Anne Hillerman, In Conversation

Did you miss Anne Hillerman’s appearance at The Poisoned Pen the other night? She’s on book tour for the Hot Book of the Week, The Tale Teller. She not only has tales to tell about Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito, but also told tales about her father, Tony Hillerman. Anne Hillerman has now appeared at The Poisoned Pen for all of her books, including her nonfiction title, Tony Hillerman’s Landscape. The books are available through the Web Store, including signed copies of The Tale Teller. https://bit.ly/2Gk15PG

Here’s the summary of The Tale Teller.

Legendary Navajo policeman Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn takes center stage in this riveting atmospheric mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman that combines crime, superstition, and tradition and brings the desert Southwest vividly alive.

Joe Leaphorn may have retired from the Tribal Police, but he finds himself knee-deep in a perplexing case involving a priceless artifact—a reminder of a dark time in Navajo history. Joe’s been hired to find a missing biil, a traditional dress that had been donated to the Navajo Nation. His investigation takes a sinister turn when the leading suspect dies under mysterious circumstances and Leaphorn himself receives anonymous warnings to beware—witchcraft is afoot.

While the veteran detective is busy working to untangle his strange case, his former colleague Jim Chee and Officer Bernie Manuelito are collecting evidence they hope will lead to a cunning criminal behind a rash of burglaries. Their case takes a complicated turn when Bernie finds a body near a popular running trail. The situation grows more complicated when the death is ruled a homicide, and the Tribal cops are thrust into a turf battle because the murder involves the FBI. 

As Leaphorn, Chee, and Bernie draw closer to solving these crimes, their parallel investigations begin to merge . . . and offer an unexpected opportunity that opens a new chapter in Bernie’s life.

*****

Anne Hillerman’s conversation with Barbara Peters, owner of the bookstore, and Hillerman’s discussion of her book and its background is fascinating. You might want to pretend you’re at the event.