Leaphorn and Chee Finally Team Up
When I started Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series, I commented on how different the series is from what we get today. I get it. Not only was it a different tone in publishing, but I suspect the characters and series evolved as it was written. Either way, we are now on book seven, and the two characters are finally working on a case together. Skinwalkers was well worth the wait.
Lt. Joe Leaphorn is concerned with the three homicides that have occurred on the Navajo Reservation this summer. They don’t appear to be connected, but he can’t help shake the idea that they are. Not that they have any clues to solve these crimes whether they are connected or not.
Meanwhile, Officer Jim Chee barely misses being killed in the trailer where he lives. At first, Leaphorn thinks that Chee was targeted because of bad policing, but soon the two men think it ties in to the other homicides. But how?
I’ve already noticed that Hillerman likes these types of plots, the seemingly unconnected and therefore unsolvable cases. And he’s a master of them. Juggling the various homicides gives us plenty to keep us engaged, although I did have a hard time keeping the various players straight as a result. That might just be me. Either way, I appreciated how everything came together in the end. The climax was suspenseful while wrapping things up well.
I enjoyed watching Leaphorn and Chee work together for the first time. While they knew of each other, this is the first time they have worked together, so there isn’t any history we have missed out on. Those scenes were fun for me. I also love that the two men are so different in how they feel about their heritage. It gives them distinction while also helping drive the story. I expect this will factor into future books even more. Finally, we did get an update about Chee’s personal life while finally learning something about Leaphorn’s. In his three solo books, there was very little about his life outside the case.
These two characters really are co-leads. We got scenes from both of their third person points of view, and they each contributed to solving the case. I appreciated that. And any time the point of view changed, it was easy to follow.
These two are the best drawn characters in the book. The rest are fine for their role, but they don’t get the page time needed to be fully fleshed out. Still, given how the plot unfolds, it works perfectly.
Once again, I listened to the audiobook, narrated expertly by George Guidall. I always enjoy the way he brings the book to life.
Now that the series has turned, I’m excited to see what comes next for the characters. Skinwalkers is another exciting mystery that proves why this series has been so popular over the years.
Here are the rest of the Leaphorn and Chee Mysteries.
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