Song of the Lion audiobook

How lovely that Anne Hillerman has taken characters her dad created and keep them alive. This book is wonderful. The mystery is sharply drawn and resolved in a way that works so very well. I am loving this series.

Anne Hillerman’s latest mystery is very timely indeed. In the real world (as opposed to the fictional world), the Dinee tribal government, which after decades of spurning casinos had finally succumbed to the enticements of that supposed cash cow about a decade ago, has nevertheless just REJECTED the financial enticements of the so-called “Grand Canyon Escalade.” Controversy surrounding that elaborate venture, which would have added a tramway, a hotel and other tourist amenities to the Grand Canyon’s east rim, drives the plot of Hillerman’s novel, only published in late September. (The “Grand Canyon Escalade” website now proclaims, “Welcome and please be patient as we re-think and re-format our web presence. We have some exiting [sic!] new ideas and information we will be rolling out in the future.” Perhaps our commander-in-chief, on route to Bears' Ears, will send in the cavalry to set things right for the Dinee, too.)The conflict between tree-huggers and developers, which had only cropped up as a side-issue in A.H.’s previous two mysteries, now takes center stage. The landscape also shifts from the eastern edge of the Rez, Shiprock and the Lukachukai Mountains, to the less familiar west country around Tuba City and the Grand Canyon, 90 minutes away. Bernie Manuelito and Jim Chee’s attempts to negotiate the perils and complexities inherent in competing governmental, entreprenurial, tribal, and personal vested interests seem, perhaps, to allow less time for aspects of Native culture that are a trademark of the Hillerman brand. These also tend to linger around less happy realities such as alcoholism, domestic abuse, and the vexed, decades-old Navajo-Hopi land dispute and relocation. But despite all these distractions, Bernie and Jim’s relationship manages to flourish. (In the tradition of her father, the daughter treats the corporeal romantic aspects of their relationship with appropriate Dinee modesty.) The sidelined Joe Leaphorn, back on his feet and back in his truck, begins to assume a more prominent role. But Bernie seems destined to dominate the stage from now on. (3.5 stars, rounded up)

Song of the LionAnne Hillerman’s debut effort, Spider Woman's Daughter, a continuation of the series begun by her late father, Edgar Award-winning author Tony Hillerman, proved a great hit; the next novel, Rock with Wings, not so much. But Hillerman has redeemed herself with Song of the Lion, the 21st in the series featuring Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navaho Tribal Police and his mentor, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn.A car explodes in the parking lot of Shiprock, N.M., high school during the biggest game of the year, an event that brought out thousands. Authorities think that the target was Aza Palmer, a Navajo lawyer bigwig who’s to serve as the moderator of a public hearing on a proposed project in the Grand Canyon. Chee’s assigned as Palmer’s bodyguard, while his wife Officer Bernadette Manuelito keeps looking into the explosion, which left a young man, Rick Horseman, dead. The pair, assisted by the semi-retired Leaphorn, find connections between many of those involved.

Another great novel from Anne Hillerman! Aside from a good mystery set against a background of Navajo culture and the rugged beauty of the American Southwest, I really like the way this author handles the "romantic" side of her stories. Without resorting to "sex scenes" she conveys the love and affection that Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito have for one another in a way that adds to the story and takes nothing away from it. In my experience this is unusual and I consider it a mark of a very good writer.

** spoiler alert ** My Thanks to the Meridian, Idaho library for my copy of this book. I have read all of Tony Hillerman books and now all three of Anne's books. I like the way Anne has added a strong woman character in Bernie Manuelito. She has continued the character of Him Chee and Joe Leaphorn.Bernie is attending the basketball game when a bomb goes off in the parking. She is the lone Police officer present and her actions in getting help are supreme. She managed to secure the scene until backup arrives. The victim's car is total and he is a mediator in a discussion on a commercial development near Grand Canyon on Navajo land. It around the Hopi land. There are many conflicting views. Jim Chee is assigned to see that The mediator is safe. The FBI takes over the investigation of the bombing. Bernie joins Chee in Tuba city where much of the story takes. Joe Leaphorn is able to remember an old case that helps in the probe. I am looking g forward to reading the next adventure.

Officer Bernadette Manuelito is off-duty and attending a students-vs.-alumni basketball game when a car explodes in the parking lot. The plot keeps thickening as her husband, Jim Chee, is detailed as a bodyguard to the car's owner, a local boy made good who is the attorney mediating discussions about a proposed development at the Grand Canyon. Questions of family, the environment, and intertribal tensions come up in Bernie's investigation, and retired Lt. Joe Leaphorn consults and remembers the past. Once again, Anne Hillerman has proven worthy to continue her father's legacy. Very highly recommended.

I believe Anne Hillerman does a credible job following in her father's footsteps with new Chee, Manualito, and Leaphorn. And don't forget Cowboy Dashee. I was so pleased to discover that more books were coming. The only thing that troubled me was so little written about the lion himself. A good read by an excellent storyteller!

In the previous Anne Hillerman Leaphorn/Chee novels, I was most impressed with her portrayal of Chee's wife, Bernie. In this one I was moved by the portrayal of an injured Leaphorn. I also loved that last Leaphorn line.

I loved this book. Anne's writing, for me, has improved a tremendous amount. I love the paragraph on page 229 where she speaks of language like her mother weaving a Navajo rug. Wow. I love learning the Navajo way. I grew up in Ajo, Arizona with Papago Indians. Unfortunately we were all segregated. We had an Indian Village, Mexican Town and you guess the rest. Even separate swimming pools for awhile. Only one error , though. You don't check your A1C yourself. That requires a blood draw and lab report. You just check your BS, blood sugar, daily.

I think I might--dare I say it?--enjoy Anne Hillerman's work even more than her father's. And I loved his. Bernadette Manuelito is a terrific female protagonist in the mystery genre, unique for her approach, her devotion to family and, of course, her Navajo heritage. She's sharp, tough and tender. She seeks advice from Leaphorn, of course. Anne Hillerman does honor what her father built. At the same time, Bernadette really is on top of things. Her husband, Chee (aka Cheeseburger, as dubbed by Bernadette's sister and mother), is good at his job, but his wife is better. Both combine their Navajo sensibility and knowledge with solid police work; they make a terrific team. Hillerman really gives a sense of place in her portion of the series; the settings are beautiful, often wild and dangerous. Tradition is mixed with desperate poverty and the expected problems of modern life. So that's the background.This novel begins with a bombed car in a school parking lot, during an important basketball game. (All basketball games are important, this one being at the top of that scale.) From there it goes to the politics of development in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon, with a number of less than trustworthy participants. And some who appear to be untrustworthy, but perhaps are ok. There are multiple stakeholders, from government agencies, environmental activists, to representatives of a number of Native groups; the FBI is involved, of course. There are family complications beyond those involving Bernadette and Chee. There are sheep. And there is just the right touch of mysticism. I wish she could write them as quickly as I can read them, because these are great!

Wow!!!! What can you say about a book from Anne Hillerman and her late father ( Tony Hillerman ). This book was a great book that I wiil cherish for a long time. Csnt wait to read the next book. This series will have 1 million stars after it.