The Sacred Bridge: A Novel

Written by Anne Hillerman

Narrated by DeLanna Studi and Peter MacDonald

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A fine legacy series . . .  in the spirit of her late father, Tony.”—Booklist 

An ancient mystery resurfaces with ramifications for the present day in this gripping chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman.

Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled across decades earlier. 

Chee’s journey takes a deadly turn when, after a prayerful visit to the sacred Rainbow Bridge, he spots a body floating in the lake. The dead man, a Navajo with a passion for the canyon’s ancient rock art, lived a life filled with many secrets. Discovering why he died and who was responsible involves Chee in an investigation that puts his own life at risk. 

Back in Shiprock, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is driving home when she witnesses an expensive sedan purposely kill a hitchhiker. The search to find the killer leads her to uncover a dangerous chain of interconnected revelations involving a Navajo Nation cannabis enterprise. 

But the evil that is unleashed jeopardizes her mother and sister Darleen, and puts Bernie in the deadliest situation of her law enforcement career. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063214736

Anne Hillerman

ANNE HILLERMAN is the bestselling author of the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. Lost Birds is her ninth novel in the series, which was created by her father, Tony Hillerman. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, and is at work on her next novel.

Reviews for The Sacred Bridge

[AuntWie · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Audio stops at CH 2. Tried downloading,, streaming ff. Nothing worked

[jamespurcell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Love the series and the characters but the improbable "superheroes" endings were disconcerting.

[Ann Louise Armstrong · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did not like the narrator. Least favorite of all in this series. Seems to becoming very woke. A turn off

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Sacred Bridge is another great story by Anne Hillerman. The settings are so well described that one can feel like he or she is there in Navajo territory. The characters are all believable, however the situations that they get out of are not so believable. Nevertheless, it makes for a great suspenseful and well written story. At the end of the book when the proper pronunciations and meaning of some of the frequently used Navajo words are spoken by a World War II code talker, just makes the story all the more special. Four stars were awarded to this story.

[diana.hauser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Sacred Bridge is written by Anne Hillerman. It is the 7th title in her Leaphorn, Chee, Manuelito novel series.Ms. Hillerman continues her father’s leagcy (Tony Hillerman) with the Navajo Tribal Police-centered novels. His novels, with the addition of Anne’s work, put the Navajo Nation on the map, so to speak. The locations, the characters, the cultural references - all created an interest in and an appreciation of the Navajo and the land they inhabit.The transition from Tony’s writing to his daughter, Anne’s writing, is practically seamless.I have enjoyed the older titles as well as the new. I especially like the addition of Bernadette (Bernie) Manuelito.In the Sacred Bridge “Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled across decades earlier. Chee’s journey takes a deadly turn when, after a prayerful visit to the sacred Rainbow Bridge, he spots a body floating in the lake. (Lake Mead) The dead man, a Navajo with a passion for the canyon’s ancient rock art, lived a life filled with many secrets. Discovering why he died and who was responsible involves Chee in an investigation that puts his own life at risk.”A good mystery, well-crafted characters and situations with a backdrop of the beauty of the Navajo Nation and culture make for an excellent read.A glossary of Navajo words completes the book.Excellent Title —Excellent Series *****

[drapple_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another installment in the Manuelito and Chee series. In this novel, they are each working independently to solve mysteries. Bernie's investigation puts her and her family in harm's way. It is an enjoyable read.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read one of Tony Hillerman’s books while traveling in the Florida Keys. I believe it was the blessing way. Since them I have read almost everything he has written and all of his daughters books that continue the series and I have enjoyed them all. The setting in Navajo country adds something for me as I got to travel in that area with my family many years ago when a teenager. The books are both good mysteries, exciting, and engage the reader into the culture of the Navajo and to a lesser degree the Hopi people. My fingers are crossed that the series will continue. This story takes place on and around lake Powell. I still remember the construction of the Glen Canyon dam and the efforts made to stop its construction. My father took the rest of the family on a boating trip through the lake as it was filling up and while many of the tributary canyons were just beginning to fill.The story involves tourist trips around the lake and the perspectives of an elderly archeologist who tried to document what was being covered as lake Powell filled. There is of course a murder. At the same time there is an investigation of a marijuana farm suspected of illegal activities.

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm starting to think that I should just stop reading ARCs until the pandemic is completely over -- huge salute and appreciation to the many authors who are producing new work in this very hard time, however, this book, like the last 3-4 I've read, just feels like it's not done being written yet. I hope/suspect that will change before publication.

In this case, the dual plotlines need a little bit of tightening up, and most of the action scenes are incomplete -- either not particularly believable (Bernie, moving around the space she's undercover in with no trouble) or just missing pieces (Chee, going from gunpoint to behind a rock to climbing an ancient rock wall as though he's teleporting). It's also strikingly less polished as the book goes on, so I really do think this is an editing process that hasn't finished yet.

In the meantime -- my review of the book as a whole:

One of the things I deeply love is to see characters evolve over time. That's why I enjoyed Tony Hillerman's books, and why I have continued to enjoy Anne Hillerman's works. This book holds the tensions of imminent changes supremely well. It explores both Bernie and Chee's very human desires to find their next path and does it in a believable way. It's kind of hard on the reader, because it feels like the kind of the book where a character might die or change profession or leave as a catalyst for change for the entire series, and that is really well done. It also holds the tension of talking about recent ongoing concerns in the Navaho Nation -- from the effects of Covid-19, to the legalization of marijuana, to the evolving story of the Lake Powell area. It feels relevant, up-to-the-moment and unresolved, just like everything else right now.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.