Way of the Bear: A Novel

When two suspicious deaths occur in the Bears Ears area, Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito must use all their experience, skill, and intuition to find justice.
Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito must use all their experience, skill and intuition to solve a series of murders involving fossil harvesting, ancient lore, greed and rejected love linked to Utah’s Bears Ears National Park. 100,000 first printing.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWinner of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for Best MysteryFossil harvesting, ancient lore, greed, rejected love and murder combine in this gripping new installment of New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series.An unexpected death on a lonely road outside of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument raises questions for Navajo Tribal Police officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito. Why would a seasoned outdoorsman and well-known paleontologist freeze to death within walking distance of his car? A second death brings more turmoil. Who is the unidentified man killed during a home invasion where nothing much seems to have been taken? Why was he murdered?The Bears Ears area, at the edge of the Navajo Nation, is celebrated for its abundance of early human habitation sites and the discovery of unique fossils which revolutionized the scientific view of how early animals dealt with their changing world. Chee and Manuelito appreciate the area’s scenery and wealth of human and scientific resources, but their visit to this achingly beautiful place is disrupted by a current of unprecedented violence that sweeps them both into danger. Illicit romance, a fossilized jawbone, hints of witchcraft, and a mysterious disappearance during a blizzard add to the peril.It takes all of Manuelito’s and Chee’s experience, skill, and intuition to navigate the threats that arise and see justice served.