Officer Bernie Manuelito risks her relationship with Jim Chee to investigate the disappearance of a former roommate, whose confession for the murder of her estranged husband, a prominent astronomer, does not add up.
Officer Bernie risks her relationship with Chee to investigate the disappearance of a former college roommate, whose confession for murder does not add up. By the best-selling author of The Tale Teller. 100,000 first printing.
Murder, deception, Navajo tradition, and the stars collide in this enthralling entry in New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman&;s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series, set amid the beautiful landscape of the American Southwest.What begins as a typical day for Officer Bernadette Manuelito&;serving a bench warrant, dealing with a herd of cattle obstructing traffic, and stumbling across a crime scene&;takes an unexpected twist when she&;s called to help find an old friend. Years ago, Bernie and Maya were roommates, but time and Maya&;s struggles with addiction drove them apart. Now Maya&;s brother asks Bernie to find out what happened to his sister.Tracing Maya&;s whereabouts, Bernie learns that her old friend had confessed to the murder of her estranged husband, a prominent astronomer. But the details don&;t align. Suspicious, Bernie takes a closer look at the case only to find that nothing is as it seems. Uncovering new information about the astronomer&;s work leads Bernie to a remote spot on the Navajo Nation and a calculating killer.The investigation causes an unexpected rift with her husband and new acting boss, Jim Chee, who&;s sure Bernie&;s headed for trouble. While she&;s caught between present and past, Chee is at a crossroads of his own. Burdened with new responsibilities he didn&;t ask for and doesn&;t want, he must decide what the future holds for him and act accordingly. Can their mentor Joe Leaphorn&;a man also looking at the past for answers to the future&;provide the guidance both Bernie and Chee need? And will the Navajo heroes that stud the starry sky help them find justice&;and the truth they seek?