AT THE OUTSET of Lost Birds (Harper), Anne Hillerman’s gripping ninth novel in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series, a man rings up retired detective-turned-private-eye Joe Leaphorn for help. As Cecil Bowleg begins to explain that his wife has gone missing from the Navajo Nation, a sudden explosion on the line interrupts the call. Meanwhile, Leaphorn’s also searching for the biological parents of a Diné woman who was adopted by a bilagáana (Anglo) family. How’s it all going to come together with the help of Off. Bernadette Manuelito and Lt. Jim Chee? Read on. According to Hillerman, the plot is inspired by the recently upheld Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), designed to protect Native children from removal from their communities.
What We're Reading: Lost Birds
Anne Hillerman's "Lost Birds," the ninth in her series, weaves together the search for a missing Navajo woman and a Diné woman's quest for her roots.
"Lost Birds" by Anne Hillerman intertwines two searches on the Navajo Nation. Photograph by Inga Hendrickson.