I have been a follower of the Hillerman's Leaphorn/Chee/Manuelito series since it all began with father Tony's THE BLESSING WAY. Throughout the series, which adds up to 27 books now, there have been ups and downs in quality, but the ongoing characters that readers have come to know and love, as well as the Southwest setting and Navajo culture depicted in most of the books, has kept me entranced and ready for the next one even as the writing quality occasionally dipped. With the most recent Anne Hillerman novel in the series, LOST BIRDS, this remains true despite what may be the low point as far as quality is concerned. If I didn't know better, and if the characters had different names, I would not have pegged this as a Hillerman book at all.

As is the case with all of the books in the series since daughter Anne took over the writing, Bernie Manuelito is the central character of the book, with both her personal and professional lives playing important roles in the plot. Having been trained in bomb site investigation, she is called away from her position as a police officer in the Navajo Nation to be the first officer on the ground after a Navajo school building explodes. For much of the book, there is confusion about whether the explosion was intentional or accidental, and this is not fully resolved until the very end of the book as it forms the main mystery in the plot. There are side plots regarding the missing birth family of a (possibly) Navajo woman, Bernie's sister's and mother's issues, a missing woman, Leaphorn's partner's troubles with her son, and a Navajo man with a gambling problem. Although these side plots are loosely tied to the primary school explosion plot in various ways, the connections seem clunky and disjointed. The adoption search is basically a disconnected plot that allows Hillerman to impart some information about conditions in the Navajo Nation in the 1970s, and it feels like a plot line that was just glued onto the main thread of the book rather than integral in any way.

Much of the book has this fragmented focus, along with an over-reliance upon the reader's previous knowledge of the characters. If a reader tried to enter the series at this point, they would find it very difficult to connect with the characters who often act in odd ways that further development might have turned into traits. As it stands, the reader is left to make sense of each player on the basis of behavior or actions in a book that is neither plot-driven nor character-driven. It felt as if this might have been a first draft that was rushed to publication without proper development or editing. That said, learning more about the history of the Navajo culture as well as the setting in which it resides is always interesting. And, in the past, Hillerman has shown herself to be capable of much better than this book. I remain hopeful that the series continuation will next bring us greater depth in a more focused, developed book number 28 of the series.

Lost Birds, the dazzling latest book in the long-standing series that Anne Hillerman has taken over for her late father Tony, offers readers a chance to return to Navajo country and the three people around whom the series has centered: Ret. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Lieutenant Jim Chee, and Jim's wife Officer Bernie Manuelito. This multilayered novel starts with two searches for missing people. Cecile Bowlegs hires now-private investigator Leaphorn to find his missing wife Beth at the same time that he is hired to track down the birth family of a woman who was adopted as a baby but who believes that her birth parents were Navajos. A school bombing, dead sheep, embezzled funds, and a murdered woman also factor into this very satisfying read. I began to read it at the start of a very rainy day and finished it before the day - and the rain - ended. Readers who have devotees of the series and those who have never read a single book in it nor even watched the tv adaptation of the series, Dark Wind, will not be disappointed.

“Lost Birds,” by Anne Hillerman, Harper, 304 pages, April 23, 2024.

Joe Leaphorn, who is retired from the Navajo Tribal Police, is now a private detective. He lives with Louisa Bourbonette, a college professor and researcher.

Cecil Bowlegs calls him for help because his wife is missing. While they are on the phone, Leaphorn hears an explosion and the call is dropped. When Detective Sergeant Mona Short arrives at Leaphorn’s house, she tells Joe that Bethany Benally Bowlegs is considered to be a missing person.

Short was sent to talk to Leaphorn because her captain believes there is a connection between Bowlegs, the missing woman, the explosion and another case. The explosion was at the school where Bowlegs is the custodian.

Earlier Leaphorn had accepted a different case: finding the birth parents of Stella Brown, who was raised by a white family but who believes she is Diné based on one clue, an old photograph with a classic Navajo child’s blanket.

Her adoptive parents divorced a few years after she was graduated from high school and they have since died. Then Joe and Royce Will, who works at the Navajo Nation Social Services Office, examine Stella’s birth certificate. They suspect it is a fake.

Investigation of the explosion falls in part to Officer Bernadette Manuelito, who discovers an unexpected link to Cecil’s missing wife. Bernie’s husband is police Lt. Jim Chee. When Joe asks Bernie for help with the adoption case, she tells him that Jim knows more about that type of thing.

Anne Hillerman continues the mystery series her father Tony Hillerman created in 1970. Anne's novels follow the further adventures of the characters Tony made famous, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, and adds Bernadette Manuelito. This is her ninth novel in the series.

As usual, there are many interesting things about Navajo life and culture woven into the book. Hillerman gives realistic complexity to the characters’ lives. This has multiple subplots and diversions, perhaps a few too many, but it is an enjoyable installment to the long-running series.

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.

Anne has carried on the long-tradition of writing about Native Americans from her father. The transition from Tony to Anne was seamless. These stories are rich with American Indian history. They are lovingly and beautifully written.

Lost Birds by Anne Hillerman, the latest in her series set on the Navajo, carries on the story of Joe Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito and the other people in their lives. The main focus of the story is a woman searching for her real parents after being adopted off the reservation by white parents, and another missing woman who's husband is looking for her. Another good story from the author.

Another winner by Hillerman! I love this series, and this mystery pulled me in right from the start. It's wonderful to keep learning more about our favorite characters.