Skeleton Man (Leaphorn & Chee #17) [B1390]

2004 HCDJ 1st edition in nice clean condition. From the enduring "national and literary cultural sensation" (Los Angeles Times) Tony Hillerman, a crackling tale of myth, mystery, and murder featuring the legendary Leaphorn and Chee. Though he may be retired, Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn hasn't lost his curiosity or his edge. He's eager to help Sergeant Jim Chee and his fiancée Bernie Manuelito with their latest case-clearing an innocent kid accused of robbing a trading post. Billy Tuve claims he received the precious diamond from a strange old man in the canyon. Could it be one of the gems that went missing in an epic plane crash decades earlier? Now that it may have resurfaced, it's attracted dangerous strangers to the Navajo lands. Proving Billy's innocence won't be easy. Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito must find the remains of a passenger who died in the crash-one of 172 lost souls whose remains were scattered across the magnificent tiered cliffs of the Grand Canyon. But nature may prove their deadliest adversary. To find the proof they need, the detectives must battle a thunderous monsoon and a killer as they plunge deeper into the dark realm of the Hopi Lord of Death-the guardian of the underworld known as Skeleton Man.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Another very compelling and interesting entry in the Leaphorn/Chee novels by Tony Hillerman. I have not even come close to reading all of this series but have been reading them off and on since seeing the very enjoyable TV series based on the books, Dark Winds. I enjoyed this one very much. The collision of the airliners central to the plot was real and triggered the creation of the FAA and its flight safety rules. This made the story all the more interesting and Hillerman's descriptions of the Grand Canyon area added a lot to the narrative. His knowledge of the Hopi and their religious beliefs also added to the story. And of course his character development is top notch. I really need to start at the beginning of this series and read all the books I have missed so far."; "This man knows how to write a good mystery - clean, not unnecessarily violent, easy to keep track of details, good setting. Sometimes they can be a little predictable, but always with interesting historical information to store away. I'll be sad to see this series end. The characters feel like old friends."; "I'm continually amazed at what I learn about historical cultural climate and news events within each of the Tony Hillerman novels, an added value to learning about indigenous cultures and history, and the geography of the settings. I do enjoy the plots too!"; "Good book worth reading. Paints a picture in your head and makes you want to just sit and read and let the world keep on going, while you enjoy reading."