Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police returns to his home territory of Shiprock and takes on the bungling FBI in a case reminiscent of a real homicide which took place in Colorado two years ago. In that case, a policeman was murdered by three “survivalists” who then disappeared into the vast wilderness of the Four Corners area. Eventually, the FBI and more than 20 other federal agencies were involved in the manhunt, but the fugitives were never captured. (Although the bodies of two have been found.) This true case serves as the jumping off point for Hillerman’s new mystery, and is in fact dedicated to the murdered officer.

In the author’s last book (The First Eagle) Jim Chee began to look in a new direction. Unhappy as an acting-lieutenant in Tuba City, he has returned to his home in Shiprock to do the police work he loves best. Also out of the picture is former girlfriend Janet Pete, a Navajo/Anglo attorney whom Jim feels betrayed him. In his rundown trailer with his simple lifestyle, Jim is happy again.

Then, Officer Bernie Manuelito shows up on his doorstep to ask a favor. Two security guards at the Ute Casino have been shot and the casino robbed. One of the men, a retired police officer, is dead. The other, a moonlighting deputy sheriff named Teddy Bai, is in critical condition. Secretly, Chee is thrilled that the suspects appear to have stolen a plane and left the area. He wants no part of a massive manhunt like that mess in 1998. However, Bernie’s request, tied to the fact she has a crush on him, draws Jim into the case. Investigators suspect that Bai may have had a part in the robbery. Could Jim please look into it for her?

Hillerman’s other beloved detective is the retired Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn. Retirement has brought him a girlfriend, Professor Louisa Bourebonette, to help relieve the great loneliness he’s felt since his dear wife Emma died. But he still has a hole where his police work used to be. Leaphorn’s excuse to look into the murder/robbery at the casino comes when an old acquaintance by the name of Roy Gershwin asks to see him. Gershwin tells Leaphorn he knows who did it: a group of guys from the Rights Militia, looking to finance their anti-government cause. While he gives their names to Leaphorn, he also request anonymity, fearing retribution from the group.

Thus Hillerman works his two favorite policemen into Hunting Badger and pleases all the Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn fans. But in addition to his characters, the author is also known for working native beliefs and customs into his stories. And this one does not disappoint. One of the men hiding in the wilderness is a Ute by the name of George Ironhand. The legend goes that one of Ironhand’s ancestors belonged to a band of raiders. Some 90 years ago, Ironhand was known to be able to escape after raiding the Navajo settlements -- by flying. Through the interviews of the feisty history professor Louisa, Chee and Leaphorn begin to piece together a legend from the past which may involve the crime from the present.

Hunting Badger is one of Hillerman’s best executed mysteries. As always he is a colorful writer; the canyons, the sun, and even the rock don’t escape his eye for detail. Various characters and motives work their way in and out of the story as Leaphorn and Chee begin their search. His respectful and honest portrayal of the native people and their customs is a joy. And of course, his skill at weaving a clever mystery is sharp -- almost as sharp as his barbs about the FBI. This is a not-to-miss mystery, Hillerman at his best.

--Martha Moore