Fun to read about Bears Ears. Not as good as her father's books. ( )

Bernie is a troubled soul these days, so a trip with Chee is prescribed. Losing her treasured coat and being shot at after discovering defaced Native American wall art is not generally a settling activity. Several murders and, assaults on her and Chee clearly indicate things are really not right in this historic and beautiful part of the Navajo Nation. It is all about the artifacts, who wants them, and how badly. Another nice extension of Tony's legacy by his gifted daughter. Leaphorn in Hawaii is a stretch but that's why it is called fiction. ( )

For me, this was a very average book; okay, but nothing special. Well, the setting, Bears Ears National Monument was special and that in itself was interesting, but the story not so much. Similarly I like the paleontology components as well as a few other minor interesting elements, but the story written over the top of those things was "Meh."

Law enforcement does not exactly draw the best and the brightest, and in this book Bernadette Manuelito is so poor at what she does she is a walking menace to herself and the public. No one person can fall into so many poorly judged situations in a lifetime than she manages in a 24 hour period; despite bodies piling up she remains oblivious to any and all potential danger. Little surprise she narrowly avoids death several times. Her death would have made the book less painful.

Part of the problem was Bernie being forever up inside her own head, constantly churning over what was bothering her, the same thing over and over and over again, and clearly to the point of distraction. And distracted she is, distracted the entire book and would have ended up dead, but due to her own dumb luck somehow is still alive at the end.

Another way to look at it might be: the greater mystery is how the same 10 people can keep running into each other (and no one else!) over the Four Corners area and like a billion square miles. Add the bodies and you would think that the principle characters would wise up just a tiny bit. And all of those people are similarly blasé about people getting blown away left and right. Yep, sounds about right... not. ( )

This was another very enjoyable and informative entry in the Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito series. I like the relationship between Navajo police officers Bernie Manuelito and her husband Jim Chee very much. Both characters are committed to their family, their culture and each other. Ostensibly on a break from their duties and traveling in the Bears Ears area of Utah, Chee and Bernie become involved in a dangerous situation involving vandalism of sacred petroglyphs in the National Park, illegal archaeological digs and murder. I particularly enjoyed learning so much about the area itself, in addition to the crime-solving involved ( )

The Way of the Bear is written by Anne Hillerman.
The title is a Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel, Book #8. This title continues the mystery series Anne’s father, Tony Hillerman, created in 1970. (26 titles all total.)
The thoughtful plots, characters and locations are a pleasure to meet again and again. The
books are an ode to the Southwest and the people, especially the Navajo, who inhabit the area.
The books are written so respectfully and so very well describe the Navajo culture, its customs and traditions.
“The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and the discovery of unique fossils which revolutionized the scientific view of how early animals dealt with their changing world.”
“An unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Utah’s Bears Ears Monument raises questions for Navajo Tribal Police Officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito.”
Five Stars ***** ( )