The Wailing Wind is a mystery novel by Tony Hillerman. It brings together our favorite characters, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, Sergeant Jim Chee and Navajo Officer Bernadette Manuelito.
The story begins with Officer Manuelito going to check out a report of a body. Upon looking at the body and not finding anything to indicate it was murder Officer Manuelito begins to look around the area, and the scene becomes contaminated. Even for a relatively inexperienced officer, she should have realized what she had done. Upon further investigation, the body was discovered to have been murdered after all. Also found were papers, which brought the FBI into the matter as it could be related to another crime that was unfinished. These papers concerned the lost Golden Calf Mine.
When Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn hears of the find of the map he comes out of retirement. This had been his case and he definitely was interested in new found evidence. As far as retirement goes, Joe was not sure he really liked it anyway.
Officer Bernadette Manuelito has gotten herself in some hot water with her superiors and the FBI, because of her collection of seeds at the crime scene. Joe also gets to thinking about Wiley Denton’s young wife. Wiley killed a man and his wife disappeared that same day. Was she a part of the scam? What was it about the hills that seem to be so important to others?
With details of the Navajo ways and varied descriptions of the area, the story unfolds as only Tony Hillerman can tell it.
