The Southwest is a collage of ancient origin reflected in breathtaking vistas --- the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, pueblo homes of bygone eras nestled into treacherous cliffs high above a scorching desert. And, boy, do I remember those deserts. Endless miles broken only by the occasional tumble weed or a solitary hovel clinging forlornly to the roadside. Nevertheless, this vast region has a stark beauty that many have found alluring, and no one more so than Tony Hillerman. Through his proliferation of novels and nonfiction works he has immortalized this primordial land, eschewing the more common tourist attractions for the mesas and arroyos embraced by the ancestors of our Native Americans.
THE WAILING WIND brings Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee together once again. Each is pursuing his own investigation, one involving the recent murder of a stranger, the other an older case that ended with the disappearance of a wealthy man's wife. Both cases seem to turn on one common thread --- the legendary Golden Calf Mine. Wiley Denton had been convicted of killing a con man trying to sell him a map to the lost mine, but in the aftermath his lovely young wife had vanished without a trace. Many felt that she was involved in the swindle, but Leaphorn was uneasy with the accepted theory. He believed the Denton's love for each other was real, and the unanswered questions surrounding Linda Denton's disappearance niggle him like a rock in his shoe. Chee and Officer Bernadette Manuelito's homicide case appears at first blush to be unrelated. But when the evidence continues to connect back to the mythical Golden Calf Mine, Leaphorn's interest in the Denton case is rekindled.
Hillerman's Native American mysteries have been unwaveringly popular, and his recurring duo of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are largely responsible. Working opposite ends of these puzzling cases, their paths cross often, even though Leaphorn is now officially retired from the Navajo Tribal Police. Chee even imposes on their long standing but tenuous friendship to ask Leaphorn's help in saving Bernie's career. Her mishandling of the crime scene may have been understandable given her inexperience, but her captain, not to mention the FBI, aren't cutting her any slack. Bernie strikes out on her own, returning to the murder scene to unravel what happened out there. But someone is determined to put a stop to her snooping, and she becomes the target of an unknown sniper. If the Golden Calf Mine doesn't exist, then what is in those hills that would be worth killing to protect? The answer actually lies in a completely different direction, and an old Halloween tale that had been largely forgotten will eventually become the focus for both investigations.
If you've followed the saga of Chee and Leaphorn over the years, you already know that Hillerman's novels are far more than just good old-fashioned mysteries. Insight into native folklore and descriptive passages on ceremonial customs enrich the storylines with authentic atmosphere. Despite the Navajo backdrop, universal themes are present as well: Jim Chee struggling to balance his ancestral traditions with a modern world, Leaphorn facing the unsettling realities of retirement. And THE WAILING WIND also continues to explore the evolving relationship between Leaphorn and Professor Louisa Bourbonette, which appeared a few books back, contrasted by Chee's comic bumbling of yet another romantic interest. Chee and Leaphorn may have aged, even mellowed a little, other characters may have moved on, but Hillerman's stories remain as consistent and engaging as ever.
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns (BkPageWC@aol.com)
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