Given my love affair with Arizona, it is not surprising that
I jumped like a desert jack rabbit to read Anne Hillerman’s seventh Joe
Leaphorn Jim Chee Bernadette Manuelito novel titled The Sacred Bridge. If you are counting, there are twenty-five
books in the series when you consider the eighteen written by her father Tony that started this long run. Several of the earlier ones were adapted for public television some years back.
In this book we are once again in the heart of Navajo country and we
continue to get a full measure of rich history combined with the incredible
natural beauty of Lake Powell and the entire south-west. You can open the
volume to almost any page and find descriptions like this.
“The desert light
and colors fed his spirit; the contrast between the azure sky, the deep, deep
blue water shimmering in the sun, the startling white of three small clouds
that drifted overhead forming shadows on the lake, the sandstone’s warm brown,
vibrant red-orange, and black desert varnish.”
My own enjoyment was enriched by having visited Lake Powell,
Rainbow Bridge, Antelope Canyon, Shiprock, and Page. They all figure
prominently in the book’s intricate double plot. The first thread finds Officer
Jim Chee on a holiday in the Lake Powell area looking to find a cave mentioned
by his mentor Joe Leaphorn while also trying to decide whether he wishes to
pursue new life directions. On a trail near the Rainbow Bridge, he looks down
into the lake and sees a body. Atop a
cliff he also finds an empty tent and a cache of ancient artifacts. Although
not on duty, he must report it. That in short order involves him in the
investigation of what looks increasingly like murder.
Meanwhile, back at Shiprock, the second plot begins with Ms.
Manuelito also finding trouble when she witnesses a fatal hit and run accident.
The victim has no id on him, but does deposit some drugs in Bernadette’s car
just before he is run down. Her attempts to identify him and the driver of the
deadly car lead her into a dangerous undercover assignment on a medical
marihuana farm that has been started on the reservation.
The book moves seamlessly between the two cases with two unifying
factors. Bernadette is also deliberating a major career change and both of them
find themselves in life threatening situations. The wrap-ups afford a plentiful
galaxy of twists and you end with new knowledge about the duo and plenty of
hints that could lead to further adventures for both of them. I loved this book
and give it ***** five stars.
