The body of Steve Jones, an astronomer at the world-famous VLA Institute in Central New Mexico, is found on the Navajo Indian Reservation, outside of New Mexico state jurisdiction. The cause of death, a single gunshot wound to the head, is clear. Maya Williams, the victim’s former wife, confesses to the crime.

According to the law, the case is turned over to the Navajo County Police. Deputy Bernadette Manuelito, the wife of Sgt. Jim Chee, takes the call. When Bernie follows up, she realizes that Maya was her college roommate, but they lost touch over the years. Maya’s marriage to Steve led to estrangement, and she readily confesses that she shot him, declaring only that she is the reason he is dead. She refuses to say more and stoically goes to jail to await trial. Her brother asks Bernie to find out why she is so hasty to take the blame.

"Tony Hillerman fans will appreciate [Anne Hillerman] keeping his fictional creations, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, alive and thriving. The storytelling gene has been proudly passed on from father to daughter."

Chee is temporarily in charge of the Reservation police station while Captain Largo is away. Bernie believes that Maya’s confession isn’t as simple as it appears, but she must follow the chain of command and obey her husband’s orders.

Another more urgent crime must be dealt with. While rounding up stray cattle after a traffic incident, Bernie tries to locate their owner. She finds a woman bound and gagged, barely alive, in a deserted house, and the dead body of a days-old infant is on a nearby bed. Chee instructs Bernie to focus on this tragedy, putting them in a difficult position. Convinced that Maya is covering up for someone else, Bernie now must answer directly to her husband. As the mysteries unfold, their relationship becomes strained.

Fans of the late Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn novels have been delighting in his daughter’s efforts to keep his memory alive through his legendary characters. The series is located in the same picturesque Navajo Nation where Indian reservation laws can and do collide with US jurisdictions, particularly when a non-res individual is involved in an incident on reservation lands.

Meanwhile, Joe Leaphorn, who is now retired, has been volunteering with a national organization related to Indian affairs. He is invited to make a decision that will represent a giant step in his new career, but involves traveling to Washington, DC to address a national conference. It’s not the speech that has him concerned; he's terrified of flying and thus is reluctant to commit.

Anne Hillerman gives us a great mystery while providing a fascinating look at the VLA, or Very Large Array, which has searched outer space since the mid-1970s. Bernie must travel to Socorro, New Mexico, from their reservation office in Chinle, Arizona, a round trip of over 500 miles, on several occasions while she investigates the crime to which her former friend has confessed. One of those excursions leads Bernie to a remote spot on the Navajo Nation, which could end up being her last, as she searches for new information about Steve Jones’ work.

Hillerman paints a picturesque view of, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful locations in the Southwest. Our family drove through that area during the early days of VLA’s construction, gawking in wonderment at the giant radio telescope dishes on the lava-strewn desert. We drove that 3,000-mile round trip on school holidays each year for 10 years from the Midwest to my parents’ home in Arizona. Each time we pondered the purpose of those three initial dishes on their mysterious railway system as more appeared each year. Hillerman’s depiction of the VLA led me to Google and learn even more --- and to yearn for a return trip to that gorgeous setting to visit their museum.

Hillerman has a firm grasp of Navajo tribal lore and customs, which she weaves seamlessly into the well-directed plot. Above all, Tony Hillerman fans will appreciate her keeping his fictional creations, Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, alive and thriving. The storytelling gene has been proudly passed on from father to daughter.