barbara fister reviewed Stargazer by Anne Hillerman
Review of 'Stargazer' on 'LibraryThing'
When a man is discovered in his car by the side of the road, shot dead, it looks like a suicide, but Bernie Manuelito's former college roommate comes forward to confess to murder of her husband, who she is trying to divorce. Things just don't add up, and the alleged killer isn't helping the investigation. Meanwhile, Bernie is finding it irritating to have Chee as her boss, though he dislikes being in that position temporarily even more than she does, and she worries about her mother's advancing dementia (something that has personal significance for the author, as she reveals in a poignant afterword). Joe Leaphorn has his own case to pursue and dithers about whether to commit to an anxiety-producing flight to D.C. with his girlfriend, who is understandably frustrated by his unwillingness to commit. The resolution of this conflict makes the otherwise distracting subplot worthwhile. The leisurely unfolding of …
When a man is discovered in his car by the side of the road, shot dead, it looks like a suicide, but Bernie Manuelito's former college roommate comes forward to confess to murder of her husband, who she is trying to divorce. Things just don't add up, and the alleged killer isn't helping the investigation. Meanwhile, Bernie is finding it irritating to have Chee as her boss, though he dislikes being in that position temporarily even more than she does, and she worries about her mother's advancing dementia (something that has personal significance for the author, as she reveals in a poignant afterword). Joe Leaphorn has his own case to pursue and dithers about whether to commit to an anxiety-producing flight to D.C. with his girlfriend, who is understandably frustrated by his unwillingness to commit. The resolution of this conflict makes the otherwise distracting subplot worthwhile. The leisurely unfolding of the story suffers a bit from uneven pacing, a disproportionate amount of attention to the characters' personal lives compared to the mystery, and a fairly obvious missed clue or two, but the case is resolved in a dramatic finish. returnreturnI enjoy this series and, while I didn't find this as strong an entry as some, I liked the visit to the Very Large Array telescope facility (where the dead man had worked) and the parallel introduction to indigenous astronomy. The author continues her father's informative and respectful portrayal of Dine culture and hopefully holds open the door for indigenous writers.