Cover Image: The Way of the Bear

The Way of the Bear

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Member Reviews

This installment of the Chee and Manuelito series is a disappointment and read like it was written by someone else. Having read a significant number of Tony Hillerman's novels, and then happily continuing the series with Anne, who I think has done a fabulous job slipping in her father's footsteps and taking the series in a slightly different feel, this is no where near the quality and style of writing the rest of the series has. I nearly stopped reading at the 40% mark.

The characters are odd, to say the least. Each has some weird character trait, and that's all we get to know about them. We're told about their motivations briefly and are left to fill in the blanks. Same for the landscape- we're told its beautiful and sacred, but not shown. Add in a jumbled mess of relationships, a handful of ridiculous gun waving, a snowstorm, and that's the book.

This read a little too close to a Scooby Doo episode. There are even some characters at the end who are accused of "meddling". : )

Anne Hillerman is a highly read author with my patrons, so I'll continue to suggest her books for our library, with hopes that this was a one-off oddity. My ARC contained multiple errors that I hope were corrected in the final copy.

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I enjoy the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito novels, and Anne Hillerman has done an excellent job of taking over the series and her father's legacy. The desert Southwest and life in the Four Corner's region is so detailed and vivid, and the mysteries/plots themselves are great.

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Some authors transport the reader to a new location with lyrically descriptive prose. Hillerman is not one of those. Her spare, straightforward writing style is so fitting for the vast open landscape of the Southwest that we feel as though we are in the Valley of the Gods at Bears Ears National Monument from almost the first words of THE WAY OF THE BEAR. This is a place of healing and, in the continuation of Tony Hillerman's series written by his daughter, Anne Hillerman, her main character, Bernie Manuelito, does just that.

Jim Chee, newly a Lieutenant in the Navajo Police Force, heads to Bears Ears for business reasons and invites his wife, Bernie, to join him. Bernie, dealing with recent setbacks and traumas both personal and professional, could use some time alone in the quiet beauty of the Park, communing with the spirits of her Navajo ancestors. Unfortunately, on her first trip into the Valley of the Gods, she is stunned to find evidence of what appears to be illegal digging and defacement of native petroglyphs. This forces a switch from a contemplative spiritual journey to a dangerous investigative one.

At the same time, Chee finds himself pulled into an investigation of a missing paleontologist and a related murder. A major snowstorm is predicted as both Chee and Bernie find themselves in precarious situations within the Park, able to communicate only rarely due to the spotty cell service. As both attempt to close out their unofficial responsibilities and head home to Shiprock before the storm makes that impossible, their two cases merge. In the face of perilous circumstances, Bernie finds the strength she hoped for at Bears Ears, if not in the manner she expected.

There are some truly fascinating background plots in this book including the conflict between scientific research and mercenary paleontologists, prosopagnosia, and Navajo beliefs about witchcraft. Bernie's primary place in the series brings a softer side to relationships with the birth of a baby playing a key role in both the plot and character development in this book.

Although this is the eighth book in the series written by Anne Hillerman (following the first 18 written by Tony Hillerman before his death), it could easily be an entry point to the series. Bernie faces her demons in the book, but the emphasis is on her current struggle to move past them rather than on their development in the past. She is now at a crossroads and it will be interesting to see where she goes in the future.

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Not only is Anne Hillerman a worthy successor to Her father Tony as she continues this excellent series, she surpasses him with the latest entry, The Way of the Bear, which features Navajo Police officers Jim Chee and his wife Bernie Manuelito. This time they are taking a short break in our newest National Park, Bears Ears in Utah, following Bernie's disappointments - one professional and one personal - and Chee's recent promotion. No self-respecting police couple can take a vacation, though, without being caught up in a crime or two. This time the crime involves a paleontologist, allowing author Hillerman to apply her considerable knowledge of that subject and her skill in bringing landscapes to life as important characters, to enrich this story of greed, deception, and violence, enhanced further by an impending fierce snowstorm. Coupled with the infusion of Navajo culture, the continuing development of already rich characters, and the superb pacing and depiction of harrowing scenes of violence and fear, Hillerman has produced a book that's hard to put down. As a fellow sufferer of the cognitive disorder that is a critical component of the story, I can attest to the realistic way in which the author presents it. What might seem like an exaggeration to uneducated readers is not. Series fans will rejoice and both they and readers who are new to the series will welcome The Way of the Bear enthusiastically.

