Shadow of the Solstice

A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel

De: Anne Hillerman

Narrado por: Jessica Matten

“Anne Hillerman deserves recognition as one of the finest mystery authors currently working in the genre.”—New York Journal of Books

In this gripping chapter in New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series, the detectives must sort out a save-the-planet meditation group connected to a mysterious death and a nefarious scheme targeting vulnerable indigenous people living with addiction.

The Navajo Nation police are on high alert when a U.S. Cabinet Secretary schedules an unprecedented trip to the little Navajo town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The visit coincides with a plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. Tensions around the official’s arrival escalate when the body of a stranger is found in an area restricted for the disposal of radioactive uranium waste. Is it coincidence that a cult with a propensity for violence arrives at a private camp group outside Shiprock the same week to celebrate the summer solstice? When the outsiders’ erratic behavior makes their Navajo hosts uneasy, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is assigned to monitor the situation. She finds a young boy at grave risk, abused women, and other shocking discoveries that plunge her and Lt. Jim Chee into a volatile and deadly situation.

Meanwhile, Darleen Manuelito, Bernie’s high spirited younger sister, learns one of her home health clients is gone–and the woman’s daughter doesn’t seem to care. Darleen’s curiosity and sense of duty combine to lead her to discover that the client’s grandson is also missing and that the two have become ensnared in a wickedly complex scheme exploiting indigenous people. Darleen’s information meshes with a case Chee has begun to solve that deals with the evil underside of human nature.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook

Well done!!

The story is relevant to what is happening today and so well done and read. Can't wait for the next one! Loved it.

Cult not quite believable

The plots are interesting, esp to learn at the end of the book that they are based on some real events. I found the "environmental" cult a little unbelievable in the way it combined some liberal-sounding ideology on the one hand with extreme misogyny, leader-worship, and blind obedience on the other--a construct that echoes conservative stereotypes of "liberal" bogeymen, but I did appreciate the historical background of mining on native land. I was also a little bothered by the fact that one of the two people depicted as founders of the Arizona rehabilitation fraud is described as using his ill-gotten gains to purchase an electric vehicle--not a BMW or Mercedes, long potent symbols of flashy wealth, but an electric vehicle, a symbol of environmentally-conscious policies. These elements of the story left me wondering whether there is an association in Hillerman's mind between holding liberal beliefs and being corrupt and cruel? The bad guys could have been portrayed simply as bad guys--people whose cruelty and corruption stem from egocentrism, narcissism, and sociopathy--but I found the addition of liberal ideology to the 'bad guy' portrayal to be an unnecessary conservative stereotype. Is Anne Hillerman going to be another Tom Clancy? An author who started out with great stories and then devolved into a partisan mouthpiece? Although the stereotyping was light enough for me to appreciate the story anyway, I'm concerned about what future books might look like.

Shadow of the Solstice

Great book, even though this book is fiction what makes it both tragic and interesting is that it’s based on things that actually happened to indigenous peoples on the reservations around the country as well as the uranium mining that took place in that region of North America.

Another great stories

I'm addicted. I love Ann Hillerman's novels. I always feel that I am right there with the characters. seeing what they see.

the woman who read the story was clear, sounded like she knew the country. Very authentic.

Enjoyed the story especially the part of the "rehab program being a fake. I am sure their are many that are, and besmirch the ones that effective. As is usual the low run of the totum pole suffers the brunt.