CS is involved with Clyde Herbert, a felon that Jim put behind bars. Jim is afraid Darleen is in over her head since she is unwilling to discuss what is going on with her, CS and Herbert.
Both Bernie and Jim turn to Lt. Joe Leaphorn for background on some of the principals they encounter on their respective investigations. Although Joe still has a few memory issues from being shot, he remains sharp as a tack. He augments his recollections with some research that turns up some very unexpected revelations.
Cave of Bones is a mesmerizing police procedural that takes a few startling twists and turns. The cases are quite interesting and in addition to a wily group of suspects, Bernie must also battle the elements in her quest for answers. Anne Hillerman's descriptive prose brings the New Mexico landscape and Native American culture vividly to life. The novel comes to a satisfying conclusion that neatly wraps all of the story arcs. This latest addition to the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series is sure to be hit with fans of the genre.
Tribal police officer Bernadette "Bernie" Manuelito is only supposed to be giving a talk to the participants of the Wings and Roots program. However, she quickly becomes embroiled in a case in which teenager Annie Rainsong goes missing and staff member Domingo "Dom" Cruz who is searching for her, has also disappeared. Annie eventually returns unharmed but Dom is nowhere to be found. Since Annie is prone to exaggerating, no one but Bernie believes her claims that she found bones in the cave she took refuge in overnight. Bernie is soon swept up in several seeming disparate investigations involving the Wings and Roots program, Dom's search and rescue and possible grave robbing of Native American artifacts.
Bernie's husband, Sergeant Jim Chee, is in Santa Fe for training and he grows concerned for his sister-in-law Darleen who is attending a class at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is worried that she might be in trouble with her boyfriend Clayton "CS" Secody whose furtive actions make Jim suspicious. Equally dismaying is the discovery that CS is involved with Clyde Herbert, a felon that Jim put behind bars. Jim is afraid Darleen is in over her head since she is unwilling to discuss what is going on with her, CS and Herbert.
Both Bernie and Jim turn to Lt. Joe Leaphorn for background on some of the principals they encounter on their respective investigations. Although Joe still has a few memory issues from being shot, he remains sharp as a tack. He augments his recollections with some research that turns up some very unexpected revelations.
Cave of Bones is a mesmerizing police procedural that takes a few startling twists and turns. The cases are quite interesting and in addition to a wily group of suspects, Bernie must also battle the elements in her quest for answers. Anne Hillerman's descriptive prose brings the New Mexico landscape and Native American culture vividly to life. The novel comes to a satisfying conclusion that neatly wraps all of the story arcs. This latest addition to the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series is sure to be hit with fans of the genre.