SKELETON MAN by Tony Hillerman
Every book Tony Hillerman writes is unique because of the Indian folklore he brings to his stories. His central characters are usually retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Each story follows upon the ending of the previous one and things begun in one story carry over to the latest one. Hillerman's newest novel is SKELETON MAN and once again Leaphorn and Chee figure prominently in the plot.
This time out both men are trying to help a friend's friend clear his name. Billy Tuve has been accused of the theft of a diamond, but he claims he got it in a fair trade. Leaphorn and Chee are aware of an incident in the fifties when two planes collided in the skies over Colorado. When they did material and bodies fell from the sky. One of the bodies was supposedly handcuffed to a briefcase in which diamonds were being transported.
Joanna Craig is interested in this story of the diamond because she wants to find the arm to which the case was attached. With DNA testing she can prove that she is the daughter of this man with the diamonds. He was the heir to a huge fortune. Joanna is more interested in proving the paternity issue than she is in the money.
Hillerman keeps his plots simple but in this one he also throws in a power hungry man who sends out ruthless representatives to keep the diamond source hidden. When Billy Tuve, Joanna Craig and the hired henchman all end up exploring the land in the bottom of a canyon there is bound to be conflict and trouble. Plus Chee and his fiancée' Bernie Manuelito also join the party.
With a direct style and no wasted descriptions Hillerman takes his story from point A to point B and so on until it is completed. The reader gets the full effect of the plot and is left satisfied and ready for the next adventure.
You wouldn't describe Hillerman's books such as SKELETON MAN as great literature, but they are certainly fun to read and enjoyable to the hilt.
SKELETON MAN is published by HarperCollins. It contains 241 pages and sells for $25.95.