As an avid reader of Tony Hillerman’s masterful Navajo mysteries, I am thrilled to see Anne Hillerman continue her father’s legacy with Shadow of the Solstice. She has not only honored the foundation he built but has expanded the world of Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito with fresh perspectives and compelling narratives.
Hillerman weaves together two gripping storylines, one involving a fraudulent rehab center and another centered around an activist group protesting uranium extraction on Navajo land.
One of the highlights of Shadow of the Solstice is the continued development of Jim Chee’s storyline. Seeing his character evolve, both professionally and personally, adds a satisfying layer to the novel. His journey, alongside Bernadette Manuelito’s, keeps the series dynamic and engaging.
Anne Hillerman’s ability to blend mystery with real-world issues affecting the Navajo Nation makes this book both entertaining and thought-provoking. Fans of the series will appreciate the familiar yet evolving characters, and newcomers will find themselves drawn into the intricate world she has so skillfully crafted.
A must-read for mystery lovers and longtime Hillerman fans alike!

The latest mystery by Anne Hillerman brings to light serious social issues that impact the inhabitants of the reservations. Bernie and Chee find themselves in the midst of plans for the impending visit of an important government figure. At the same time a body is found in a restricted area known for uranium contamination. Though the FBI takes over the uranium case the Navaho police become embroiled in the case through a protes group known for their environmental causes. After investigating, it is clear that pacifist protests are not what this group is after and a serious investigation is undertaken by the police. At the same time, Chee's missing persons project, soon becomes a priority when Bernie's sister reports her elderly charge who is missing with no clues or information. As Bernie's sister unravels clues on the missing senior citizens, a group of Medicaid and Medicare scammers are uncovered.

The social issues of homelessness, substance abuse, environmental protest and Medicaid and Medicare fraud combine in a timely look of abuses that not only impact the Native American nations but also impact those in our own backyards.

The story opens with the discovery of a dead man on an off limits radioactive disposal site. It is a discovery that shocks young Droid (a nickname) into deciding to give up drinking and look into rehab. This brings him and his grandmother, who is determined to look out for him, into the hands of some very unsavory people. And then Droid goes missing.

Meanwhile, Chee, acting captain when the senior officer gets sick, is called upon to provide security for an important government official who has been threatened by a cult camping at a private site. As it turns out, Bernie Manuelito is also called to the campsite.

When these story lines mesh, the tension builds up. Hillerman has thoroughly investigated the environmental issues at the story’s core, along with the problem of alcohol consumption, and as always, Chee and Manuelito do their utmost for their people.

“Shadow of the Solstice,” by Anne Hillerman, Harper, 336 pages, April 22, 2025.

Navajo Nation Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito is getting ready to go on her morning run. She is planning on later getting together with her mentor, retired lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. Her husband, Lt. Jim Chee, has already left for work.

Before Bernie can leave, Officer Roper Black comes to her house to tell her she has to go to a mandatory meeting although it is her day off. U.S. Secretary of Energy Savannah Cooper is expected to come to Shiprock, New Mexico. The visit coincides with a plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. A group, Citizens United to Save the Planet, may be protesting.

Meanwhile, Darleen Manuelito, Bernie’s younger sister, learns that Mrs. Raymond, one of her home health clients, is missing. Darleen discovers that Mrs. Raymond’s grandson, Andrew Morgan, 17, is also gone. Then a body is found inside of a restricted area.

This has a good complex plot with very descriptive settings. As usual, there are many interesting things about Navajo life and culture woven into the book. Anne Hillerman gives complexity to the main characters’ lives as Bernie and Darlene’s elderly mother lives with Bernie and Chee. Anne Hillerman continues the mystery series her father Tony Hillerman created.

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Terrorism and Exploitation Reaches Ship Rock

A teenage high schooler, Droid is out running when he finds a break in the uranium disposal site fence. A new running route intrigues him. While stopping to catch his breath, he sees a cowboy hat. On closer look, a head is below the hat. Then, he notices the battered face and the congealed blood. The man is dead. He starts to run back home. He vows to himself that he will not drink anymore. He does not want to end up like that man. From this start, a riveting story starts.

This novel has three main storyline threads. The first is the discovery and initial investigation of the dead body. It was murder, and that is the responsibility of the FBI. They provide updates throughout the novel. The second thread follows the teenager seeking rehabilitation services. His grandmother accompanies him to the pickup location. The van is taking mostly indigenous people to Phoenix for treatment. The grandmother is suspicious, so she signs up and goes with her grandson. The grandmother's problems start when the grandson disappears the first night, and she is left hundreds of miles away from home. She has no way to contact anyone back in Ship Rock. The third thread starts with the preparations for a VIP visit by the Secretary of Energy with the threat of protest by a radical environmental group. Lieutenant Jim Chee is suddenly put in charge when his captain becomes ill and is hospitalized. The novel mostly jumps between the last two threads. Whenever the thread changed, a hook at the end of the chapter made me want to get through to where it started again. Unfortunately, both threads did it, so my attention was locked solid throughout the novel.

The background of the two main characters was a little light on the background. I learned about Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito's characters through their current actions and thoughts in this novel. The other Navaho characters were presented with much more background to supplement their current actions and thoughts. This aspect did not add to my reading enjoyment but did not discourage me from reading this novel.

