The Way of the Bear
by Hillerman, Anne
pub. by Harper Collins, NY. 2023     isbn - 978-0-06-290840-7 pbk - - 340 pages
This is one of the Leaphorn. Chee and Manuelito mystery series of author, Anne Hillerman.
It was written after the peak of the COVID infection Anne Hillerman could safely visit some of the places in this mystery
to better more faithfully describe the setting, in the Bears Ears National Monument area, some distance from where most of her mysteries are set.
It starts out with both Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito traveling together,
and while a good part of the activity transpires with them having individual experiences they are all linked to the same set of criminal behaviors.
Since they are some 100 miles from their home base and family Bernies mother and sister wish they were home.
They miss Bernie and Joes presence. There is a nagging feeling on their part, and to some extent on Joes part that Bernie is unhappy.
She did get turned down for what seemd to be a reasonable promotion, but there is something else.
If one reads carefully it is quietly revealed in the last part of this book.
The Bears Ears National Monument area (in the soutneastern corner of Utah)
is significant for its very rich cultural heritage by almost every tribe in the area
and it is also highly significant in having rich beds of geological fossils during very interesting parts of geological age
when things were changing and life forms were changing to accomodate. Both of these features figure heavily in the storyline.
The Way of the Bear is a good read. It gets into action somewhat more quickly than Anne Hillermans previous mystery,
which she reports was written from a distance as COVID precautions kept her from visiting the area of that mystery while she was writing it.
The Way of the Bear does have many parts when one can not easily set it down. It has -page turner- moments.
It is a very good read and has enough twists to keep one guessing.
~ 2025-04-02 ~

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