Bjerget med vinger

If readers like mountain climbing and cattle rustling, they may enjoy THE FALLEN MAN.

It is the only Tony Hillerman book that I started and read into around 30 pages, then skipped to the end.

An odd Leaphorn and a strange Chee... ( )

Schlicht. Fast paced. Predictable ( )

Such a great entry in this series! I particularly liked the resolution of the cattle rustling subplot :) ( )

Somehow I'd never managed to read any of Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee novels, but this fit a challenge so I picked it up. It is set in Four Corners country and takes place right after Leaphorn has retired. He's pulled back in to privately investigate a cold case when a skeleton is found on a mountain. Meanwhile, Chee is Acting Lieutenant and is investigating the same case as well as cattle theft and a handful of lesser issues. Hillerman creates a rich portrait of Navajo society and the mystery is pretty good. Leaphorn and Chee are definitely characters to spend more time with. ( )

Amazon Description: Human bones lie on a ledge under the peak of Ship Rock mountain, the remains of a murder victim undisturbed for more than a decade. Three hundred miles across the Navajo reservation, a harmless old canyon guide is felled by a sniper's bullet. Joe Leaphorn, recently retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, believes the shooter and the skeleton are somehow connected and recalls a chilling puzzle he was previously unable to solve. But Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee is too busy to take an interest in a dusty cold case ... until the reborn violence of it hits much too close to home.

Although Joe Leaphorn has retired he is back questioning coincidences and looking for harmony. Fast read, with great characters that I like. Jim Chee is still the brash young sergeant trying to find his way in the police and with his heart. ( )