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It seems like July 8 is going to be a bad day for Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee. He's got a stack of overdue paperwork on his desk. Anderson Nez has died of plague, but the circumstances around the death are murky. His ex-fiancée, Janet Pete, is returning from Washington, D.C., and Chee doesn't know what to think about her last letter. (Will they be getting married this time?) And Officer Benny Kinsman's unwanted advances have enraged Catherine Pollard (among others), one of the scientists studying this newest outbreak of the black death. Now, the hot-headed Kinsman's gone off to nab a Hopi man who's poaching eagles. When Chee is called to back Kinsman up at Yells Back Butte, the bad day turns worse. He finds the young Hopi, Robert Jano, standing over Benny's mortally wounded body. Jano insists that he did not kill the police officer. Add to all this Joe Leaphorn's separate investigation, also involving July 8. Joe's got a new role as consulting detective to the wealthy--investigating the July 8 disappearance at Yells Back Butte of the same Catherine Pollard who was dogged by Kinsman. This one bad day and the ensuing days of investigation bring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together once again as they uncover the secret of Yells Back Butte, plague fleas, and skinwalkers. As usual, Hilllerman's ear for dialogue is remarkable. One does not read Leaphorn and Chee's words and thoughts as much as hear them. While the book invites new readers (little knowledge of the previous books in the series is presumed), one has the sense of entering an old neighborhood where friends and relations are established and emotions run deep. Jim Chee's pain is vivid as he struggles under the shadow of Leaphorn and questions the "rusty trailer" lifestyle that has driven him apart from Janet. Nothing is contrived in his mixture of fear and elation when he and Janet meet again. Hillerman has written an engaging novel that once again evokes the land and people of the Southwest while also confronting the cultural separateness of the region from the power centers of the East. Already honored for his previous work (Dance Hall of the Dead received the Edgar), The First Eagle is a welcome addition to the beloved Chee-Leaphorn series that began in 1971 with The Blessing Way. --Patrick O'Kelley
 Customer Reviews 
The book that introduced me to Tony Hillerman.
Rating: 5
"The First Eagle" was the novel that introduced me to Tony Hillerman, and I will forever be grateful. Superbly written and compelling. Mr. Hillerman's last few novels have been a bit disappointing ("The Shape Shifter" most of all), but "The First Eagle" is first rate. Highly recommended.
I like this guy
Rating: 3
The first editor or agent, I forget which, to read the first novel in Hillerman's long series of best-selling mysteries said to take out all the Navaho elements. How stupid is that? Meanwhile you've heard so much about Hillerman, and you're looking at the library or bookstore, and there's a big pile to choose from. Where do you begin? Chronology is one way, but you know he got better as he progressed, maybe had a slip or two, and whatever else befalls the author of a long-running series. So, where do you start? I recommend right here. If you enjoy this book, you'll know you can spend dozens or hundreds of hours with this author, just enjoying. That's a great feeling.
Fascinating look at the southwest
Rating: 4
The disappearance of a scientist and the murder of a Navajo Tribal Police Officer coincide, and a Hopi is blamed for the murder. Meanwhile, several Navajo have died from Bubonic Plague (something they still die from, seriously). Is there a connection? Yes. In this one, Leaphorn is now a private citizen and Chee is acting Lieutenant. Their roles almost seem reversed but they're still the same old characters. I don't think they had to have Janet Pete in this one again, I think he should just dump the b****.
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