Lost Birds: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel

The multilayered latest entry in Hillerman’s long-running series featuring New Mexico Navajo investigators Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito (after The Way of the Bear) is as vibrant as ever. PI Leaphorn is on the phone with new client Cecil Bowlegs, who’s hoping to track down his errant wife, when an explosion on Bowlegs’s end of the line disrupts the conversation. Tribal Police officer Manuelito is assigned to assist the FBI in their investigation of the explosion—which occurred in the a Navajo school Bowlegs was standing near—with police lieutenant Chee providing occasional support when he’s not tied up with administrative headaches or helping a local weaver keep her sheep safe from feral dogs. Meanwhile, Leaphorn juggles a second case in which he helps a young woman track down her biological parents, who may be Navajo, though she was raised white. As each inquiry unfolds, Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito uncover links between them, with the truth about Bowlegs’s wife a potential linchpin. Hillerman draws deeply from her characters’ well-worn dynamics without getting too bogged down in past story lines, making this a treat for newcomers and long-haulers alike. It’s a pleasure to spend time with Hillerman’s upstanding investigative trio. (Apr.)