I found the minimal aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading. There are no intimate scenes. My vulgar, rude, and impious word list search yielded zero hits. The violence probably rates a TV-14 listing. I started using my eReader's Internet capability to search for the meaning of the Navajo words. When I was eating in a place without WiFi access, searching for a word revealed a glossary of the Navajo words. I deleted my proposed remark on this issue. I was pretty happy having this glossary available. This novel should not discourage anyone from reading it.

The lightness of the background on Chee and Manuelito is the only aspect that did not enhance my reading enjoyment. I enjoyed the portrayal of the Navajo interpersonal relationships. All the characters were quite believable to me. There were no loose ends at the end of the novel. This novel was my first read from this series. It is preceded by 10 by this author and 18 by her father. Based on the TV series and this read, I have purchased 18 of their novels. I am planning on some good reading. I highly recommend reading this novel, but I would add a caveat that it may not be the best novel to jump into this series. I do not rate an author based on one book, but I did here. I placed her in my Will-Read category. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and rate it with five stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version from Harper through NetGalley. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Harper, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

Book 10 in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series brings readers multiple mysteries to solve. In Shadow of the Solstice, Anne Hillerman continues the series created by her father Tony Hillerman featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. However, she has added a third main character, Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito.

The Navajo Nation police are on high alert when a U.S. Cabinet Secretary indicates they may come to Shiprock, New Mexico in the next few days. This visit coincides with a controversial plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. With planning for the executive’s trip, a body is found in an area restricted for the disposal of radioactive uranium waste. A group also suddenly shows up at a private campground nearby that claims to be a peaceful meditation group aimed at saving the planet. On top of this, vulnerable indigenous people with addictions are disappearing. Can one small police force solve the various mysteries?

The characterization is well-done in this crime novel and mystery. Bernie works hard and is a police officer assigned to the Shiprock station. She’s concerned about her mother’s declining memory and health and tends to turn worry into action. However, she seldom welcomes unrequested advice. Bernie and Chee are married. He’s a lieutenant at the Shiprock police station and misses field work as his job now requires a lot of administrative tasks. He’s well-respected by his colleagues and embraces the old spiritual practices. While Joe is now retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, he is referenced a few times during the novel and makes a cameo appearance near the end. Bernie’s sister Darleen plays a major role in one of the subplots in this novel. Readers gain knowledge of both her personal and professional aspects of her life.

The novel has several subplots and shifts points of view several times, but the flow seemed to work relatively well. There are several twists and a couple of surprises. Additionally, the world-building is excellent. While I should have expected it, it still amazed me that the closest police backup could be one or more hours away. As usual, there are several topics woven throughout the novel that give readers an appreciation of Navajo life and culture. Some are wonderful and others aren’t. Elder care, family, education, poverty, addiction, corruption, and much more are topics of interest.

Overall, this is a suspenseful, heart-wrenching, and compelling novel that immediately grabs readers’ attention and keeps up the intensity throughout the novel with great characterization and fantastic atmosphere and world-building. The author’s note about her inspiration for the book provides valuable information. If you enjoy crime novels and mysteries, then look no further than this series. I’m looking forward to reading book eleven.

Harper along with Anne Hillerman provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for April 22, 2025. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

I had not read an Anne Hillerman novel and this is a great novel. It is full of Navajo lore and language (plus a glossary). In this Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito novel are two separate crimes, each treated harmoniously, switching from one to the other. It is a terrific novel and I will certainly be reading past novels of hers.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this series. In this entry, Chee is tied up with administrative tasks as a surprise visit by the Secretary of Energy is being planned, a real headache for security planning. Bernie, his wife, is troubled when a client of her sister Darleen, an elderly woman, disappears from home without a word. We spend part of the novel traveling with the woman and her grandson, who is trying to shake an addiction, as they accept a deal that's too good to be true. A van takes them from New Mexico to a dingy hotel in Phoenix where they're supposed to be given addiction treatment, but it soon becomes clear that it's simply a money-grubbing scam. Meanwhile, Bernie also has to look into a group that has taken over a campsite and erected an unsafe sweat lodge. She soon learns the group is a controlling cult that is up to no good.

I enjoyed the story, though I was disappointed that the cult plot line toward the end took up most of the action, since I really loved the other story and its characters. Though it was resolved satisfactorily, it seemed to be disposed of abruptly in favor of the other investigation.

Other than that, another good book in an excellent series.

The suspense starts on page one when a Navajo grandmother boards a bus to keep an eye on her troubled grandson. It doesn't end until the feisty woman has fended off more bad guys than your average police officer.

The latest book in Hillerman's mystery series focuses on many of the problems Indigenous people confront daily, while leaving time for fans of the series to catch up on the lives of Chee and Leaphorn and Bernadette.

Every book Anne Hillerman publishes is a tribute to the world her father created.

Shadow of the Solstice by Anne Hillerman gave me something new to think about along with a good story to carry it. The characters are interesting and personable and the interactions of generations and the problems inherent in those age groups are for everyone. The anticipated arrival of a political appointee is causing problems for the Navajo police while the disappearance of an elder and her grandson take the story in a different direction.

An excellent and gripping mystery read - but as this was my first foray into the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito, honestly what I enjoyed most of all was the setting itself. Up until know, I don't believe that I've read any book that takes place in the Navajo nation, much less one where that's so integral to the plot (and the core of the series, I am assuming). To say the least, I found it to be a really fascinating new experience, which was helped by the fact that the book was set up so that it wasn't dependent on my having read any of its predecessors. So, by itself, "Shadow of the Solstice" was definitely a thrilling time that seems to work quite well as a standalone, but I am also quite excited to go to my library and start to check out more of the series.