Anne Hillerman: The Tale Teller, 9780062391964, Harper Collins, paperback

Several years ago, Anne Hillerman, a journalist herself,  stepped into the large footsteps of her famous writer father, Tony Hillerman, bestselling author and inventor of Navajo Tribal police detective Joe Leaphorn . I have read and loved them all; Tony Hillerman was a master story teller with intelligent plots moored in Navajo customs and culture , always an interest of mine.  When Hillerman passed away, Anne admirably picked up the baton from her father concentrating more on Leaphorns sidekicks,  tribal police officers Chee and Bernie Manuelito in her narrations. 

Feeling nostalgic about previous travels to the Southwest and four corner country of the Navajo reservation, I read “The Tale Teller” her latest paperback novel.  Joe Leaphorn takes center stage again working as a consultant to a museum which received an anonymous donation only to find that the most precious historical gift, a Navajo dress worn by Juanita on the Long Walk to a forced encampment in 1863, had disappeared.  A murder and a stolen piece of ancient Navajo jewelry involving officers Chee and Bernie provide two separate strands to the main story   Really enjoyed this entertaining armchair trip to Arizona and New Mexico, Anne Hillerman’s plotting and writing gets closer with every book to the yet unrivaled mastery of her father.

(no German publisher so far of her novels, available in English only. Tony Hillerman is published by Rowohlt repertoire)