I enjoyed the setting and the background of the area and the people. The characters are some of my favorites in mystery and it is always a good time to be with them as they work through the puzzle that are the people around them. I can't say that the ending was a surprise, but I enjoyed working up to it with Bernie. ( )

Book 4 Another good mystery. KIRKUS REVIEWA troubled teen?s claims about the eponymous cave lead tribal officers through a search of the remote regions of the Navajo Nation.The goal of the Wings and Roots program is to help empower at-risk girls, program director Rose Cooper explains to Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito as she preps the latter for her upcoming talk to the group. Never much of a public speaker, Bernadette is dreading her presentation. Not to worry: when the time comes, she?s relieved of her painful duty in order to fulfill more traditional police responsibilities during her visit to the program. Troubled young Annie Rainsong has disappeared on a solo vision quest, and dedicated Wings and Roots staff member Domingo Cruz is searching for her. When Annie shows up, she?s visibly shaken by something she saw while hiking through the lava fields, and she?s notably without Dom. Given Annie?s frequent overdramatizing, her story of finding a cave with human bones is hard for some of the staff to swallow. Her credibility is further diminished when she lapses into what seems to be a drug-induced state. Bernadette has to investigate Annie?s claims about the bones and figure out what?s happened to Dom without the help of her husband and fellow officer, Jim Chee, who?s on a mission of his own. While checking in on Bernadette?s sister, Darleen, at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Chee finds a mysterious bruise on Darleen?s arm, and she?s cagey when he confronts her. Certain that Bernadette won?t be satisfied with no explanation, Chee feels obliged to stick around until he can ensure the safety of Darleen, who?s been hanging with a crowd that?s been on Chee?s bad side before.As Hillerman continues her father?s legacy through his beloved characters (Song of the Lions, 2017, etc.), she?s gradually and gratifyingly finding her own voice.

(2018) Anne Hillerman brings together modern mystery, Navajo traditions, and the evocative landscape of the desert Southwest in this intriguing entry in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series.When Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito arrives to speak at an outdoor character-building program for at-risk teens, she discovers chaos. Annie, a young participant on a solo experience due back hours before, has just returned and is traumatized. Gently questioning the girl, Bernie learns that Annie stumbled upon a human skeleton on her trek. While everyone is relieved that Annie is back, they're concerned about a beloved instructor who went out into the wilds of the rugged lava wilderness bordering Ramah Navajo Reservation to find the missing girl. The instructor vanished somewhere in the volcanic landscape known as El Malpais. In Navajo lore, the lava caves and tubes are believed to be the solidified blood of a terrible monster killed by superhuman twin warriors.Solving the twin mysteries will expose Bernie to the chilling face of human evil. The instructor's disappearance mirrors a long-ago search that may be connected to a case in which the legendary Joe Leaphorn played a crucial role. But before Bernie can find the truth, an unexpected blizzard, a suspicious accidental drowning, and the arrival of a new FBI agent complicate the investigation.While Bernie searches for answers in her case, her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee juggles trouble closer to home. A vengeful man he sent to prison for domestic violence is back¥and involved with Bernie's sister Darleen. Their relationship creates a dilemma that puts Chee in uncomfortable emotional territory that challenges him as family man, a police officer, and as a one-time medicine man in training.KIRKUS REVIEWA troubled teen's claims about the eponymous cave lead tribal officers through a search of the remote regions of the Navajo Nation.The goal of the Wings and Roots program is to help empower at-risk girls, program director Rose Cooper explains to Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito as she preps the latter for her upcoming talk to the group. Never much of a public speaker, Bernadette is dreading her presentation. Not to worry: when the time comes, she's relieved of her painful duty in order to fulfill more traditional police responsibilities during her visit to the program. Troubled young Annie Rainsong has disappeared on a solo vision quest, and dedicated Wings and Roots staff member Domingo Cruz is searching for her. When Annie shows up, she's visibly shaken by something she saw while hiking through the lava fields, and she's notably without Dom. Given Annie's frequent overdramatizing, her story of finding a cave with human bones is hard for some of the staff to swallow. Her credibility is further diminished when she lapses into what seems to be a drug-induced state. Bernadette has to investigate Annie's claims about the bones and figure out what's happened to Dom without the help of her husband and fellow officer, Jim Chee, who's on a mission of his own. While checking in on Bernadette's sister, Darleen, at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Chee finds a mysterious bruise on Darleen's arm, and she's cagey when he confronts her. Certain that Bernadette won't be satisfied with no explanation, Chee feels obliged to stick around until he can ensure the safety of Darleen, who's been hanging with a crowd that's been on Chee's bad side before.As Hillerman continues her father's legacy through his beloved characters (Song of the Lions, 2017, etc.), she's gradually and gratifyingly finding her own voice.Pub Date: April 3rd, 2018ISBN: 978-0-06-239192-6Page count: 320ppPublisher: Harper/HarperCollinsReview Posted Online: Jan. 23rd, 2018Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1st, 2018

Annie Rainsong knew that today she would die. And that she deserved to. She never should have left her vision site, but she was cold, restless, bored, hungry, and ready to be done with this outdoor stuff. She wanted a beer and a cigarette, or at least a shower and a sandwich. No, two sandwiches. She knew she should have been back at base camp by now. Leaving her vision site had been a bad, bad idea.

Anne Hillerman has done a good job continuing the legacy of her father in writing about the Navajo Tribal Police and the stark environs of the southwest. While not quite as adept at using the setting as character, she does excellent work developing characters and fashioning them into a solid story. Cave of Bones, the latest Chee/Leaphorn/Manualito mystery is a fine example of that. ( )