"The Fallen Man" By Tony Hillerman

Award-winning American writer, Tony Hillerman, passed away at the age of 83 in 2008, but he left behind a legacy as a great writer. His novel, “The Fallen Man” is the best-seller and one of his gems.

The story has two protagonists, a retired Lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn, and Jim Chee, who is an acting Lieutenant. These two characters have appeared in his previous novels, “The Blessing Way” (1970) and “Dance Hall of the Dead” (1973). The story is being told in a narrative style from different points of view of several people.

“The Fallen Man” starts out with a discovery of mysterious human skeleton at the top of Shiprock’s peak by a group of mountain climbers. Lieutenant Jim Chee was too busy to investigate the case until Joe Leaphorn entered the picture. It was conclude that the remains of the body belong to Hal Breedlove, a wealthy Anglo. Breedlove had died some 11 years ago while climbing the sacred mountain, Shiprock, in the Western part of New Mexico.

Joe Leaphorn plays a role as some sort of a detective, and Jim Chee couldn’t help but to assist him in investigating the case. The crime had to do with the people in the Navajo reservation. In the meantime, the author also showed the failing relationship between Jim Chee and his girlfriend, Janet Pete, a part-Navajo attorney.

The story is set in beautiful scenery of Four Corners in Southwestern of Navajo reservation. The author described the brutal weather and the beauty of the country. It is a good mysterious novel and a must-read novel.