Song of the Lion

January 23, 2017
At the start of Hillerman’s thoughtful third Southwestern mystery (after 2015’s Rock with Wings), a bomb detonates in the parking lot of Shiprock High School, where police officer Bernadette “Bernie” Manuelito is looking forward to watching an alumni basketball game in the gym. Bernie discovers a gravely injured man at the scene, but it seems the real target was Aza Palmer, a lawyer scheduled to mediate a meeting among Native Americans, environmentalists, and others to discuss a controversial proposed resort on Navajo land. Bernie’s husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, is assigned to guard the reluctant Palmer and navigate the tricky waters of protesters and residents with different tribal affiliations, languages, and concerns. Meanwhile, Bernie consults veteran investigator Joe Leaphorn, who has contributions to make to the case during his ongoing recovery from a serious gunshot wound. Though seasoned mystery readers may guess the perpetrator before the tense denouement, the book offers insights on the strength of family ties and the possibilities of redemption after a history of pain. Agent: Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli, JET Literary Associates.

With this third performance, narrator Christina Delaine has made the persona of Navajo policewoman Bernie Manuelito her own. Delaine has mastered the measured cadence of Southwestern Native Americans and also delivers convincing renditions of Navajo terms. Fans of Hillerman's father, Tony, will be happy to hear that his most beloved characters, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, live on in his daughter's books. Nonetheless, her works provide a fresh perspective as the focus shifts to Bernie. Delaine's nuanced narration delineates Hillerman's characters while navigating action that ranges from the urgency of a murder inquiry to the mysticism of the spirit world. Hillerman and Delaine have created another engrossing audiobook that leaves listeners hoping for more. M.O.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2017

Last seen in Rock with Wings, Bernadette Manuelito, a Navajo police officer and Shiprock High School alum, is on the scene when a car bomb explodes in the school parking lot during a basketball game. A young man is killed, but was the intended victim really the car's owner--a Navajo lawyer working as a mediator for a multimillion-dollar development planned at the Grand Canyon? As Officer Manuelito studies the evidence, her husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, has his hands full guarding mediator Palmer, who appears to be hiding information. Bernie discusses the case with retired lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, who is reminded of one of his cold cases that involved two small children on the reservation. As the facts present themselves, the case unwinds to reveal what appears to be a complicated paradigm of revenge against Palmer and his family. VERDICT Fans of Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito, characters created by the author's father, Tony Hillerman, will savor this multilayered story of suspense, with its background of contemporary environmental vs. development issues. [See Prepub Alert, 10/17/16.]--Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel

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