- Title:
- The First Eagle
- Author:
- Publisher:
- HarperCollins, 1998
- ISBN
- 0-06-017581-8
So what do you do when you are the arresting officer, and you're in love with the defense attorney?
Tough question? It's hard enough when a regular cop is faced with that problem, but when the cop is a Navajo, then keeping everything in balance can seem almost impossible. At least that is the case with Jim Chee, Tony Hillerman's perennial favorite Navajo tribal police officer.
Hillerman fans who are familiar with Jim Chee already know that he's got some tough decisions coming up. This story doesn't make the decisions any easier. Meanwhile retired Lieutenant "call me Mr" Leaphorn is also back, this time working as a private investigator. Chee and Leaphorn still have a beautiful love-hate relationship, as Hillerman keeps teasing his readers about possible future developments.
The mystery itself is a typical Hillerman yarn. Jim Chee is dealing with the murder of one of his officers. Leaphorn is trying to find a missing woman. The two cases seem to have the same day and the same place in common, and Leaphorn doesn't believe in coincidences.
On top of that is Chee's relationship with Janet Pete, who's come back to defend the man whom Chee found standing over the body of the officer. Leaphorn is learning to deal with retirement, and striking up a promising new relationship with a university professor.
Several apparently unrelated threads end up woven together to form a finished tapestry of accomplished finesse. Each character lovingly drawn, whether they are peripheral or central to the plot. Hillerman spends a little less time on describing the beauty of the reservation lands than he normally does, but there was enough of that to send my mind's eye wandering through dry arroyos and peering down from dizzying mesas.
One very nice thing about the Leaphorn/Chee stories is watching the characters and the land change over time. These are not static cardboard cut-outs. I keep thinking that if I went to visit Tuba City, I might just be able to step into the police station there to have a chat with Jim Chee. I'd expect to meet people like Old Woman Notah, grazing her goats out by Yells Back Butte: that's the strength of Hillerman's writing.
Oh, and this mystery has substance, too. People who read Eagle will also learn about hantavirus, and bubonic plague, and the frightening prospect of a near future without effective antibiotics. There is enough good information that I can forgive Hillerman that he spreads a little urban legend in the very first chapter. Just maybe some folks will learn to wash their hands with soap and warm water?
In all, the book is a wonderful read. It isn't very long, so it is in fact ideal for a lazy Sunday. Enjoy!