★★★★☆ Manuelito, Chee, and Leaphorn at work on a complicated series of crimes

Rock with Wings

Anne Hillerman

Rock with Wings by Anne Hillerman is the twentieth novel in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series of mysteries. It is Anne Hillerman's second novel -- her father Tony Hillerman wrote the first 18 novels. If you, like me, are a fan of Tony Hillerman's, you will naturally be wondering whether daughter Anne is equally good. On the basis of her first two novels, I would answer yes. Her novels are generally similar to Tony's in tone and in their portrayal of the Navajo. Anne's novels feel more in touch with modernity to me, and she brings forward a female point of view -- although Bernie Manuelito first appeared in Tony's later novels as the last of Jim Chee's romantic interests, she is far more central to Anne's novels.

Spider Woman's Daughter was told almost entirely from Bernie's point of view, with some small contributions from Jim Chee. In Rock with Wings the point of view alternates between Chee and Bernie. (The title, by the way, is the Navajo name for Shiprock. Bernie at times muses on how silly bilagaana are to think a big rock in the middle of a desert looks like a ship. I just googled up some pictures of it, and I have to say that to me it looks neither like a rock with wings nor a ship. But I guess we can all agree that it's a rock!) Joe Leaphorn, who was shot in Spider Woman's Daughter, is back in Rock with Wings. He survived and is apparently out of mortal danger now, though he is far from 100% and probably will remain so. (A bullet in the brain will have that effect.) But he is able to lend a hand.

The story begins when Bernie stops a speeding motorist. His suspicious behavior results in Bernie's arresting him. The mystery of this guy is the central one driving Bernie throughout the story. Chee takes a temporary job with another police station to help them deal with the extra activity caused by a movie being shot in Monument Valley. Weird and complicated stuff happens. Eventually it all (or most of it) turns out to be connected.

I have a small aesthetic complaint about Rock with Wings compared to Spider Woman's Daughter -- the story of Rock with Wings includes some surprising coincidences. This is only a minor complaint however, because the coincidences are never central to the plot -- they are used only to make the story more dramatic.

And they work! It is an exciting story, with a terrific action finish. Both Bernie and Chee are brave and good and smart. Even Leaphorn is his old clever self. I look forward to the remaining books.

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