Stargazer

A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel, Book 6

By: Anne Hillerman

Narrated by: Darrell Dennis

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Murder, deception, Navajo tradition, and the stars collide in this enthralling entry in New York Times best-selling author Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series, set amid the beautiful landscape of the American Southwest.

What begins as a typical day for Officer Bernadette Manuelito - serving a bench warrant, dealing with a herd of cattle obstructing traffic, and stumbling across a crime scene - takes an unexpected twist when she’s called to help find an old friend. Years ago, Bernie and Maya were roommates, but time and Maya’s struggles with addiction drove them apart. Now Maya’s brother asks Bernie to find out what happened to his sister.

Tracing Maya’s whereabouts, Bernie learns that her old friend had confessed to the murder of her estranged husband, a prominent astronomer. But the details don’t align. Suspicious, Bernie takes a closer look at the case only to find that nothing is as it seems. Uncovering new information about the astronomer’s work leads Bernie to a remote spot on the Navajo Nation and a calculating killer.

The investigation causes an unexpected rift with her husband and new acting boss, Jim Chee, who’s sure Bernie’s headed for trouble. While she’s caught between present and past, Chee is at a crossroads of his own. Burdened with new responsibilities he didn’t ask for and doesn’t want, he must decide what the future holds for him and act accordingly.

Can their mentor Joe Leaphorn - a man also looking at the past for answers to the future - provide the guidance both Bernie and Chee need? And will the Navajo heroes who stud the starry sky help them find justice - and the truth they seek?

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

©2021 Anne Hillerman (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

What happened to the previous narrator?

Anne Hillerman's books are a wonderful legacy from her father Tony and are thoroughly enjoyable. However, the change in narrator was a mistake. He is very inauthentic and he mispronounces Hawaiian words. Mauna Kea, the vowels in the first syllable pronounced like ow in owl means mountain and the second word, kay a means white. The reader pronounces is moana, which means deep ocean. This may seem small, but it is discourteous to those of us who have made Hawaii our home.

Bring back the old narrator

ETA: It looks like this new guy is Native, and I approve of casting in accurate ethnicities--but still. It's less fun. And like the other reviews have said, he mispronounces things.
* * *

When Christina Delaine began reading the Hillerman books, I was sad that she had replaced the guy who read the 20 or more before. But I quickly changed my mind.

She brought a new life to the characters and story. She read those Native characters in a true way that sounded like so many Natives I have known and loved.**but another reviewer said that her accent was Soiux, I'm from the north so that makes sense that I responded to the accent** I thought she actually *was* Native because she did so well.
So, this newest book comes out with yet another narrator. I was sad, but gave it a go.

This one so much less fun. He even pronounced some of the words wrong (Mesa, Canyon de Chelly, etc). I can't remember which word it was, but there was one said several times on a single page. The narrator was saying it in a weird way, so I paid attention. At first I thought that he chose to have that character pronounce it that way, or whatever, but then he slipped and pronounced it the way I'm familiar with. When we notice errors and inconsistencies, we lose the immersion into the story.

I say, bring back Christina Delaine.

Oh yah, and I like the story, just like the rest in the series.

Narration issue

I've read and/or listened to almost every one of the Leaphorn/Chee/Manuelito novels, and love the depictions of the land, the Dine and Pueblo peoples, and the characters. This latest installment isn't the best of Anne's; I was pretty sure of the conclusion about halfway through, and all the threads were tied up in a bit too neat a bow at the end. But the story is compelling, and the lead characters are like old friends by now. However, I found myself distracted by the narrator's mispronunciation of "Canyon de Chelly" and "hogan". He seemed to have gotten the complex terms from a native speaker and just assumed the simple ones would sound like a monolingual American English speaker would read them. It's a quibble, I know; but still. I might end up just reading the book from now on, as I did most of Tony's. They're always worth a read.

Terrible Narration!

It is hard to enjoy the book with the terrible narration. Previous woman who narrated was much better. The man does not understand the Southwest. It ruins the book.

Can't wait for the next one

Other than adjusting to a new reader, who didn't pronounce a sacred place correctly, no disappointment at all. Foretelling a few changes in character's lives?

The Autumn Sky Hunter

The title of my review refers to the great Fall and Winter Constellation of Orion. Among the many great Navajo characters described in this book is the relentless, intuitive Officer Bernadette Manuelito. She follows in the big literary foot steps of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. And the Hillerman clan keeps on delivering the finest mystery yarns around. It also is a delight that while we are trying to out guess Manuelito, we are learning more about the strong and ancient culture of the Navajo. (Oh, and while you’re at it, buy a good telescope, find some clean dark skies, and marvel at the beauty right above our heads.)

Great story!

I loved this detailed, engrossing mystery. just when you think you know, you don't! And the details make me feel like I'm seeing the landscapes of that area.

Narrator detracted from story

The story line was fine, though not her best. But the narration was mediocre to poor.

Great book but the new reader ruined the experience.

Anne Hillerman adds another enjoyable mystery to the series, but I recommend you read it yourself, rather than listening to the audiobook. The reader’s mispronunciations (in English, Spanish, Navajo!) were jarring and it wrecked the experience. The woman who read the previous books of Anne Hillerman did a great job and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance of them. But this was such a step down that if future books are read by him, I will have to buy them and read them myself. Too bad, because audio books are great for car trips and to listen to while cooking or doing housework. They made a chore a joy.

Book good. Narrator, not so much.

He mispronounced several words, and many times it was difficult to figure who was speaking. All voices sounded the same. Look forward to the next book, but please bring back the former narrator.