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Bernie and Chee confront murder and artifact mutilation in the new Hillerman, set in the country's newest national monument, Bears Ears.
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While Chee celebrates a promotion, Bernie tries to cope with losing one. Chee pursues further religious training while Bernie mourns her mother's declining faculties.

Hillerman teaches a lesson on dinosaurs, climate and preserving our heritage.

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Anne Hillerman continues to skillfully tell the tales of the American Southwest. Like her father Tony Hillerman, who began this mystery series melding the Navajo culture of its characters with police procedurals, Hillerman brings the 4 corners area to life where the environment is an integral part of the action. Knowledge of these characters and previous books may be necessary to fully appreciate this book. My one criticism is that the scholarship invested in archeology, and Navajo language and culture, while fascinating in and of itself, was too frequently on display. Characters who suddenly (and too frequently) pause to explain archeological technique, speak in both Navajo and translate into English, broke from the storytelling and were at times intrusive. Anne Hillerman can show more trust in her writing to convey information, and trust her readers to intuit meaning based upon context.

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Trouble seems to follow Officer Manuelito and Lieutenant Jim Chee even when they try to take a few days off. the two travel to Bears Ears Natl. Park in Utah for Chee to meet with some tribal leaders in a sweat lodge and for him to meet with a donor who wants to support the Fallen tribal officers fund. One of the leaders at the sweat lodge suggest that Bernie Manuelito go for a hike up around Bears ears while the men are meeting. She goes out and is enjoying the beautiful landscapes and the calm peaceful atmosphere when she stumbles into a trench that shouldn't be there. The trench looks like it is part of an archeological dig but something is off about it . she also sees some petroglyphs on the cliff-side but the faces have been destroyed. She recognizes this disfigurement as often relating to witchcraft or at the least to malicious vandalism. She begins to hike back to her truck as the sun sets but a truck tries to run her down and shoots at her. This begins a twisted mystery that the couple keeps getting further involved in . You can never figure out who to trust and who is on the wrong side..
It is a thrilling read and is especially interesting to people interested in the Native American lore of the area. Rich is historical and cultural facts makes for interesting reading!

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Bernadette Manuelito is told by a traditional healer to hike in the Valley of the Gods within the Bear Ears National Monument. Bernie is enjoying the amazing rock formations and stays to watch the sunset. As she walks back to her truck, someone first tries to run her down and then takes a shot at her.

This is how Bernie and her husband, newly promoted Lt. Jim Chee, take a weekend vacation.

They each come at the puzzle from different directions, but the pieces don't make a clear picture.

This is a page turner rife with untrustworthy characters and a complex and overlapping set of shadowy circumstances and confusing interrelationships.

Will Bernie and Chee figure out what's going on before the are more killings?

This is a page turner from Anne Hillerman, who has taken her father's characters in a new and unique direction and is now, in her 8th book in the mystery series writing with power and authority. Her puzzle is complex and fast moving, and will keep you guessing. The resolution is a little too easy and a lot too messy, but the story holds together. The highlight of the book is the description of Bears Ears, beautiful even in a blizzard.

Thank you #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsPublishers for letting me read an advance copy in response for my honest review.

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. LT Chee and his police officer wife Bernie Manuelito head to Utah’s Bears Ear National Park. The area is a trove of early human habitation artifacts. As Bernie explores the area she comes across an illicit archeological dig. She is the chased away and threatened to stay away. Combine that with two unusual murders and geological scheming, both are not ready to go back home until the truth is uncovered. As a fan of Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn series, I was pleased to see his characters continue with the same care that Mr. Hillerman wrote.

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The Way of the Bear by Anne Hillerman is another triumph in her continuation of the characters started by her father, Tony Hillerman. She has brought to life the beauty and fragility of Bears Ears National Monument and what it means to those whose history lies in it's borders. As always, the continuing growth of her characters keeps the reader always coming back for more.

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