Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

At the start of Hillerman's thoughtful third Southwestern mystery (after 2015's Rock with Wings), a bomb detonates in the parking lot of Shiprock High School, where police officer Bernadette "Bernie" Manuelito is looking forward to watching an alumni basketball game in the gym. Bernie discovers a gravely injured man at the scene, but it seems the real target was Aza Palmer, a lawyer scheduled to mediate a meeting among Native Americans, environmentalists, and others to discuss a controversial proposed resort on Navajo land. Bernie's husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, is assigned to guard the reluctant Palmer and navigate the tricky waters of protesters and residents with different tribal affiliations, languages, and concerns. Meanwhile, Bernie consults veteran investigator Joe Leaphorn, who has contributions to make to the case during his ongoing recovery from a serious gunshot wound. Though seasoned mystery readers may guess the perpetrator before the tense denouement, the book offers insights on the strength of family ties and the possibilities of redemption after a history of pain. Agent: Elizabeth Trupin-Pulli, JET Literary Associates. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Navajo Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito is at a basketball game when a car explodes in the parking lot. The ruined car belongs to lawyer Aza Palmer, an alumni player who's the mediator for a pending meeting about a new proposal for developing Navajo land near the Grand Canyon. Officer Jim Chee, Manuelito's husband, is assigned to guard Palmer through the meeting, a job Chee hates. But as the investigation of the car bombing proceeds, Palmer seems to be at the center of things: the man injured in the incident, who later dies, is Palmer's nephew, and the person stalking Palmer is his estranged son. While use of Native American land is a hot topic, personal relationships can be even hotter, and people may not be what they seem, as Manuelito observes. Hillerman seamlessly blends tribal lore and custom into a well-directed plot, continuing in the spirit of her late father, Tony, by keeping his characters (like Chee) in the mix, but still establishing Manuelito as the main player in what has become a fine legacy series.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Tribal divisions cause tensions that result in a car bombor is the motive something closer to home?The world around Navajo Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito is literally rocked while she watches the annual alumni basketball game at local Shiprock High School, and it isn't because of the talent on the court. When Bernie goes to the parking lot to inspect the apparent sonic boom, she finds that a car has exploded, presumably the result of an improvised device. Though she's been attending the game while off duty, Bernie kicks into work mode and tries to keep attendees safe while simultaneously investigating. When things settle down and she's able to return home to her husband, fellow officer Jim Chee, he's the one who has to work the case. The car's owner is Aza Palmer, a mediator working on some tensions between the Hopi and Din tribes out in Tuba City, and Chee serves as an informal bodyguard to Palmer in the midst of the tense talks. Chee can't wait for the assignment to end because Palmer's in no mood to be guarded despite being otherwise friendly, and both Chee and Bernie know things will go back to normal once they crack this case. The secret may lie in the failing memory of former Lt. Joe Leaphorn, friend and mentor to both Chee and Bernie and a character whose link to the past could break the case open. The latest from Hillerman (Rock with Wings, 2015, etc.) continues worldbuilding in a tale that will reward long-term readers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Last seen in Rock with Wings, Bernadette Manuelito, a Navajo police officer and Shiprock High School alum, is on the scene when a car bomb explodes in the school parking lot during a basketball game. A young man is killed, but was the intended victim really the car's owner-a Navajo lawyer working as a mediator for a -multimillion-dollar development planned at the Grand Canyon? As Officer Manuelito studies the evidence, her husband, Sgt. Jim Chee, has his hands full guarding mediator Palmer, who appears to be hiding information. Bernie discusses the case with retired lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, who is reminded of one of his cold cases that involved two small children on the reservation. As the facts present themselves, the case unwinds to reveal what appears to be a complicated paradigm of revenge against Palmer and his family. VERDICT Fans of Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito, characters created by the author's father, Tony Hillerman, will savor this multilayered story of suspense, with its background of contemporary environmental vs. development issues. [See Prepub Alert, 10/17/16.]-Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colls., Mt. Carmel © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.