Anne Hillerman?? the talented daughter of bestselling author Tony Hillerman?? continues his popular Leaphorn and Chee series with Spider Woman??s Daughter?? a Navajo Country myst"filled with captivating lore?? startling suspense?? bold new characters?? vivid color?? and rich Southwestern atmosphere.
Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette Manualito witnesses the cold-blooded shooting of someone very close to her. With the victim fighting for his life?? the entire squad and the local FBI office are hell-bent on catching the gunman. Bernie?? too?? wants in on the investigation?? despite regulations forbidding eyewitness involvement. But that doesn't mean she's going to sit idly by?? especially when her husband?? Sergeant Jim Chee?? is in charge of finding the shooter.
Bernie and Chee discover that a cold case involving his former boss and partner?? retired Inspector Joe Leaphorn?? may hold the key. Digging into the old investigation?? husband and wife find themselves inching closer to the truth...and closer to a killer determined to prevent justice from taking its course.
Amazon.com ReviewWhen Dad died in 2008 he left big shoes to fill. I loved to sit in his home office surrounded by the books and maps he used as part of his research and listen as he read just-finished passages he was especially proud of. (Despite living in New Mexico for more than fifty years Dad never lost his Oklahoma twang.) Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn seemed like my uncles part of our family. With millions of others of Dads fans I would wait restlessly for the latest installment of their adventures. When Dad received a box of first editions of the newest book from HarperCollins he never forgot to autograph one for me. I have these in my living room my most treasured possessions.
Dad and I and my husband Don Strel worked together for several years on a non-fiction book Tony Hillermans Landscape: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn. As part of my research I had the pleasure of re-reading each Leaphorn Chee book and of talking to Dad about how he developed the plot themes and settings. The research gave me precious insights into my dad as an author and admirer of the Navajo people and their sacred landscape.
As part of our conversations Dad and I discusssed Bernadette Manuelito the Navajo police officer whom he used in several books. In his final novel The Shape Shifter she has progressed from Chees girlfriend to his wife and is doing research for Leaphorn. I suggested that Dad might have fun creating a story in which Bernie actually got to solve the crime instead of working as sidekick. Thats an interesting idea I remember him saying.If I were energetic enough to write a few more of these I might do it.
Dad died in October 27 2008. The book we worked on together came out the following year. As Don and I toured the country talking about Tony Hillermans Landscape the question people asked me most often was Did Tony have another novel to continue the series? The answer was no. Nothing squirreled away in a file cabinet or saved on his computer. His fans didnt like that response. Neither did I but it was the undeniable truth.
When I emerged from the worst of my grief after Dads death I realized that I was also mourning the end of his mystery series. I missed those detectives?? and I especially regretted that Bernadette Manuelito would never get a book that put her in the spotlight. And then I thought: I could try writing Bernie??s book myself. If I didn??t like it?? I could hit the delete key. In addition to Hillerman??s Landscape?? I had written several other books?? so I knew part of the challenge that faced me. I jotted down some ideas as a rough outline and got to work.
Because Dad??s books were fresh in my mind?? I decided to use some of his favorite settings for what became Spider W