Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Chee relaxed, closed his eyes, recognized that he was feeling much, much better. Why did talking to Joe Leaphorn do that for him? And now this business with Bernie. Worrying about his ankle. Bossing him around. Why did that make him feel so much better? He opened his eyes and looked up at her. A very pretty young lady even when she was frowning at him.

I don't have much to say about this one.

A casino is robbed, two people are murdered and the FBI is swarming all over the area.

Joe Leaphorn is approached by an old acquaintance with a list of names of the men involved, asking Leaphorn to get the list to the FBI without implicating him.

And of course Jim Chee is also assigned to this case. Can he and Leaphorn figure out whodunit and why?
...

NOTES:

- Jim Chee has a cat again. Mentioned in one paragraph in the second chapter. Who is this cat? How did Chee acquire it? We have no flipping idea. Hillerman tells us nothing. We all remember what happened to the LAST cat Jim Chee had... I'm frustrated. I demand a backstory.

- Jim Chee is slowly, slowly starting to realize he might actually like the pretty cop who has a crush on him: one Bernie Manuelito.

Bernie's confidence in him was flattering, if misguided. Why did the thought that Bernie was having an affair with this rent-a-cop disappoint him? It should be a relief. Instead it gave him an empty, abandoned feeling.

It's taken him long enough. Even though absolutely nothing happens between them romantically in this book, they work together and Bernie brings him some food and coffee when he has hurt his ankle.

- Who knows WTF is going on between Joe Leaphorn and Louisa Bourebonette? They appear to be living together in this book. Living together but sleeping in separate bedrooms. They hug once. It seems as if Hillerman, at the end of the novel, is implying that they will be developing a romantic relationship. But don't ask me. They've been fluttering around each other with no clear purpose or intent for years now. I'm not holding my breath.


Tl;dr - An exciting plot about robbers who are anti-government hiding out in the canyons of the Utah/Arizona border. Both Chee and Leaphorn are moving at a glacial pace towards the women in their lives - IF they are even moving at all. It's hard to tell. No one will sit down and have a conversation with each other about love or relationships, so it's all very vague.

Equally slow-moving is the men's relationship with each other. They are kinda-sorta liking each other now? I'd hesitate to say they are close, but they sort-of like each other now. Perhaps by the next book they may actually be friends? I don't want to get too crazy here. We're only FOURTEEN flippin' books in the series and these legendary cops are STILL not friends. Sad. Annoying.